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The Hunger
Vampires like they're supposed to be, evil
If you want your Vampires with teeth, not sparkly, this one is for you
Hooker, heroin addict, victim, Lucinda Taylor lived her life at the mercy of evil men. After her pimp leaves her for dead she is turned by a passing vampire. Satan's plan for the undead is to spread like a plague, striking at the innocents of the world and turning them toward evil. When Lucinda's master is destroyed she becomes a free agent. Now she has the power, and she uses it to strike back at the evil men who tormented her in life, while making sure that they do not rise again.
Crime boss George Padillas is dying of cancer. His power and money make no difference to the merciless disease. His choices for the afterlife unappealing, Padillas decides that the unlife of a vampire is the best way out. He has a plan, using as his instrument the priest who is chasing Lucinda, to become a free agent vampire.
Lucinda must avoid the attentions of the FBI agent, the priest, the ancient vampire, and the one she killed who rose again, in her quest to take down the crime boss of sunny Tampa. While at the same time controlling the vampire Hunger that pushes her toward evil.
Vampires in the tradition of Bram Stoker, merciless killers whose function is to feed, and feed again, The Hunger is a different take on the vampire genre. Warning: Strong language, violence, and sexual situations.
If you want your Vampires with teeth, not sparkly, this one is for you
Hooker, heroin addict, victim, Lucinda Taylor lived her life at the mercy of evil men. After her pimp leaves her for dead she is turned by a passing vampire. Satan's plan for the undead is to spread like a plague, striking at the innocents of the world and turning them toward evil. When Lucinda's master is destroyed she becomes a free agent. Now she has the power, and she uses it to strike back at the evil men who tormented her in life, while making sure that they do not rise again.
Crime boss George Padillas is dying of cancer. His power and money make no difference to the merciless disease. His choices for the afterlife unappealing, Padillas decides that the unlife of a vampire is the best way out. He has a plan, using as his instrument the priest who is chasing Lucinda, to become a free agent vampire.
Lucinda must avoid the attentions of the FBI agent, the priest, the ancient vampire, and the one she killed who rose again, in her quest to take down the crime boss of sunny Tampa. While at the same time controlling the vampire Hunger that pushes her toward evil.
Vampires in the tradition of Bram Stoker, merciless killers whose function is to feed, and feed again, The Hunger is a different take on the vampire genre. Warning: Strong language, violence, and sexual situations.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2011
5 people want to read
About the author
Doug Dandridge
75 books142 followersDoug Dandridge was born in Venice Florida in 1957, the son of a Florida native and a Mother of French Canadian descent. An avid reader from an early age, Doug has read most of the classic novels and shorts of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as multiple hundreds of historical works. Doug has military experience including Marine Corps JROTC, Active Duty Army, and the Florida National Guard. He attended Florida State University, studying Biology, Geology, Physics, and Chemistry, and receiving a BS in Psychology. Doug then studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama, with specific interests in Neuropsychology and Child Psychology, completing a Masters and all course work required for a PhD. He has worked in Psychiatric Hospitals, Mental Health Centers, a Prison, a Juvenile Residential Facility, and for the his last seven years in the work force for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Since March of 2013 he has worked as a full time writer. Doug has been writing on and off for fifteen years. He concentrates on intelligent science fiction and fantasy in which there is always hope, no matter how hard the situation. No area of the fantastic is outside his scope, as he has completed works in near and far future Science Fiction, Urban and High Fantasy, Horror, and Alternate History.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 17, 2014
In 'The Hunger' author Doug Dandridge has created a vampire that goes against stereotype. Lucinda is more in need of a good therapist than any vampire I have ever read about. Filled with self-loathing she is the antithesis of the arrogant, narcissistic vampire we are accustomed to (though there are a few of those in the book). Nearly unable to tolerate herself, but forced by her needs to feed, she makes a vow- never will she drink the blood of innocents. Instead, she feasts on those that hurt others- abusive pimps, for the most part. (In human form Lucinda had a heroin addiction. Turning to prostitution to feed her habit, she is killed by her pimp.).
She works her way up the criminal ladder until she has the king of Tampa area vice in her sites. Along the way she is pursued by all manner of beings that want her dead. There is the ex-professional football player turned pimp and drug dealer who Lucinda killed but was interrupted before she could behead, causing him to turn into a vampire himself. He wants revenge. Marcus is a centuries old and powerful vampire from ancient Roman times. He wants Lucinda dead because she is drawing attention to their kind. There is a priest who the Vatican has blessed as a vampire slayer. And a jaded and ridiculed but committed FBI agent.
The whole mix makes for an action filled romp that keeps the pages turning.
Dandridge makes some interesting changes to the usual vampire lore. In The Hunger sunlight doesn't kill vampires, though it does rob them of their powers- super strength, the ability to transform, etc. And rather than being sexual dynamos as is the norm, his vamps are impotent, since they have no blood flowing in their veins.
I have two complaints, one trivial, one not. Trivial- I would have liked to have more of Lucinda's backstory. What was it in her past or in her upbringing that made her immoral enough to be an addict and a whore as a human, but moral enough that she refuses to harm innocents, even at risk of her own life, as a vampire. There is an interesting dichotomy that was left unexplained. The plot seemed tailor made for this to be the first of a series- maybe the author will tackle that in future installments.
Not trivial- in this book anyway ( his only work I've read thus far) Dandridge isn't deft with dialogue. The conversations are stilted and the language unrealistic. There were several times I was pulled out of the story with the thought 'that doesn't sound right' or 'nobody talks like that'.
But- it is a vampire book. Nobody is buying it with the expectation of Dickensian erudition. The action romps, the blood flies, the bad guys get bit and there's cleavage galore- and that makes for a four star vampire book.
She works her way up the criminal ladder until she has the king of Tampa area vice in her sites. Along the way she is pursued by all manner of beings that want her dead. There is the ex-professional football player turned pimp and drug dealer who Lucinda killed but was interrupted before she could behead, causing him to turn into a vampire himself. He wants revenge. Marcus is a centuries old and powerful vampire from ancient Roman times. He wants Lucinda dead because she is drawing attention to their kind. There is a priest who the Vatican has blessed as a vampire slayer. And a jaded and ridiculed but committed FBI agent.
The whole mix makes for an action filled romp that keeps the pages turning.
Dandridge makes some interesting changes to the usual vampire lore. In The Hunger sunlight doesn't kill vampires, though it does rob them of their powers- super strength, the ability to transform, etc. And rather than being sexual dynamos as is the norm, his vamps are impotent, since they have no blood flowing in their veins.
I have two complaints, one trivial, one not. Trivial- I would have liked to have more of Lucinda's backstory. What was it in her past or in her upbringing that made her immoral enough to be an addict and a whore as a human, but moral enough that she refuses to harm innocents, even at risk of her own life, as a vampire. There is an interesting dichotomy that was left unexplained. The plot seemed tailor made for this to be the first of a series- maybe the author will tackle that in future installments.
Not trivial- in this book anyway ( his only work I've read thus far) Dandridge isn't deft with dialogue. The conversations are stilted and the language unrealistic. There were several times I was pulled out of the story with the thought 'that doesn't sound right' or 'nobody talks like that'.
But- it is a vampire book. Nobody is buying it with the expectation of Dickensian erudition. The action romps, the blood flies, the bad guys get bit and there's cleavage galore- and that makes for a four star vampire book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review