Review: V Wars

V Wars by Jonathan Maberry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



V Wars is a compilation of vampire stories edited by Jonathan Maberry. Like World War Z, V Wars is a chronology of a supernatural uprising across the globe.

I'm a huge Maberry fan, so I was plenty excited to pick this one up.

The Good
The authors in this anthology provide new additions to vampire legends while detailing old lore. Each story is well written and engaging making for a fun read. My favorite stories were by Jonathan Mayberry, Stefan Rudnicki, and James A. Moore. Heck, even "Heartsick" by Scott Nicholson shouldn't be missed to see a good-ol' boy bigot get what's coming to him.

The audiobook version has incredible narrators and was just plain awesome.

The Bad
My biggest complaint with V Wars, is that there is NO actual war. Yeah, yeah... there's a brief head nod to a military squad going in to fight the vamps, but it ends there. The majority of the book describes changes individual characters go through on the physical, psychological, and societal level. You never get to 'see' an actual war as you do in World War Z. I felt like this really hobble the entire compilation.

Worse still, some of the stories drag a bit. Overall most of the stories have good pacing, but I felt like several dragged on with mundane details.

My only complaint with the audiobook version is that Lisa Renee Pitts, who narrates 'The Ballad of Big Charlie,' tends to hitch words every now and then. She does great character voices, but the hitching, particularly around names, is annoying.

The Spin
When it comes right down to it, if you like vamps, you'll like V Wars. The diverse variety of vampires make for an interesting read as the characters see what they're turning in to. The stories are well written and fun to read. But if you're hoping for more than individual vampire stories, you'll be disappointed.



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