Blood Lust (Paperback)

At the beginning however I feel that more attention should have been asserted to the description of the characters, especially Cameron who is the main fighter of evil. I didn't feel like I could really understand or see him very well. This is however a personal affirmation for me; I love to be able to know the minute details about characters through lengthy description but this book didn't provide it. However it definitely makes up for that with the hilarity and the seeming 'realness' about the situation. The thing that kept me going through this book, past the first few chapters where I was a little confused, was the way Rhys set out the scenarios, places and conversation. It was all so real, and so believable that it just made you wonder 'what if'.

As the book gets really going and you get used to the involuntary profanity and rudeness of some of the student dialogue and vampiric activities you really begin to enjoy the book, take it for what it is and stop trying to think that it should be something else. Page by page you begin to sympathise with the characters; especially Cameron and Gillian having turned themselves into vampires (a new form of vampires - very raw) by... well I'll let you read that for yourselves! The characters really start to gel and get used to their changed lives and with meeting their new friend 'Nutter' they realise that not all is as it seems. With shocks and revelations and gore and sex the book encompasses students and vampires excellently.

The storyline is backed up by all the usual feats of fantasy that you normal attribute to Vampire stories but this particular novel takes it to the next level, proving that you certainly don't know everything about Vampires (even if you have watched all the films).

Blood Lust I feel is heading up a new genre of writing; throwing out all the old styles of writing, the procrastination and dull monologue. It's the type of book you'll read straight through loving it or you'll start reading then try and forget you ever started it. The book reminds me of a lot of the Point Horror books I read when I was a child. In a sense it's totally the opposite to, the PH books were full of descriptions and predicted monologues that you just tended to skip over. I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every page in this book (after I got into it).

As I said before though, it took me a few chapters to get into the book as I wasn't expecting to be dropped straight into it. It's certainly not what you expect but everything you want. Despite the lack of character description the book is actually quite verbose. Rankin and Pratchett lovers ahoy there!

In conclusion I've decided that if you like horror, vampires, and can laugh easy, then this is a book worth reading. It's taken vampires to the next level, not to mention the notion of vampire slaying. I'll certainly never miss a bus again ;)

A careful blend of humour, cliché and an all-star ensemble of have-a-go students ensure an enjoyable read from start to finish.

There are echoes of Pratchett-esque frivolity and irony; but Wilcox adds an extra dimension of sarcasm and innocent stupidity in his characters that have been absent from the Discworld since Sorcery. If Wilcox can pull off the series that he plans, it will be a fine feat indeed that should keep readers laughing for years.