Vamped

July 12, 2004
Set in an alternate world where vampires are in charge and humans nearly extinct, Sosnowski's (Rapture
) mildly diverting novel will appeal more to mainstream readers than horror aficionados. Undead Martin Kowalski, killing time at strip clubs and surviving, like all vampires, off blood derived from stem cells, is considering suicide when he encounters a six-year-old human girl, Isuzu Trooper Cassidy. She and her recently killed mother were escapees from a hunting preserve. Unwilling to vamp her (child vampires, aka "screamers," tend to be disturbed individuals), Martin opts instead to provide a good home for the child until she attains adulthood. The author offers both distraction and food for thought, bestowing endless tidbits, inventive explanations and intriguing tangents (why vampires love laser tag; what's involved with air travel when it comes to an all-vampire passenger list and crew) as he fleshes out an otherwise simple, straightforward narrative. Most of the work's broader concepts, unfortunately, are in the hidebound, daylight-avoiding tradition. While it's nice to find out fun facts such as when vampire lunchtime takes place (midnight), the plot is pretty unlikely even in context and the characters essentially one-dimensional. The field of vampire fiction is well-trodden ground, and Sosnowski's tracks leave little lasting impression. Agent, Jane Dystel.

Starred review from June 1, 2004
Marty is your average vampire, terribly bored with eternity. The thrill of the chase has vanished: the undead sip blood made from stem cells, owing to the rarity of living, breathing human beings. Enter little Isuzu Trooper Cassidy, a human orphan girl who gives the suicidally depressed Marty a new lease on his unlife. He wins her trust, planning to keep her for a later meal. What he doesn't foresee is that this feisty child is turning him from a predator into a protector. Eventually, Marty comes to think of himself as a single parent shielding his daughter from the clutches of his undead brethren. For her part, Isuzu calls him Dad and brings him all the joy and angst that defines parenthood. Full of wit and charm, Sosnowski's fast-paced second novel (after Rapture, about the secret life of angels) offers delightfully quirky characters and plenty of hilarious scenes. Narrator Marty's sardonic eye misses nothing. Recommended for popular fiction collections.-Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, MD

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2004
In the 100-odd years since Martin Kowalski became a vampire during World War II, vampires have become the majority of the world's population, in part because of Martin's own efforts to help depressed and dying people by turning them into vampires. Now, regular humans are so rare that most are raised on farms. Martin doesn't have much going for him until the day he discovers six-year-old Isuzu Trooper Cassidy fleeing the vampires who killed her mother. Martin takes her in, at first intending that she be a delightful snack. But the little girl quickly grows on him, and he finds himself longing for her laughter more than her blood. As he grows into the role of unlikely parent, his worries increase exponentially. What if bloodthirsty neighbors discover he is harboring Isuzu? What if she gets sick? And what happens when she grows up and falls in love . . . with a " vampire?" Sosnowski's easy mixture of warmth and humor makes for a winning, original tale about love in the unlikeliest of worlds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)