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Being a Vampire
The vampire Rix has always been on the run.
What if vampires lurk in the shadows of present-day Seattle, stalking the darkness of Cal Anderson Park or Green Lake after sunset? How do they blend in, concealing their true nature from mortal eyes? Would we even recognize their presence among us?
Imagine a world where immortal beings prowl the Emerald City's streets, their secrets veiled behind urban legends and local lore. In this thrilling new novel, step into Seattle's dark underbelly, where nightmares come alive and the line between myth and reality blurs.
On the eve of the pandemic, Rix struggles to survive. Unlike most of his undocumented peers, he possesses fake ID which allows him to work at part-time coding gigs that provide him with a little cash—until the contracts inevitably end. With tenuous housing, all his belongings—including his essential laptop—fit in his backpack, ready at a moment’s notice to vacate and find another safe place to spend his days. His undead world upends when mysterious forces abduct another vampire. With long forgotten memories of the Army’s pursuit rekindled, Rix flees, unhoused again.
In his hunt for refuge, Rix finds himself drawn to a human nurse, who unwittingly invites a vampire to become a more permanent part of her lonely life. Her attraction to him, and his to her, blossoms. And things begin to change for the better. But with him hiding his true self from her, can it last?
From the bustling nightlife of Capitol Hill to the misty shores of Puget Sound, prepare to be captivated by a tale of forbidden love and the constant battle between light and darkness. “Being a Vampire” is a unique slice-of-life story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, challenging your perceptions of good and evil in the city you thought you knew.
Are you ready to pierce the veil and explore a Seattle where the supernatural exist just beyond human perception? Enter the realm of the undead—if you dare.
An urban fantasy of trust and safety in the face of ever-encroaching darkness.
slice of life /dark literary / new weird.
What if vampires lurk in the shadows of present-day Seattle, stalking the darkness of Cal Anderson Park or Green Lake after sunset? How do they blend in, concealing their true nature from mortal eyes? Would we even recognize their presence among us?
Imagine a world where immortal beings prowl the Emerald City's streets, their secrets veiled behind urban legends and local lore. In this thrilling new novel, step into Seattle's dark underbelly, where nightmares come alive and the line between myth and reality blurs.
On the eve of the pandemic, Rix struggles to survive. Unlike most of his undocumented peers, he possesses fake ID which allows him to work at part-time coding gigs that provide him with a little cash—until the contracts inevitably end. With tenuous housing, all his belongings—including his essential laptop—fit in his backpack, ready at a moment’s notice to vacate and find another safe place to spend his days. His undead world upends when mysterious forces abduct another vampire. With long forgotten memories of the Army’s pursuit rekindled, Rix flees, unhoused again.
In his hunt for refuge, Rix finds himself drawn to a human nurse, who unwittingly invites a vampire to become a more permanent part of her lonely life. Her attraction to him, and his to her, blossoms. And things begin to change for the better. But with him hiding his true self from her, can it last?
From the bustling nightlife of Capitol Hill to the misty shores of Puget Sound, prepare to be captivated by a tale of forbidden love and the constant battle between light and darkness. “Being a Vampire” is a unique slice-of-life story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, challenging your perceptions of good and evil in the city you thought you knew.
Are you ready to pierce the veil and explore a Seattle where the supernatural exist just beyond human perception? Enter the realm of the undead—if you dare.
An urban fantasy of trust and safety in the face of ever-encroaching darkness.
slice of life /dark literary / new weird.
232 pages, Paperback
Published June 28, 2024
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 22, 2024
So now I have to worry when walking around Green Lake after dark... thanks Ramona!
December 1, 2024
Good book - but very bleak. It takes place in Seattle in the spring of 2020, and deals with some issues that could be triggering.
I needed to read it in small chunks because of that. I look forward to the next book.
I needed to read it in small chunks because of that. I look forward to the next book.
April 25, 2025
Book 1 of "Seattle Vampire Tales"
Given the title, and the series title, it is no surprise to learn that Rix (the protagonist) is a vampire. The book is set in 2019-20, and Rix was a human child during the days of WWI and the Spanish Influenza pandemic. Throughout the book, we are given flashes of his human past: we learn, for example, that he was a prisoner of war during WWII. But we do not, in this book, discover how Rix became a vampire.
The sad truth is that I don't really care how Rix became a vampire.
There is very little wrong with this book, and there are some very original touches. They particularly arise in the fraught relationship he develops with Maggie, a human ER nurse practitioner. They meet when Rix is hunting in one of Seattle's many parks. He comes by as she is practicing CPR on a man who has collapsed, she drafts him to keep the rhythm going while she calls for an ambulance, they agree to meet for coffee, and it goes on from there in ways that arise naturally from who and what each of them is.
Maggie, like Rix, is a very solidly developed character, whom I would probably in real life like and admire, especially for her dedication when the COVID pandemic strikes -- historically, its first appearance in the US was in Seattle.
Yet, somehow, I didn't like or admire the person I encounter in the book. Nor did I particularly care about Rix and his problems.
The other characters in the book are mostly vampires, none of whom we really get to know. They all have characteristics, but no real character. The same is true of the only other significant human character, Rix's boss, in Bangalore.
You see, Rix does contract work as a software fixit guy, and working on India Standard Time is quite convenient for a vampire in the US.
A lot of stuff happens in the book, but none of it seems to matter, especially against the background of the pandemic.
And that's the real secret of why I can't recommend Being a Vampire : Ridgewell somehow failed to make me care about anybody or anything in the entire book. It wasn't unpleasant to read. It just didn't grab me, neither in the thinks nor the feels.
Given the title, and the series title, it is no surprise to learn that Rix (the protagonist) is a vampire. The book is set in 2019-20, and Rix was a human child during the days of WWI and the Spanish Influenza pandemic. Throughout the book, we are given flashes of his human past: we learn, for example, that he was a prisoner of war during WWII. But we do not, in this book, discover how Rix became a vampire.
The sad truth is that I don't really care how Rix became a vampire.
There is very little wrong with this book, and there are some very original touches. They particularly arise in the fraught relationship he develops with Maggie, a human ER nurse practitioner. They meet when Rix is hunting in one of Seattle's many parks. He comes by as she is practicing CPR on a man who has collapsed, she drafts him to keep the rhythm going while she calls for an ambulance, they agree to meet for coffee, and it goes on from there in ways that arise naturally from who and what each of them is.
Maggie, like Rix, is a very solidly developed character, whom I would probably in real life like and admire, especially for her dedication when the COVID pandemic strikes -- historically, its first appearance in the US was in Seattle.
Yet, somehow, I didn't like or admire the person I encounter in the book. Nor did I particularly care about Rix and his problems.
The other characters in the book are mostly vampires, none of whom we really get to know. They all have characteristics, but no real character. The same is true of the only other significant human character, Rix's boss, in Bangalore.
You see, Rix does contract work as a software fixit guy, and working on India Standard Time is quite convenient for a vampire in the US.
A lot of stuff happens in the book, but none of it seems to matter, especially against the background of the pandemic.
And that's the real secret of why I can't recommend Being a Vampire : Ridgewell somehow failed to make me care about anybody or anything in the entire book. It wasn't unpleasant to read. It just didn't grab me, neither in the thinks nor the feels.
May 1, 2025
I very much enjoyed this slim novel — its moody Seattle atmosphere, its working class grittiness, and the queerness of its characters.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews