The Last Vampire
Review by Salieri, submitted on 3-Nov-1992

The Last vampire / Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
New York : Kensington Publishing Co., c1992.
352 p. ; 18 cm. "A Zebra Book."
ISBN: 08217-3771-6 ; $4.50. LCCN: none (c'mon, Library of Congress! Don't you like vampire books?) OCLC#: 25808994

This book has something for everyone: nuclear attacks, the end of the world, earthquakes, plagues, murderous gangs of lunatics, and wolves. Lots and lots of wolves.

St. Louis graphic artist Emma Bloodworth is stranded on the correct side of the river the day a major disaster hits. She and her co- worker almost make it to his doomsday shelter (both of their families were on the wrong side of the river when the bomb -- or earthquake-induced tank farm explosion, nobody knows -- hit) ahead of a raging forest fire. Larry dies, and Emma hides in the shelter for five months.

During a misadventure with a murderous gang, Emma is rescued by a mysterious stranger named Byron who, it turns out, is a lonely vampire. Byron changes Emma but dies of the plague (vamps are not immune for some reason) before he can instruct her fully in her new life. Emma grows stronger and stronger and learns to live on animal blood, and eventually rescues a stray human of her own: a half-Indian named Matthew Whitefeather.

Matthew is very suspicious of Emma's nightly disappearances and refusal of food, but grows to love her anyway. They wander through the disintegrating countryside trying to reach Maine where Emma had family. Her old human family is gone, but she runs into a pack of vampire wolves like herself. She leads them away from Matthew, and is more or less forced to join the pack.

I found the book to be very depressing and fatalistic, and the ending unsatisfying. But on the other hand, er -- paw, few end-of- the-world novels have happy endings. Griffith's concept of vampires and their origin is interesting and unconventional. She tosses in some Indian lore and lots of survivalist details (which tend to distract - like when she describes the make and model of a crossbow one character finds) as well. Worth $4.50? Hmmm ...

Maybe $3.95, or pick it up used. Not an essential for your collection, in other words.Two and a half fangs out of five: [