The Last American Vampire (Seth Grahame-Smith)

I admit, thus far 2015 has been a 'sputtering' reading year.  I've already put down 5 books before finishing them (which is on pace to double last year's total), and finding books I love has been harder than expected.  When you read as much as I do, this happens from time to time- not every book can enthrall you- but it's still frustrating.  I was starting to get concerned that I was burned out, or had raised my standards so much that I'd seldom find enjoyment in the hobby going forward.  I needed a boost; an easy pick-me-up; a guaranteed page-turner.  Enter Seth Grahame-Smith.

I was introduced to 'SGS' in 2012, when I read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (review).  I fell in love with his unique, 'mash-up' style, wherein he combined history with the macabre and bizarre.  He did it again with Unholy Night in 2013 (review), which I also loved.  It was thus with great excitement that I saw he was back, his latest work being a sequel to his first book.

The Last American Vampire is the tale of 'good' vampire Henry Sturges, to whom we were introduced in Vampire Hunter.  This time, Henry is on a mission: track down the mysterious "A. Grander VIII," a 'bad' vampire who is intent on destroying the 'good' vampire Union and America.  Since vampires are immortal, Henry starts his search in the late 1800s, but the elusive Grander evades him up through the 1960s.  Along the way, we see flashbacks (to Henry's birth in the 1500s) and vampire involvement in many historical events between Henry's creation and present day.  In that sense, this is a historical survey book- SGS ties in (and puts a vampire-infused spin on) a number of interesting historical events and personalities, including: the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Pocahontas, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack the Ripper, Mark Twain, Tesla, Rockefeller, Teddy Roosevelt, Rasputin, the Hindenburg explosion, Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, Howard Hughes, WWII, and JFK.

As before, SGS succeeds in spinning an amusing, pseudo-historical yarn.  His alteration of known historical events/personalities was fun, and who doesn't enjoy a touch of macabre now and then?  This is another winner.

Rating: A