Michael Schiefelbein

Vampire Vow harkens back to vampire literature where the vampires are evil. Victor chose a life of darkness after being rejected by Jesus as a lover (yes, that Jesus). He kills through the centuries, eventually choosing the life of a monk as a way to kill those who will not be missed. But, Victor is depraved - he doesn't just kill, he wants to defile. So, he takes young monks as his lovers, then casts them aside. First in an original series.

Not your everyday vampire book. Victor,a roman soldier falls madly in love with Jesus, pre Christ. Jesus rejected any relationship but not for reasons you may think. To get even, Victor became a vampire in order to seduce and corrupt young men and thereby destroy the church. The book leaps ahead to the present where a monk, Brother Victor,enters a small monestary in rural Tenn. Here Victor begins his quest with lust, hate and Victor's twisted version of love.

I am not sure why I finished this book. Victor is one angry man/vampire. He is always angry and I was shocked that Michael had feelings for him. I presume, because I am trying to make sense of it all, that Victor's anger represents the repression felt by gay men, certainly gay men of faith, and represents anger toward strict Catholicism. Victor eats or rapes everyone he encounters. He is a pure predator without any redemptive qualities. Perhaps the author was indeed effective since I so show more loathe the main character. I simply cannot fathom that this is a trilogy. show less

A Roman soldier, frustrated after being rejected by Jesus, takes out his rage and frustration on the Jews and is forced into escaping punishment by becoming a vampire. Two thousand years later, he looks for a suitable "mate." Fun concept, but the delivery seems a bit muted; the sex lacked passion and I had zero sympathy for the narrator/main character. If it was a bit more campy, I'd have liked it better.