Unsinkable Vampire

SC POE'S INDIE EBOOK SAMPLER, Special Titanic Centennial Edition

Poe could not let this important anniversary sink out of our memories without noting the following:

Unsinkable Vampire

By Kristin King

Self-published, 2012
Poe thinks this is YA short historical/monster mash

First sentence: Seeing mama ill drove a stake of fear into Charlotte's heart.

Poe is eternally thirsty for a good historical. The sly first sentence in this one seemed to predict a satire--perfectly suited, Poe thought, to the nifty hook (a vampire on the Titanic). In fact, the novella turns out to be a conventional Victorian romance (family in reduced circumstances; mother desperate to match daughter with suitable mate) that presumably will turn Gothic if one reads past the sample.

Poe enjoys well-done genre and formula. This story has touches of irony and humor, and the narrator's voice has considerable charm, sounding a lot like Edgar Allen Poe* or Bram Stoker himself. But, oh! for a line-editor! The meandering sentences are fairly starved for commas, and there are moments when Mrs. Malaprop herself seems to have wielded the pen.

For those who can tolerate the formless editing, this novella may entertain. It appears to be the teaser for the Begotten Blood series, the first full-length novel of which will appear later this year.

Rated E for Editorially Challenged, as explained above.

* Absolutely no relation to your Sampler, in case any reader wondered.