What do you think?
Rate this book
It Drinks Blood
New Castle, Pennsylvania, during the tail end of the Great Depression.
Robert Brennan has never completely forgotten those days, even though he has tried to forget them. But when the nursing home he lives in receives a patient he remembers from those dark days, it takes his mind back to a period marked by terrible, blood-soaked violence…the very kind marked by the twisted perversity of the stories he used to write for the weird-menace pulps…and the kind marked by the real-life fiend that stalked the hobo jungles in search of fresh blood!
Robert Brennan has never completely forgotten those days, even though he has tried to forget them. But when the nursing home he lives in receives a patient he remembers from those dark days, it takes his mind back to a period marked by terrible, blood-soaked violence…the very kind marked by the twisted perversity of the stories he used to write for the weird-menace pulps…and the kind marked by the real-life fiend that stalked the hobo jungles in search of fresh blood!
71 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
J.F. Gonzalez
80 books364 followersJesus F. Gonzalez was an American author, primarily of horror fiction (writing under the pseudonym J. F. Gonzalez). He has written many notable novels and has done collaborations with Bram Stoker Award winners Mike Oliveri and Brian Keene. His novel Survivor has been optioned for film.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 16, 2021
Found this short read on my kindle and wish I hadn't. Was hoping for a quick hit of horror, perversion, gore, and shock. This bong was a dud.
December 19, 2019
J.F. Gonzalez is one of the few authors that I can instantly recall not just the first book I read from him, but the impact it had on me. Years ago I had gone to a book signing and picked up Gonzalez's anthology,
Maternal Instinct
, and the title story blew me away. Brutal and uncompromising, it affected me so much that I thought about it for weeks. Later, he would turn that story into a full blown book,
Survivor
, which was just as powerful, if not more so.
Over the years, I've read a good chunk of his novels, ranging from killer crabs in Clickers (co-written with Mark Williams) and its sequel Clickers II: The Next Wave (co-written with Brian Keene) to hardened mysteries in Fetish and Bully . His variety of work shows he can quickly jump genres and still be incredibly entertaining. Even so, from what I've read of his work, Gonzalez excels at the horrors of men, and his latest novella, It Drinks Blood, is no exception.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Over the years, I've read a good chunk of his novels, ranging from killer crabs in Clickers (co-written with Mark Williams) and its sequel Clickers II: The Next Wave (co-written with Brian Keene) to hardened mysteries in Fetish and Bully . His variety of work shows he can quickly jump genres and still be incredibly entertaining. Even so, from what I've read of his work, Gonzalez excels at the horrors of men, and his latest novella, It Drinks Blood, is no exception.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
February 7, 2012
The story for It Drinks Blood begins in 1939 and follows a pulp fiction writer and ex-criminal named Robert and his life in New Castle Pennsylvania. Living next door to Robert is an abused girl named Allison who is living with her mother Linda, her grandmother, and Linda’s boyfriend James. Allison lives a life of torture at the hands of Linda and James but Robert and his wife Ellen try to help Allison whenever they can.
In addition to the abuse Allison has also noticed something peculiar in the town of New Castle. A series of people have been killed around town over the last few years and Allison has her eyes on a strange man who walks the streets late at night. She believes that the man may be a vampire who drinks the blood of his victims and leaves the bodies in a nearby swamp. Allison dreams of becoming a detective and hopes that by exposing the strange man walking the streets as a serial killer, she will become famous and be able to leave her abusive home.
Robert encourages Allison’s detective work because he also sees it as a way for her to escape her abusive home. Problem is, Robert believes that another person living in the town may actually be the killer. Allison’s time may be running out though as the abuse in her home is getting worse and the bodies drained of blood keep piling up.
I enjoyed reading It Drinks Blood, it has a good story and I found myself rooting for Allison and Robert and hoping for a happy ending. If your looking for a straight forward horror novel though, this may not be for you. It’s more of a mystery with some horror elements. Also its written to resemble pulp fiction of the 1930′s, so it is a period piece and if you are not familiar with pulp fiction you may not enjoy it.
One other item that kind of bothered me was that there is a scene where Allison describes the torture that she suffers at the hands of her mother. I don’t like hearing about the torture of kids, but it is a short part and was necessary to show what motivates Allison. I did like how the the book wraps up with Allison and Robert in the present day in an old folks home talking about their lives after the murders and explaining how the mystery was solved.
It Drinks Blood is a good, quick read with a lot of action and a mystery that doesn’t get solved until the very end. The book leaves you with the feeling that maybe serial killers have their good points as well. If you love old pulp fiction magazines such as Weird Tales or Black Book Detective then you should love this story. J.G. Gonzalez has really done his homework.
In addition to the abuse Allison has also noticed something peculiar in the town of New Castle. A series of people have been killed around town over the last few years and Allison has her eyes on a strange man who walks the streets late at night. She believes that the man may be a vampire who drinks the blood of his victims and leaves the bodies in a nearby swamp. Allison dreams of becoming a detective and hopes that by exposing the strange man walking the streets as a serial killer, she will become famous and be able to leave her abusive home.
Robert encourages Allison’s detective work because he also sees it as a way for her to escape her abusive home. Problem is, Robert believes that another person living in the town may actually be the killer. Allison’s time may be running out though as the abuse in her home is getting worse and the bodies drained of blood keep piling up.
I enjoyed reading It Drinks Blood, it has a good story and I found myself rooting for Allison and Robert and hoping for a happy ending. If your looking for a straight forward horror novel though, this may not be for you. It’s more of a mystery with some horror elements. Also its written to resemble pulp fiction of the 1930′s, so it is a period piece and if you are not familiar with pulp fiction you may not enjoy it.
One other item that kind of bothered me was that there is a scene where Allison describes the torture that she suffers at the hands of her mother. I don’t like hearing about the torture of kids, but it is a short part and was necessary to show what motivates Allison. I did like how the the book wraps up with Allison and Robert in the present day in an old folks home talking about their lives after the murders and explaining how the mystery was solved.
It Drinks Blood is a good, quick read with a lot of action and a mystery that doesn’t get solved until the very end. The book leaves you with the feeling that maybe serial killers have their good points as well. If you love old pulp fiction magazines such as Weird Tales or Black Book Detective then you should love this story. J.G. Gonzalez has really done his homework.
August 9, 2011
"It Drinks Blood,” an intriguing, well written novella from J. F. Gonzalez, has an original premise. Robert, who serves as the first person narrator throughout, lives in a nursing home. One day, a new patient arrives, Allison, and he recognizes her as a teenager he knew seventy years earlier. The memories she stirs up are of dark days. Robert has a pulp fiction writer in the 1920s and 1930s and he decides to finally reveal these secrets by writing a pulp novella. The bulk of “It Drinks Blood” is Robert’s novella, framed by short before and after scenes in the nursing home.
In the past, Robert lived next door to Allison, her grandmother Linda and her mother Susan who, along with her sadistic boyfriend James, subjects Allison to constant abuse. Robert is frustrated in his efforts to expose their brutality.
Another story woven into the narrative is of the mysterious Cleveland Torso Killer, who preyed on hobos a generation earlier. The killer removed their heads, which are never found. Robert and Allison are obsessed with solving this open case. The primary suspect was murdered and when the murders start again, his son is the prime suspect. Allison breaks into that man’s house frequently looking for clues.
All of these elements weave together into both a satisfying thriller and a poignant study of the affects of abuse against Allison. This is a must read for all readers of horror, mystery and mainstream fiction as well, since the violence and gore are kept to a minimum.
In the past, Robert lived next door to Allison, her grandmother Linda and her mother Susan who, along with her sadistic boyfriend James, subjects Allison to constant abuse. Robert is frustrated in his efforts to expose their brutality.
Another story woven into the narrative is of the mysterious Cleveland Torso Killer, who preyed on hobos a generation earlier. The killer removed their heads, which are never found. Robert and Allison are obsessed with solving this open case. The primary suspect was murdered and when the murders start again, his son is the prime suspect. Allison breaks into that man’s house frequently looking for clues.
All of these elements weave together into both a satisfying thriller and a poignant study of the affects of abuse against Allison. This is a must read for all readers of horror, mystery and mainstream fiction as well, since the violence and gore are kept to a minimum.
March 29, 2011
Well-worth the money. Gonzalez wrote an enthralling read in IT DRINKS BLOOD.
April 14, 2011
Review over at HorrorTalk.com.
August 22, 2012
Excellent 30's style pulp horror from splatter king JF Gonzalez.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews