jojo_k
Written on Jun 27, 2020
- ISBN10 0989649997
- ISBN13 9780989649995
- Publish Date 12 August 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Reuts Publications
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 300
- Language English
Reviews
Melanie
Written on May 26, 2016
I’m trying to remember how I stumbled upon this book. I’ve had it in my Audible library for a few months with every intention of listening to it, but other books kept getting ahead of it. I can tell you that it was the title that caught my eye. I mean, how does that not catch you eye? It is an extremely long title and then when you read what it actually says, I just had to know more. I’m really glad that I finally took the time to listen to this book. I’ve already purchased the second book in this series. I will be tackling it very soon.
This book is told from the first person POV of Fred, the said vampire accountant. It is actually more like five short stories that are pulled together into one story. Since the stories are told in chronological order and without a large amount of time between each story, it still feels like a full story.
A Vampire Reunion
Here Fred decides to go back to his high school reunion. Not something that is fun for the nerds and outcasts of high school. However, Fred runs into another outcast that he was friends with while in school, Crystal. Oh, and there is a group of werewolves who want to turn the reunion into an all you can eat buffet.
A Zombie at the LARP
Crystal and Fred are now dating, but Crystal has to do some work stuff before their date. She has to check out this LARP (Live-Action Role Playing game) where some bad stuff is supposed to go down. Crystal works for a government agency that polices supernaturals. This is where Fred picks up a new assistant in a zombie who needs a job or will be put back in the ground.
A Weresteed at the Slots
Crystal get called into to help an old friend only that is pretty much an impossible task. Bubba is a weresteed (don’t call him a were-horse, he is a weresteed, even that has a bit of a twist to it. LOL). He has gambled himself into a very large debt. He wants to just say goodbye to Crystal. She then challenges for his debt. Things go from bad to worse. Fred rides in to save the day.
A Mage at the Park
Krystal is out on assignment and a mage friend needs help, so Fred, Bubba and Albert the zombie go on the search for a missing mage tutor. Not my favorite of the stories, but it did have a humorous ending.
A Monster in the Pews
Here we learn more about Krystal and her past. She has quite the past.
While I wasn’t a huge fan of the story being told in the short story format, they do all overlap very well. The side characters when pick up in one story move on to the next story, so they build on the previous story. While I also don’t find this series to be the funniest story I’ve ever read, I did enjoy my time with Fred and the gang. I really liked Bubba, though all the side characters were fun. Like I said above, I’ve already purchased the next book in the series.
Narration
This is my first book with Kirby Heyborne. I thought he did an okay job. I was not a big fan of his female voices, but I really enjoyed his male voices. Since this series really only has Krystal as it’s female character of significance so far, I don’t mind listening to it. If this was a book that had more female characters in it, I don’t think I would enjoy his narration as much.
EBookObsessed
Written on Feb 27, 2015
I found boring Fred and his misfit friends to be delightful. This book is a set of five short stories and in each, Fred stands up for those he cares about but stays true to his modest and former life as a nerdy accountant. Like Dorothy on her way to Oz, Fred picks up new friends as he goes through each story and he evolves from a loner to a leader of misfits.
This is one of those books that calls to you and you don’t know why. When Tantor offered me a review copy of Fred, I went back to it three times before I finally confessed that I was so intrigued that I had to have a copy. I am glad that I did. It wasn’t the most nail-biting exciting book (hence the name), but it was great storytelling.
We start out meeting Fred. Fred has been a vampire for about a year and he explains that being a vampire is nothing like it is depicted in the movies. He hasn’t suddenly become better looking or more charming. His life hasn’t suddenly become more glamorous. Fred is still a boring introvert who hangs out in his apartment watching his vast movie collection and doing what he does best — accounting. He stays in during the day due to his new allergy to sunlight and his new liquid diet has helped slim him down. Since the “hunting” of his own dinner is an unmitigated failure which he doesn’t want to discuss, he has made a deal with a local hospital that needed help juggling their books for a ready blood supply.
In the first story, Fred decides to be bold and travel to attend his ten-year high school reunion, buying a non-refundable ticket so he doesn’t back out and then remembers that he cannot fly during the day. The only person who comes up to him at the reunion is his old friend, Krystal. He doesn’t recognize her at first since she lost a lot of weight, gained a lot of muscle and had puberty bless her after high school. When the reunion goes awry by the attendance by a pack of werewolves, Fred’s inclination is to do like he would normally do in the face of a bully — run. But even a coward can’t let all those not-really-friends get slaughtered and he tries really hard to stand up to the pack. Um…thankfully, he gets help.
That’s how most of the stories go, Fred who is non-violent and non-confrontational is forced time and again to go against his nature to help those around him using his brains and some of his new enhanced vampire strengths and gaining new friends with each story.
THOUGHTS:
This was great storytelling. I loved boring Fred and how he stayed true to himself throughout all the stories using his boring strengths and not becoming a sudden super-spy. Krystal is snarky and funny. There is one chapter read from Krystal’s point of view since Fred was not in the scene and let’s just say I was happy I wasn’t trying to eat or drink while listening because there would have been serious choking involved.
Never having met another supernatural nor any other vampires, Fred presumes that, like him, they are all still the same as before they were transformed. Krystal becomes Fred’s first real girlfriend and she knows a lot more about supernaturals than Fred and becomes an instructor of sorts to help Fred navigate this new world and try to convince him to leave his apartment once in a while.
You have to download this book in audiobook form. Narrator Kirby Heyborne is FABULOUS! Not only are his voices spot on perfect and brought these characters to life for me, but he adds so much extra to them. For example, Fred gets dragged to a LARP (live action role playing) and one of the people is pretending to be a vampire, complete with the plastic teeth. In his narration, Kirby includes the lisping and slurping that would be noted with someone wearing fake vampire teeth. Hysterical!
I have already purchased another Drew Hayes book, NPCs, and look forward to listening to that one. Unfortunately, that one is not narrated by Kirby Heyborne, but I am checking out some of the other novels which he did narrate to see if I can find one of interest.
I would definitely read more stories of Fred, Krystal and their Scooby-Doo gang.
Received a review copy from Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review.