The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: January 13, 2015
Series: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Book 2
ISBN: 978-1455502127
Genre: Fiction – Paranormal, Horror
Synopsis: In Reconstruction-era America, vampire Henry Sturges is searching for renewed purpose in the wake of his friend Abraham Lincoln’s shocking death. Henry’s will be an expansive journey that first sends him to England for an unexpected encounter with Jack the Ripper, then to New York City for the birth of a new American century, the dawn of the electric era of Tesla and Edison, and the blazing disaster of the 1937 Hindenburg crash.
Along the way, Henry goes on the road in a Kerouac-influenced trip as Seth Grahame-Smith ingeniously weaves vampire history through Russia’s October Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, and the JFK assassination.
Revisiting the past is something that interests me. Rewriting the past is something else that just blows my mind. Grahame-Smith has done so with The Last American Vampire.
In The Last American Vampire, Grahame-Smith tells the tale of Henry Sturges, dear friend of Abraham Lincoln and a vampire. There are recollections of events that accompany his adventures. From the Civil War, Sturges returns to London. There his tale unravels, piecing together history through his eyes in the 19th Century. Henry encounters many famous figures, placing himself during the times of several important events. Times of Jack the Ripper, Mark Twain, and even Howard Hughes (to name a few). But in the dark corners of this world, there is a villain. She is a cruel and intelligent, making for a very worthy adversary.
Henry was an amazing character in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and I enjoyed him in this story. Henry’s recollections are realistic, almost to the point of plausibility. He is much like I remembered him in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, despite the time passed.
Grahame-Smith retells history in a very fresh perspective. For those of us who are not history buffs, or can even remember what happened in years past, The Last American Vampire makes it interesting. This story surprises you and throws you for a twist. Regardless if history is familiar and already known, Grahame-Smith has reinvented it in a way that will keep you at the edge of your seat. There’s mystery, entertainment, and danger. I loved every moment of it.
I appreciated the more expansive approach to Henry’s storyline. I enjoyed that it was not necessarily a sequel, but more of a story set in the same world. Henry is an enjoyable character to get to know in depth.
