Robert R. McCammon - They Thirst

[andydecker]

Robert R. McCammon – They Thirst (Sphere 1986, Original Avon 1981, 531 p.)

A MASS MURDERER
A DISAPPEARANCE
A CEMETERY RANSACKED

It looked like another ordinary day in Los Angeles
Then night came …

Evil as old as the centuries has descended upon the City of Angels - it comes as a kiss from the terrifying but seductive immortals. Slowly at first, then by the legions, the ravenous undead choke Los Angeles with bloodthirsty determination – and the hordes of monstrous victims steadily mount each night.

High above glitter city a deadly contest begins. In the decaying castle of a long-dead screen idol, the few remaining human survivors prepare to face the Prince of Evil and his satanic disciples. Whilst the very forces of nature are called into play, isolating the city from the rest of the world and leaving it at the mercy of the blood-hungry vultures of the night…
THEY THIRST
Theirs is a lust that never can be satisfied …

Seems that the blurbs got longer each book. Even if this could loose a few sentences, I still quite like it. It never occurred to me to compare them, and the Pocket Books one is rather short and blah. Seems that McCammon changed his publishers a few times before bringing his back-list and new novels to Pocket Books. Still it is quite a puzzler why Sphere seemingly lost the rights, Mystery Walk went to Pan (with much the same cover design), also Usher's Passing, and here we are back to Sphere.

Ten years ago or so I bought one original online and got this tattered copy of Pocket which threatens to break every time I take it into hand. Last year I had luck and got a nicer one. Both have such a fine print that is quite tiring to read. Still, even if one is tired of vampires - this novel was published before the sucess of Anne Rice, so none of the "new" vampires here, just good oldfashioned monsters - this one is really done like a blockbuster movie, taking familiar elements and often doing something OTT and baroque with it. Just with vampire bikers. It is hard to reccomend one of the early McCammons, they all are entertaining, but this would be among them.