The Summoning

Something very strange is going on in a small Arizona town .Dead bodies are being found drained of blood and other bodily fluids. The authorities are at a loss to explain why this is happening. The book introduces the reader to Sue Wing , a Chinese teenager who is warned of the Legend of the Chinese vampire known as "The corpse who drinks blood" by her Grandmother. It is up to Sue and Journalist Rich Carter to stop the Vampire. In a genre where most vampires are considered to be "sexy and sensual" this vampire is portrayed as utterly Evil, repulsive and despicable which is a refreshing change of perspective for the reader.This is a rare gem from a truly talented writer.

Something strange is happening in the Arizona town of Rio Verde. Chief of Police Robert Carter was called out to find the body of local citizen Manuel Torres, exsanguinated. His brother Rich, the newspaper editor, is having marriage problems subsequent to his wife Corrie's new job with Pastor Wheeler, who Jesus has just appeared to and told to build a huge black church in preparation for His second coming on October 31st. Meanwhile, the bank president is preparing "uniforms" for his employees by sewing together used underwear and every grave in the town cemetery is exhumed in under one hour. What the hell is going on here? People are dying left and right, animals and trees are being completely drained of all their fluids, the word "vampire" is whispered throughout the town -- although few will admit to believing in them -- and the matriarch of the Wing family that owns the Chinese restaurant seems to be the only one who holds the secret to protection from the cup hu girngsi ("corpse-who-drinks-blood"). Luckily, their daughter Sue just got a job with the paper. The Summoning was the first novel I ever read by Bentley Little (who won the Bram Stoker award for his first novel, The Revelation). After seeing his name lauding novels by the likes of Richard Laymon, I decided to try him out, as well. What a treat. Usually, I would first attempt a short story collection by a new author, but I found this cheap at a used book sale. I also don't usually read "vampire" books, but this one seemed to be approaching the popular myth from a different angle, at which it definitely succeeds. This is no ordinary movie vampire: it doesn't care what religion you are or how you flavor your food. Although he does have a strange disinclination towards jade ... While The Summoning may not be as fast-paced as one might expect a horror novel to be, but the eerie atmosphere more than makes up for it, and I was constantly engrossed in its pages. Nothing is as it was in Rio Verde and the small town finds itself turned upside down by the conflicting natures as both the "bloodsuckers" and the "Christians" go on related killing sprees. The depth of character is phenomenal. These protagonists are as real as the people you find beside you every day and you can't help but root for them while fearing for their lives. Even Little's portrait of the life and trials of the Wing family (as assisted by his Chinese wife -- Wai Sau -- and the Chu family) are believably drawn (this coming from one who knows little-to-nothing about other cultures). It never turns into a rollercoaster ride, even during the denouement, but The Summoning is nevertheless a fully satisfying read by one of the genre's top talents. Those searching for something a little more literary with their blood and gore need look no further.

I just finished this book tonight and had to come on here to praise it. I found "The Summoning" to be a dark tale full of eerie twists and turns. Its the story of a small town who becomes the target of a particularly spooky kind of vampire that I found to be quite different from most others. This is a vampire who can change forms, who can manifest itself as your darkest fears and who has a uniquely different appearance than the aristocratic, gothic vampire of most novels. This isn't one of those romantic figures but something hellish.I also liked the characters especially Sue Wing. She was a very smart, strong heroine. There's also pages of this that made me genuinely freaked out especially some of the forms this vampire took. The use of different cultures, the way this book unfolded to the explosive end made this one of the most chilling novels I've ever read. It was nice to see a horror book where the vampire was so unique. I've never heard of vampires being afraid of jade nor a vampire quite so ugly or so vicious as this one. I give this 5 stars for its unique and frightening story.

The only other book about vampires that frightened me was Salems Lot by Steven King. The Summoning reminded me\ of that story and it scared me almost as much. The author (Mr. Little) created a very believable tale in a familiar small town where regular folks managed to look ordinary while they became creatures or slipped into madness. Bentley Little kept the details of the killer just out of the readers view so we are peeking around corners along with the small group of heroes in Rio Verde. There are surprises throughout and Mr. Little provides page after page of very creative and very creepy events. The chapters flew by and at the end of the night after putting my book up for the evening - I found I was too terrified to take my dog outside for our routine walk. The Summoning made me afraid of the dark! I loved it!!

Vampires these days are either of the traditional European gentleman variety, the young punk/rocker variety, the misunderstood race of creatures variety or some combination thereof. Bentley Little has rejuvinated these tired cliches by infusing them with some cross-cultural references. To my knowledge, this is horror fiction's first CHINESE vampire, and Little not only gets his folklore right but does a pretty convincing job of portraying the prejudice minorities face in a small American town. Little has always included characters that are not the typical middle-class WASPS of most contemporary horror (witness his disabled character in UNIVERSITY), but here he outdoes himself. An epic book that deals with big subjects and is a hell of a thrill ride to boot. This guy is one of the best.