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Vionna and the Vampires
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” So said Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, more than a century ago. Vionna Valis and Mary Jane Kelly are a pair of hard working psychic detectives experiencing a run of bad luck. A new detective agency, the Femmes Fatales, is taking most of their business. Things seem to change for the better in the form of a new client named Scudder Moran, a wealthy young man with a unique problem; He has been targeted by the very, very late Professor James Moriarty—the Napoleon of Crime in another century, now Lord of the Vampires! Vionna and Mary find themselves in the middle of a case where everything is both improbable and impossible. How will they find their way to the truth? Unexpected help arrives in the ghostly person of the Great Detective himself, and they set about unraveling a tangled web of lies and secrecy that reaches deep into each of their lives. Can they find the light before Moriarty unleashes his final, most horrific scheme? VIONNA AND THE VAMPIRES by Chuck Miller (Creator of The Black Centipede) is the first volume in the “Moriarty, Lord of the Vampires” trilogy.
194 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2014
4 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Miller
43 books44 followersThe Black Centipede and related characters are part of a grand concept I came up with myself and started writing and publishing on the web.
They had actually been festering in my skull for more than 20 years-- a proposed comic book that never made it off the ground-- and it seemed about time to let them out.
I realized I wasn't getting any younger. So I started cranking out prose like a man possessed. Well, the Black Centipede Press web project caught the eye of Tommy Hancock at Pro Se Press, and they have now published the first Black Centipede novel, "Creeping Dawn: The Rise of the Black Centipede." (Order it now from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Creeping-Dawn-R...)
The Black Centipede is a traditional pulp action hero who refuses to behave like one. He casually breaks every rule in the book. Then he writes new rules. Then he breaks those. He is the world's greatest action hero. He is a dangerous madman. He is both criminal and crimefighter, pursuing an agenda that he himself has yet to fully define.
His career has spanned 80 years (so far), and he has become involved with some of the most famous and infamous individuals of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Creeping Dawn" takes up his story in the pivotal period between 1927 and 1933.
In his fictional world, the Centipede is both a real-life crime fighter and the star of a successful pulp adventure magazine, which presents highly-fictionalized accounts of his adventures. The series explores, among other things, the disparity between the public image and the man himself. We also learn the "shocking truth" about several well-known historical people and events. In the world of the Black Centipede, absolutely nothing is what it seems to be.
THE CITY OF ZENITH, home of the Black Centipede, is a living example of the uncertainty principle. It is on the East or West Coast, or one of the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. Everyone has lived there at one time or another, including you.
Zenith is one of the most versatile cities in the United States. It is as large or as small as it needs to be for whatever story I happen to be writing at a given time. I did not, however, discover it myself. The city was founded by Sinclair Lewis. According to WIKIPEDIA, "Winnemac is a fictional U.S. state invented by the writer Sinclair Lewis. His novel Babbitt takes place in Zenith, its largest city (population 361,000, according to a sketch-map Lewis made to guide his writing). Winnemac is also the setting for ‘Gideon Planish,’ ‘Arrowsmith,’ ‘Elmer Gantry,’ and ‘Dodsworth.’"
Inspired by the work of the late Philip Jose Farmer, I have developed the habit of treating fictional characters as though they actually lived, and people who actually lived as though they were fictional characters. The Centipede has an elaborate history, for which I have created artifacts. Amelia Earhart, Frank Nitti, and William Randolph Hearst have prominent roles in the saga.
They had actually been festering in my skull for more than 20 years-- a proposed comic book that never made it off the ground-- and it seemed about time to let them out.
I realized I wasn't getting any younger. So I started cranking out prose like a man possessed. Well, the Black Centipede Press web project caught the eye of Tommy Hancock at Pro Se Press, and they have now published the first Black Centipede novel, "Creeping Dawn: The Rise of the Black Centipede." (Order it now from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Creeping-Dawn-R...)
The Black Centipede is a traditional pulp action hero who refuses to behave like one. He casually breaks every rule in the book. Then he writes new rules. Then he breaks those. He is the world's greatest action hero. He is a dangerous madman. He is both criminal and crimefighter, pursuing an agenda that he himself has yet to fully define.
His career has spanned 80 years (so far), and he has become involved with some of the most famous and infamous individuals of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Creeping Dawn" takes up his story in the pivotal period between 1927 and 1933.
In his fictional world, the Centipede is both a real-life crime fighter and the star of a successful pulp adventure magazine, which presents highly-fictionalized accounts of his adventures. The series explores, among other things, the disparity between the public image and the man himself. We also learn the "shocking truth" about several well-known historical people and events. In the world of the Black Centipede, absolutely nothing is what it seems to be.
THE CITY OF ZENITH, home of the Black Centipede, is a living example of the uncertainty principle. It is on the East or West Coast, or one of the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. Everyone has lived there at one time or another, including you.
Zenith is one of the most versatile cities in the United States. It is as large or as small as it needs to be for whatever story I happen to be writing at a given time. I did not, however, discover it myself. The city was founded by Sinclair Lewis. According to WIKIPEDIA, "Winnemac is a fictional U.S. state invented by the writer Sinclair Lewis. His novel Babbitt takes place in Zenith, its largest city (population 361,000, according to a sketch-map Lewis made to guide his writing). Winnemac is also the setting for ‘Gideon Planish,’ ‘Arrowsmith,’ ‘Elmer Gantry,’ and ‘Dodsworth.’"
Inspired by the work of the late Philip Jose Farmer, I have developed the habit of treating fictional characters as though they actually lived, and people who actually lived as though they were fictional characters. The Centipede has an elaborate history, for which I have created artifacts. Amelia Earhart, Frank Nitti, and William Randolph Hearst have prominent roles in the saga.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 25, 2017
Vionna and the Vampires: Moriarty, Lord of the Vampires, Book 1
Written by: Chuck Miller
Narrated by: Aisling Gray
I requested this audible book and the review is voluntary.
I have to say right off the bat, this book was a hoot! Besides a fantasy with fun vampires, crazy detectives, a Holmes and Moriarty like you have never known them, and even Jack the Ripper was in there. This is not your average book. It has serious points, crazy moments, what the heck moments, and downright outrageous moments. I giggle, smirked, sighed, held my breath, and was surprised throughout this book. Making this book doubly good was the narrator that added the actor's voices almost a movie in my head. The parts were played so well it added a whole new dimension to the book. I am so glad I listened to the book instead of read it in print. Mostly I read a book but I am glad I listened this time! Great job all the way around. Fun book!
Written by: Chuck Miller
Narrated by: Aisling Gray
I requested this audible book and the review is voluntary.
I have to say right off the bat, this book was a hoot! Besides a fantasy with fun vampires, crazy detectives, a Holmes and Moriarty like you have never known them, and even Jack the Ripper was in there. This is not your average book. It has serious points, crazy moments, what the heck moments, and downright outrageous moments. I giggle, smirked, sighed, held my breath, and was surprised throughout this book. Making this book doubly good was the narrator that added the actor's voices almost a movie in my head. The parts were played so well it added a whole new dimension to the book. I am so glad I listened to the book instead of read it in print. Mostly I read a book but I am glad I listened this time! Great job all the way around. Fun book!
September 29, 2017
I received this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I loved this books portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and the inclusion of Mary Jane Kelly. The book was so funny and enjoyable and kinda wacky which was only emphasised by the narrator, Aisling Gray, who didn’t take herself or the book seriously at all. It was really good.
I loved this books portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and the inclusion of Mary Jane Kelly. The book was so funny and enjoyable and kinda wacky which was only emphasised by the narrator, Aisling Gray, who didn’t take herself or the book seriously at all. It was really good.
April 23, 2019
Fun, Unusual, unexpected, different.
It strikes me that there doesn't seem to be a explanation for the stars that are given. So I thought I'd start giving my take on it.
1 horrible no redeeming qualities.
2 there are redeeming qualities.
3 good worth reading, or well written but not my cup of tea.
4 great but there's something off.
5 loved it.
Argg, everything I started to write becomes a spoiler. I HATE spoilers so I think I'll just go on to say that the narration gives the story life.
Reasons I enjoyed this audio book:
Witty, Wonderful characters, Page-turner, Great world building, Unpredictable, Original, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Action-packed, Twisted, Funny, Haunting, Whimsical.
Bookshelves/tags:
adventure, fantasy, ghost, humorous, nonhuman, paranormal, read, recorded, series, vampire.
This Audiobook was given to me for free at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
It strikes me that there doesn't seem to be a explanation for the stars that are given. So I thought I'd start giving my take on it.
1 horrible no redeeming qualities.
2 there are redeeming qualities.
3 good worth reading, or well written but not my cup of tea.
4 great but there's something off.
5 loved it.
Argg, everything I started to write becomes a spoiler. I HATE spoilers so I think I'll just go on to say that the narration gives the story life.
Reasons I enjoyed this audio book:
Witty, Wonderful characters, Page-turner, Great world building, Unpredictable, Original, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Action-packed, Twisted, Funny, Haunting, Whimsical.
Bookshelves/tags:
adventure, fantasy, ghost, humorous, nonhuman, paranormal, read, recorded, series, vampire.
This Audiobook was given to me for free at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
August 21, 2017
This review is for the audiobook version of Vionna and the Vampires written by Chuck Miller and narrated by Aisling Gray.
Overall, it's a couple parts of female (paranormal) sleuth, a dash of spectral Holmesian fun, and non-Twilighty vampires wrapped in a neat, semi-YA little package. It's a fun little romp and could be the start of a promising series.
Being that Wionna and Mary Jane run a psychic detective agency I was hoping for a little more
The narrator, Aisling Gray, does a fine job keeping it light and not taking herself or the material from taking themselves too seriously. She seems well-suited for this type of fare.
***Full Disclosure: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Overall, it's a couple parts of female (paranormal) sleuth, a dash of spectral Holmesian fun, and non-Twilighty vampires wrapped in a neat, semi-YA little package. It's a fun little romp and could be the start of a promising series.
Being that Wionna and Mary Jane run a psychic detective agency I was hoping for a little more
The narrator, Aisling Gray, does a fine job keeping it light and not taking herself or the material from taking themselves too seriously. She seems well-suited for this type of fare.
***Full Disclosure: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
August 21, 2017
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.
I'm a fan of sherlock holmes, so I was drawn into the story. I love the author's take on sherlock. The author gives him an attitude where he loves to show off, so all the characters naturally are unimpressed and not interested in his skills of deduction. As a result, he gets frustrated and tries stealing the spotlight when he can. Throw in Moriarty as his employer and a mix of supernatural creatures and you can imagine where the story goes.
I'm a fan of sherlock holmes, so I was drawn into the story. I love the author's take on sherlock. The author gives him an attitude where he loves to show off, so all the characters naturally are unimpressed and not interested in his skills of deduction. As a result, he gets frustrated and tries stealing the spotlight when he can. Throw in Moriarty as his employer and a mix of supernatural creatures and you can imagine where the story goes.
August 15, 2017
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
This book is fun, scary and weird. You will love the characters because they talk like real people and you feel like you are there with them. I loved this book!
Really like Aisling Gray voice.
This book is fun, scary and weird. You will love the characters because they talk like real people and you feel like you are there with them. I loved this book!
Really like Aisling Gray voice.
August 14, 2017
I listened to this book on kindle and really enjoyed it. The narrator was fantastic with the voices and accents. The story is a little silly and light hearted but fun, tongue in cheek. Cute series.
January 16, 2020
It's an interesting little bit of fiction. I was expecting an urban fantasy or perhaps a paranormal thriller, and while this story has a bit of both, it's got a lot more going on: time travel, alternate reality, pulling in some famous fictional characters, some famous historical figures, and boob jokes. Over all, I felt there was too much going on. The story would have benefited from a bit of streamlining.
We meet Vionna and Mary with some boob jokes.The ladies spend about an hour trying to convince me that they are quite capable, boobs or not, all the while using their boobs to land a paying job investigating this odd stalker. Yeah, an hour of that. Luckily the tale got real and developed a plot.
Scudder Moran (who blushes at every boob joke) believes his stalker is Professor Moriarty. Yep. Holmes's arch nemesis. And not only that, but Scudder believes he's a vampire! It's just ridiculous enough to give me a laugh and keep me intrigued.
The entire story is told from Vionna's viewpoint. Sadly, I didn't really like her. She has a limited vocabulary and often comments on how she doesn't understand this word or that word, perhaps as much as a dozen times. I like my main characters smart or at least of learning quickly. Mostly, Vionna was along for the ride, with very few actual contributions. Mary was a little better. Overall, there was no one character I really gravitated to.
The tale starts off in modern times with bikinis and assault rifles and flings us back to Victorian England with Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Vionna takes over for Watson, playing sidekick to Holmes. Lots of stuff happens there including vampire stuff and then we're back to modern day times and the big mansion Scudder lives in. Secrets and more secrets are revealed and some bad guys defeated, but not all. The tale wraps up all the main points for this storyarc while leaving the door open a crack for a sequel. 3/5 stars.
The Narration: Aisling Gray gave a good performance. She did her best to make Vionna sound smarter than she's written and her accent for Mary was good. Gray's male character voices sounded masculine and I liked the way she made Scudder sound inexperienced and a little embarrassed (just as he's written). The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
We meet Vionna and Mary with some boob jokes.The ladies spend about an hour trying to convince me that they are quite capable, boobs or not, all the while using their boobs to land a paying job investigating this odd stalker. Yeah, an hour of that. Luckily the tale got real and developed a plot.
Scudder Moran (who blushes at every boob joke) believes his stalker is Professor Moriarty. Yep. Holmes's arch nemesis. And not only that, but Scudder believes he's a vampire! It's just ridiculous enough to give me a laugh and keep me intrigued.
The entire story is told from Vionna's viewpoint. Sadly, I didn't really like her. She has a limited vocabulary and often comments on how she doesn't understand this word or that word, perhaps as much as a dozen times. I like my main characters smart or at least of learning quickly. Mostly, Vionna was along for the ride, with very few actual contributions. Mary was a little better. Overall, there was no one character I really gravitated to.
The tale starts off in modern times with bikinis and assault rifles and flings us back to Victorian England with Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Vionna takes over for Watson, playing sidekick to Holmes. Lots of stuff happens there including vampire stuff and then we're back to modern day times and the big mansion Scudder lives in. Secrets and more secrets are revealed and some bad guys defeated, but not all. The tale wraps up all the main points for this storyarc while leaving the door open a crack for a sequel. 3/5 stars.
The Narration: Aisling Gray gave a good performance. She did her best to make Vionna sound smarter than she's written and her accent for Mary was good. Gray's male character voices sounded masculine and I liked the way she made Scudder sound inexperienced and a little embarrassed (just as he's written). The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
September 13, 2017
Not a bad story but I'm not to sure if I liked the writing style of the author. I completely respect not using any bad language, but if you choose to take that course stuck to it. Do not substitute bad language with GD or MF. Either say it or leave it out of the story. At one point the author even says "censored" and "you know". I found it a little irritating. Other than that it was a decent paranormal Sherlock Holmes story. Great narration by Aisling Gray. I really love the Irish accent she does!
July 13, 2019
My first ever vampire book and what a hoot! Sherlock, Moriarty, Jack the Ripper and a slew of quirky fun characters in a time bending thrill. Part mystery, part comedy, part... I have no idea....loved it. Laughed out loud.
September 1, 2017
My review is based on the Audiobook. This story has some serious LOL moments that I really enjoyed. Aisling Gray does a good job as narrator bringing the characters and story to life. I look forward to more from this Author and narrator.
May 10, 2025
So I read this out of proper order, mainly because Miller doesn't communicate his chronology very well. Turns out Black Centipede Confidential is also Moriarty, Lord of the Vampires, Vol. 2, while this book is Moriarty, Lord of the Vampires, Vol. 1. It doesn't really matter because of hideously complex timey-wimey intricacies. I've also perhaps missed a bunch of material related to Dr. Unknown, Jr.?
This is a typically outrageous, tongue-in-cheek Chuck Miller hodgepodge of famous people cameos, bizarre plot twists, and snarky humor. The immortal Lord of the Vampires, Prof. Moriarty, is after a machine that could doom 97% of Earth's human population, 99% tops. Out to stop him are Mary Jane Kelly, the resurrected victim of Jack the Ripper, and her detective agency partner, Vionna Valis, our narrator. Miller has created an almost unique voice for her, a combination of snark, dumbassery, naïveté, and flashes of brilliance. I was thoroughly entertained. It got 4 stars instead of 5 because in a story where just about anything can happen, there's an inevitable loss of real suspense. But Miller did a good job convincing this reader to shut down his credulity and just enjoy the ride.
This is a typically outrageous, tongue-in-cheek Chuck Miller hodgepodge of famous people cameos, bizarre plot twists, and snarky humor. The immortal Lord of the Vampires, Prof. Moriarty, is after a machine that could doom 97% of Earth's human population, 99% tops. Out to stop him are Mary Jane Kelly, the resurrected victim of Jack the Ripper, and her detective agency partner, Vionna Valis, our narrator. Miller has created an almost unique voice for her, a combination of snark, dumbassery, naïveté, and flashes of brilliance. I was thoroughly entertained. It got 4 stars instead of 5 because in a story where just about anything can happen, there's an inevitable loss of real suspense. But Miller did a good job convincing this reader to shut down his credulity and just enjoy the ride.
December 16, 2019
Fun book. I'm interested to see what happens next.
October 22, 2015
Loved this book. Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Professor Moriarty, Jack the Ripper, etc. What's not to love. A fun read. Am planing to read everything I can find by Chuck Miller. This is the second of his books I have read. He died too young.
April 23, 2014
Entertaining and unique, written with the sort of tongue-in-cheek humour I've come to expect of Miller's writing. Plus, Moriarty hits Dracula with an asteroid. How can you not love that?
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews