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The Lesser Dead

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'The Lesser Dead' by Christopher Buehlman is a vampire tale set in 1978 New York City, following the story of Joey Peacock, who appears as a teenager but is actually in his 50s. Joey and his vampire pack live in the tunnels under the city, surviving by feeding on victims and using their ability to glamour. The arrival of young children vampires disrupts their harmony, leading to a battle for dominance. is praised for its period portrayal, including 1970s culture, and the compelling backstories of the vampire characters.

Characters:

Characters are richly developed, with Joey serving as a complex, unreliable narrator, supported by morally ambiguous vampires, including particularly unsettling child vampires.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style features rich, engaging prose, blending dark humor with philosophical insight, creating an immersive reading experience.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Joey Peacock, a vampire navigating life in 1970s NYC, exploring themes of power and survival, while confronting the chaos brought by younger vampires.

Setting:

The setting vividly captures the gritty atmosphere of 1970s New York City, focusing on urban nightlife and the dark recesses of subway tunnels.

Pacing:

The pacing is steady, effectively maintaining suspense with gradual tension and unexpected developments.
I’m going to take you someplace dark and damp where good people don’t go. I’m going to introduce you to monsters. Real ones. I’m going to tell you stories about hurting people, and if you like those s...

Notes:

The Lesser Dead is set in 1970s New York City, presenting a gritty and dark atmosphere.
The protagonist, Joey Peacock, is a vampire who appears to be a teenager but is actually around 50 years old.
Buehlman explores themes of power dynamics, deception, and self-delusion through the character of Joey.
The story is told from Joey's perspective as he narrates his experiences, making him an unreliable narrator.
Children vampires in the story are portrayed as disturbing and contribute to the horror elements of the plot.
Buehlman uses rich and memorable prose, such as the quote, 'Happiness is the province of those who ask few questions.'
The book includes substantial social commentary, comparing the actions of vampires to real-world historical events.
The narrative structure involves deceit that unfolds progressively throughout the novel, enriching the reading experience.
The author, Christopher Buehlman, also narrates the audiobook, receiving high praise for his performance.
Many readers regard it as a refreshing take on the vampire genre, filled with surprises and unexpected twists.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The content warnings are high due to graphic violence, themes of predation, and the unsettling presence of child vampires.

From The Publisher:

Christopher Buehlman's Those Across the River delivered "an unsettling brew of growing menace spiked with flashes of genuine terror."* Now, the World Fantasy Award-nominated author stakes a bloody claim on vampire mythology in this chilling horror novel….

New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody-he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city's sidewalks.

The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It's almost too easy.

Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.

And neither are the rest of us.

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S BEST HORROR NOVEL OF THE YEAR

*New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson

Ratings (10)

Incredible (2)
Loved It (3)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (3)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (50):

Read It (10)
Want To Read (31)
Not Interested (9)

2 comment(s)

It Was OK
2 months

To be honest, I picked up this book more for the awesome cover and title than for the description. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't as dark as I expected, at least not at first. Joey Peacock, the permanently-14 year old vampire protagonist, spends a lot of time on digressions about his former life, his vampire friends, and his antics around New York City. Eventually the book moves into a mystery about child vampires: who turned them? For what purpose? Are they a new breed of vampire? The more the book focuses on that, the better. But I didn't find it particularly frightening, although the revelations at the end were fascinating (I just wish they hadn't come at the very end).

Also, I wonder why the book is set in 1978 specifically. New York in the 70's was a very different city than it is today, but Buehlman doesn't really take advantage of that. The city doesn't have a lot of color or enter into the narrative in any meaningful way, with the exception of the subway lines where the vampires live.

 
Loved It
5 months

The protagonist is the best thing about this book. He’s witty, uncouth and very unreliable. The writer does a great job making it seem the protagonist is talking to the reader himself. This book might require a second read through because of a significant change in the end and made me confused about certain things. Once protagonist revealed It wasn't like a “Ohhh” moment, more like “huh?” Like the writer just wrote it in real quick to mess with the reader which I think was intended.

 

About the Author:

Christopher Buehlman is the winner of the 2007 Bridport Prize for Poetry and the author of several plays and five novels: The Suicide Motor Club, The Lesser Dead (named the American Library Association's Best Horror Novel of the Year), The Necromancer's House, Between Two Fires, and Those…

 
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