Vampire Zero

Two kinds of vampires have emerged from modern media. One sort is a romantic, misunderstood creature who is beloved by a troubled, isolated heroine. The other is a terrifying, (literally) bloodthirsty monster which preys on humankind. At one end of the spectrum, Edward Cullen sparkles and smolders in the hearts of adolescent girls.

David Wellington's vampires are not Edward Cullen. They are, in fact, at the far end of the spectrum, past Stoker's Dracula and Whedon's Buffy. These vampires are vicious, inhuman and utterly without remorse. Wellington's vampires quickly lose what connection they once had to humanity, and when not feeding on us, find slowly torturing us quite amusing.

This book is the third in David Wellington's Vampire Tales, show more and is the most terrifying and suspenseful of the series so far. Laura Caxton is a state trooper who was inadvertently cast as a vampire hunter just over a year ago, when Jameson Arkeley recruited her. Arkeley was a federal agent who, over 20 years, made it his personal crusade (obsession?) to obliterate the last shark-toothed, rotting, throat-ripping vampire in existence.

Noone knows vampires like Arkeley. During his career hunting them down, he learned every trick in their book and every strategy for catching them and killing them. Arkeley taught Caxton everything she knows about killing vampires—which is unfortunate, because now he is one.

Jameson Arkeley is the smartest, strongest, most vicious vampire Caxton has ever faced, and now she faces him alone.

This book kept me on my toes, defying my most confident (and usually correct) predictions as to where the story would go. Caxton never gets a chance to rest, and neither does the reader, as you always have to know what slaughter the next night will bring.

The development (or perhaps decay) of both Caxton and Arkeley is also fascinating, as Caxton finds herself casting aside everything else that once mattered to her and becoming the obsessed loner she despised in Arkeley and Arkeley finds himself becoming the single-minded killer he once made it his mission to destroy.

Wellington's setting for the final confrontation was a brilliant choice, borrowing a real-life hell-on-earth for the vampire's lair. (I won't ruin the surprise, but I will say that it's a real, man-made disaster area in Pennsylvania, and will remain so for another century or two.)

Wellington crafts an excellent adventure/thriller story, but he occasionally allows distracting, overly poetic language to creep into his book. I don't need elaborate metaphors to describe the scene of impending slaughter. If I want poetry, I'll read Robert Frost. But this is a minor gripe about an excellent horror novel.

Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good suspenseful, scary read. And I promise, you won't find anyone sparkling in this book. show less

David Wellington's vampire novels are fantastic to read - fast-paced, thrilling, even educational on occasion! I have raced through the first three books of the series in a week, and my finger is itching to click on 'Buy' so that I can add the fourth novel on Kindle. There are some elements of the Laura Caxton stories that I would change - the very American obsession with guns 'n' ammo, for one - no wooden stakes here - and Caxton's mutating personality for another, but overall, I can safely say I'm addicted.

Set a couple of months after Caxton's battle with the undead at Gettysburg, Trooper Laura Caxton is now in charge of her own unit, the SSU (Special Subjects Unit), tracking and destroying vampires. Or really, just one vampire in show more particular - her old mentor, Jameson Arkeley. But Arkeley isn't making her work easy for her, creating an army of half-deads and going after his own family. Caxton and Glauer, the dependable officer from the previous novel now working for the SSU, need to stop Arkeley - and the formidable Justinia Malvern - before he becomes a 'vampire zero', and makes other vicious undead killers.

From the insecure, hyperventilating victim she was in the first novel, Laura Caxton has somehow transformed into a heartless, obsessive bully - into Arkeley, in fact. On one level, the change in her personality from passive to aggressive is convincing, but on another, wholly unattractive. Caxton's treatment of Clara Hsu, her live-in photographer girlfriend, is appalling, but at least Clara calls Caxton on her behaviour. I'm not sure what purpose is served by Clara, other than to play the neglected other half - Caxton is the type of antisocial character who shouldn't really have personal connections, but we'll see how long Clara lasts.

I enjoyed delving more into Arkeley's human past, and meeting his eccentric wife and troubled children. (A prequel, set during Arkeley's vampire hunting career, would be interesting to read.) And the climax, in the abandoned mines beneath Centralia, was tense and powerfully atmospheric, once again. The guns are starting to bore me, along with the repetitive vampire worldbuilding in every novel, but Wellington has a talent for finding strangely appropriate historical locations in which to stage Caxton's battles. show less

This third installment of David Wellington's vampire series resumes mere months after the events in 99 Coffins. Jameson Arkeley, our former hero, has broken the vow he made to Laura Caxton and has now fully embraced his existence as a vampire. Caxton has given up every semblance of a normal life in order to hunt him down. But can she outwit the one who taught her everything?

Let me preface by saying that I adored 99 Coffins. It is one of the best vampire books I have read and I was really excited to read the continuation of it. I even paid to have this book sent from another library.

It was really hard for me to come to terms with Arkeley as the Big Bad. He is perhaps my favorite character of the series and I liked him as the hero. show more Justinia Malvern plays a greatly reduced role in this episode. She was such a large fixture in the last book and it seems she is wasted here. I also thought that Wellington made Caxton very butch in this one. She's too Rambo for me. She's almost not human. Maybe that's the point. In hunting down the monster, you become one yourself? I'm sure I will pick up the fourth book but my hopes are not as high as they once were for this series. show less

Vampire Zero is the third in a series by David Wellington starring Laura Caxton, a Pennsylvania State Trooper turned vampire hunter. The subtitle to this one is "a gruesome vampire tale" and Wellington's not kidding. As with the other books in this series, these are not romantic vampires or vampires as people with superpowers. Wellington's vampires are evil predators that must be stopped. Fair warning - he manages to keep the body count pretty high in this one.

99 Coffins, the previous book left a couple of loose ends. In Vampire Zero, Wellington pulls on those threads and manages to wrap some things up pretty nicely. Then leaves a few more hanging, so as to keep our interest for a fourth book that I'm now impatiently waiting for. show more Highly recommended for those who like their vampire stories raw, but start at the beginning with 13 Bullets for the full effect. show less

David Wellington is an extremely talented writer. This is the third book in what I thought was going to be a vampire trilogy, but after reading it I am definitely hoping for another one. I need to know what happens next. If you are a fan of vampires, but aren't looking for romantic, squishy ones, then read these books. You'll be as hooked as I am.

Vampire Zero is the third book in the Laura Caxton series, about a State Trooper who becomes a vampire-hunter.

The action this time centers around Laura's hunt for the sole survivor of the previous book, 99 Coffins.

The vampires are scary, and the action is good, but Laura is not a very sympathetic character - she's actually pretty socially retarded. She is a good kick-ass character, and the story moves quickly; if you are after a quick vampire action story this book is a good choice.

Vampire Zero is another entertaining chapter in the life of state trooper Laura Caxton. She and Jameson Arkeley continue their relationship, which began and has been sustained by vampire activity. However, those who have read 99 Coffins know that relationship has changed drastically. Wellington's vampires are ruthless creatures, but they are also clever, conniving and able to work together with their “half deads” to carryout their nefarious plans. This book has plenty of bloodthirsty violence, but perhaps places more emphasis on their ability to orchestrate nefarious plans. Readers who liked Wellington's first two books in this series (13 Bullets and 99 Coffins) will want to read this one. I enjoyed it very much.