Book Review: I'm Glad You're Dead: Preternatural Chronicles Book 1 by Hunter Blain
I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD is the story of John Cook, a vampire who hunts the guilty to satisfy his thirst and seeks to redeem his tainted soul. What an original idea, I know. Except, Hunter Blain does a fantastic job in recreating a classic formula. Angel, Nick Knight, Mick Saint John, and others are all here but also Connor Macleod as well as Spider-Man. John Cook is a lovable oaf who just happens to be an exsanguinating creature of the night vigilante. He's also the single most important person in the world to stopping the apocalypse. It is full of great action, laughs, and twists.
The premise is that John Cook is an Irishman that had a severe issue with the English (imagine that). Making a deal with a vampire to escape their prison and enact revenge, John gets more than he bargained four as he finds himself consumed with his thirst as well as not able to tell how much time has passed. Breaking free of his master’s control, John proceeds to become the wise-cracking pop-cultured vigilante that he is in the present. Our antihero, John Cook, begins the adventure by eating a bunch of lowlifes and shows just what a likable Sons of Anarchy-with-fangs character he is.
John isn’t the kind of guy who feeds on evil humans alone, though, but he has a deal with the Catholic Church to hunt monsters on their behalf in hopes of redeeming whatever is left of his soul. Father Thomas is a good character and grounds John when things proceed to go utterly pear-shaped and our vampire finds himself on the ground floor of the apocalypse. I appreciate the whole "Dresden Files"-ishness of it all with John Cook as the same sort of wisecracking supernatural. Mind you, I do that in my books all the time so I may just have a type.
Hunter Blain has a fantastic skill at action and comedy, mixing them together with the more dramatic scenes without diluting any of the larger story. Not many authors can pull that off and it makes the story better than its individual elements. There's some genuinely moving bits and John is relatable despite being a five-hundred-year-old vampire. The escalation from street level to apocalypse happens extremely fast and is arguably my only real complaint.
The book wouldn't be nearly as effective as it is if not for the fact the supporting cast is well-realized. I enjoy each of the oddball collection of characters that John has surrounded him with and they make a good contrast to the deadly serious villains who don't find anything funny about the end of the world.
I’m Glad You’re Dead is a solid and entertaining adventure starring a young man transformed by a vampire after a group of corrupt officials murder his family to steal their land. I really was entertained with the humor, the action, and the twists throughout. This is a great adventure, and everyone should pick this up. I recommend the audiobook version over the Kindle version as the narration is one of the best parts.
