Blood Groove | ||||||||
Alex Bledsoe | ||||||||
Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki | ||||||||
Blackstone Audio, 8.5 hours | ||||||||
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A review by Jennifer McCann
After "waking" in a modern morgue, Zginski begins his education in the "New World" of 70s Memphis,
Tennessee. He's looking for more of his kind and discovers that things have definitely changed since his last
memories of Wales in 1915.
Zginski finally tracks down a gang of undead street kids surviving on the edge of society. They are lead by
the ethereal, but badly in need of hygiene lessons, Fauvette. Complications arise when Toddy, a
runaway-turned-vampire, is found "permanently" dead from an overdose of a new vampire street drug. This
drug does not allow the body to disintegrate, leaving behind inexplicable evidence of vampirism.
Danielle Roseberry, the assistant head coroner of the Shelby County morgue, is the unwitting examiner of
this missing boy who has not aged a day since his decades-old disappearance. Discovering a strange
compound in Toddy's system, Danielle decides to test out her undercover sleuthing skills to discover
this new drug. Her efforts bring her face-to-face with Zginski, Fauvette and their merry
band -- with horrific consequences.
Alex Bledsoe brings his love of Memphis, Tennessee to this different vision of modern horror. Bledsoe
grew up in west Tennessee and his other works include more than fifty short stories, as well as his debut
novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde.
With the haunting, bone-deep reverberating voice of Stefan Rudnicki, Blood Groove is a fabulous
example of why he has received the Audie Award for solo narration in both 2005 and 2007. He's also earned
recognition as Audiofile Magazine's "Best Voice of the Year" for 2008.
With more jive talking than reruns of Good Times and a number of "N" words dropped with wild
abandon, the racially sensitive should possibly pass on this little treat if they are easily
offended. Cute and cuddly vampires these are not; Zginski is a bad man with capital letters and
the rest are no angels either. There are some rather vulgar and questionably necessary scenes that
lend themselves to the oppressively dark edge that you will not find in most popular vampire
tales. This is defiantly not a bedtime story for the kiddies. Blood Groove is a guilty pleasure,
like rubbernecking at a terrible car wreck which "sinks its teeth in" and doesn't let go.
A belly dancing, dyslexic wife and mother who in her spare time works as a library clerk. A full and rich life is lead through the books she listens to and/or reads. Dyslexics Untie! |
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