Shaykitteh's World of Books

The Last American Vampire continues the story of Henry Sturges, the vampire first introduced as Abe Lincoln's mentor in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. While Abe's story concentrated on the years that Abe was alive, first as a young vampire hunter mentored by Henry, and later as the President who worked to hold our country together while abolishing slavery, Henry's story gives us glimpses into some of the most important years of American History, as seen through the eyes of the vampire.

Henry's starts telling us his story first with the years immediately after President Lincoln's death. Drawn into the politics of the Union - the secret group of vampires who want to keep America free - Henry finds himself confronting his own past as he is sent to England to search for a person called A. Grander VIII. While his question to find Grander is not immediately successful, Henry instead finds himself as a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case.

Henry's adventures continue, showing him hobnobbing with Presidents, generals, royalty, and common soldiers while fighting in the two World Wars. Henry also seems to be in the right place at the right time, often meeting those who would become some of the most famous minds known: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Nicola Tesla, and Rasputin along with others.

The Last American Vampire doesn't quite have the same brilliance of the first book, which gave us an exciting look into a man pivotal in the creation of our country as it is today. Instead of concentrating on one segment of history and intertwining the storyline with the history as we know it, Henry Sturges's story gives us 500 years of history compressed into one novel, with additions and changes to intersperse the history of vampires (and Henry in particular) with the history of America. It is a good story - well written and interesting - but doesn't quite have the impact of the first novel. The characters aren't quite as real - with the exception of Henry, of course - since we don't get to learn as much about them, and even the segments of the book that show us Abe are missing the power and presence of the man.

As a lover of history, it was great to see some of the most important segments of American history and life mentioned, and to get a glimpse into the back story of what may have happened. Even realizing that the vampiric influence alters the actual events as they were, it was fun to spend an afternoon with Twain and Tesla, and to "meet" Howard Hughes. Henry is a great narrator and shares the world as he has seen it, providing and intimate look into a world only known now through books and movies. Though I did not love this book as much as I did it's predecessor, I still enjoyed it and recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Alternative History genre.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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