Chris Stiles is (cue gravelly voiceover) "a Vietnam veteran they couldn't kill" whose dead brother's ghost leads him to a small Indiana town to hunt down some unknown evil.
Bart and Del are stepbrothers dared to spend the night at the old Danner house, abandoned for almost a century after rumors of a gruesome double homicide.
They don't find any ghosts, though. They find a walled up vampire! And he's thirsty! And EVIL.
The book pretty much explodes from there, Stiles unloading bullets from his impressive arsenal and the boys wielding nunchaku and Molotov cocktails while they gather a militia of townsfolk. Martindale writes with gusto and glee and his descriptions are cinematic. See here this vision:
"There was a demon in the road. It stood backlit by hellspawned flame, its wings folding and unfolding restlessly, its impossibly long arms drooped at its sides and reaching all the way to the ankles." The light shifts, and it is revealed to be Chris with billowing overcoat tails and two shotguns. Look out vampires!
Speaking of which, this is not the book to read if you want sensitive, moody vampires struggling with the ethical dilemma of blood-sucking. These are monsters of insatiable hunger and that's it. Once your friend, girlfriend, or neighbor is turned, the only thing they need is to be staked, beheaded, shot up with silver, or burned. Or all of the above. Often, all of the above.
I wasn't sure how I'd like Nightblood, to be honest. It's very macho. But it's also a complete blast and well-written and I loved it. I'm thrilled that indie publisher Valancourt Books is re-publishing horror gems from the 70s-90s with their Paperbacks from Hell line and I'm excited to add a few to the library's collection.
-Michael G.
Good review. Sounds like a fun time!
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