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Brokeula
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26A broke vampire’s last ditch effort to escape the blood sucking monster of capitalism through an ill-conceived multi-level marketing scheme.
James Sugre has never been this broke before in his centuries of living. Down and out, he’s had a terrible string of luck investing in companies crippled by fraud and always late to the next crypto-fad. He spends most of his time in his coffin, too broke to go out in public.
As the video game industry reaches record-breaking heights, Sugre tries his luck one more time with his own game studio. When he encounters a game developer and self-professed fan of vampire lore named Lauren, Sugre becomes hopeful that his luck might finally be on the up-and-up.
But the market is rocky, and nothing is as stable as "un-death." Sugre learns the hard way that a dollar is worth more than a drop of blood. Trading immortality for cash, Sugre and Lauren create a—not entirely legal—business of turning humans into vampires for a fee. The business expands, but Vampire Nation has to protect their own investments, and Sugre learns the hard truth of the system he can’t escape.
James Sugre has never been this broke before in his centuries of living. Down and out, he’s had a terrible string of luck investing in companies crippled by fraud and always late to the next crypto-fad. He spends most of his time in his coffin, too broke to go out in public.
As the video game industry reaches record-breaking heights, Sugre tries his luck one more time with his own game studio. When he encounters a game developer and self-professed fan of vampire lore named Lauren, Sugre becomes hopeful that his luck might finally be on the up-and-up.
But the market is rocky, and nothing is as stable as "un-death." Sugre learns the hard way that a dollar is worth more than a drop of blood. Trading immortality for cash, Sugre and Lauren create a—not entirely legal—business of turning humans into vampires for a fee. The business expands, but Vampire Nation has to protect their own investments, and Sugre learns the hard truth of the system he can’t escape.
120 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 7, 2026
28 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Seidlinger
32 books458 followersMICHAEL J. SEIDLINGER is the Filipino American author of The Body Harvest, Anybody Home?, and other books. He has written for, among others, Wired, Buzzfeed, Thrillist, Goodreads, The Observer, Polygon, The Believer, and Publishers Weekly. He teaches at Portland State University and has led workshops at Catapult, Kettle Pond Writer's Conference, and Sarah Lawrence. You can find him at michaeljseidlinger.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 6, 2025
While I mostly enjoyed this short story that draws comparisons between vampirism and capitalism, I did also find it frustratingly repetitive as well.
Honestly this story was so short and a lot of it so repetitive that I don’t have too much to say. The book ended about how I thought it would because when you think about it, how exactly does one sustain a vampire MLM? 🤔 🧛♂️
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC In exchange for an honest review.
Honestly this story was so short and a lot of it so repetitive that I don’t have too much to say. The book ended about how I thought it would because when you think about it, how exactly does one sustain a vampire MLM? 🤔 🧛♂️
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC In exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2025
Forged with dark nihilism, which could have you thinking this is something Chuck Palahniuk had penned; whilst also being reinforced with a satirical sense of humour (I chuckled my way though it) makes Brokeula by Sidlinger one of the standout books of the year.
Ross Jeffery, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of ‘I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet’ & ‘The Devil’s Pocketbook’
Ross Jeffery, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of ‘I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet’ & ‘The Devil’s Pocketbook’
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am a super freak for vampires and my review history will prove my love for sharp critique of capitalism, so the use of one in service of the other is, in my opinion, an inspired choice. It's a fun concept, looking at the life of the undead when you're immortal but not quite living either. Turns out, undeath is just as expensive (or more so!) than life. This is packaged up very tightly into a circular narrative that explores the rise and fall of a way out of this mess.
Unfortunately, the length left me struggling to connect to our main character, which meant his experiences didn't hit as hard as I would have liked. Additionally, though I understand something being satirical doesn't mean it has to be funny, I was disappointed that there was little that I found particularly funny in the book, other than the set up itself. I wish it had taken the premise a little more seriously, let the horror have more weight, rather than keeping things light and ironic (but not quite enough so that it totally succeeded in that direction either). It was also a shame that the summary/blurb that was provided on goodreads & netgalley covered so much of the plot of the book that there wasn't much left to surprise me in the novella itself, which I think is especially important when it's rather short and doesn't have the benefit of space to expand upon the ideas presented in the summary. The entire premise & plot is simply laid out to you, which means I didn't engage with the book itself as strongly as I already knew a lot of what would happen. Finally, I found some of the writing itself to be a little repetitive. I wish that the limited pages had been used to add to the intrigue or horror of the situation, rather than ensuring that the reader definitely got the point of something that was said. A little more space for uncertainty and mystery is never a bad thing.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, the length left me struggling to connect to our main character, which meant his experiences didn't hit as hard as I would have liked. Additionally, though I understand something being satirical doesn't mean it has to be funny, I was disappointed that there was little that I found particularly funny in the book, other than the set up itself. I wish it had taken the premise a little more seriously, let the horror have more weight, rather than keeping things light and ironic (but not quite enough so that it totally succeeded in that direction either). It was also a shame that the summary/blurb that was provided on goodreads & netgalley covered so much of the plot of the book that there wasn't much left to surprise me in the novella itself, which I think is especially important when it's rather short and doesn't have the benefit of space to expand upon the ideas presented in the summary. The entire premise & plot is simply laid out to you, which means I didn't engage with the book itself as strongly as I already knew a lot of what would happen. Finally, I found some of the writing itself to be a little repetitive. I wish that the limited pages had been used to add to the intrigue or horror of the situation, rather than ensuring that the reader definitely got the point of something that was said. A little more space for uncertainty and mystery is never a bad thing.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What if a vampire started a multi-level-marketing scheme? Brokeula tells us.
A cash strapped vampire makes a desperate attempt to outrun financial ruin by diving headfirst into a risky business venture. After centuries of bad investments and missed trends, James Sugre is too broke to afford even his coffin. His luck changes when he meets Lauren. Together, the pair take a darker path, monetizing immortality itself through an illegal scheme that turns humans into vampires for profit.
Seidlinger’s goal for this novella is clear: showing the overlap between vampirism and capitalism. I found this story well written and engaging. I enjoyed my time with James and have always thought that somewhere in the vampire-world there had to be at least one vampire who didn't become financial sound. We finally get his story. It is a fun satire and sharp commentary on capitalism, though I would have loved more character development. Overall, there is not much meat on the bones of this novella, but its message is very clear. Sucking resources dry is never sustainable.
Thanks to CLASH Books and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A cash strapped vampire makes a desperate attempt to outrun financial ruin by diving headfirst into a risky business venture. After centuries of bad investments and missed trends, James Sugre is too broke to afford even his coffin. His luck changes when he meets Lauren. Together, the pair take a darker path, monetizing immortality itself through an illegal scheme that turns humans into vampires for profit.
Seidlinger’s goal for this novella is clear: showing the overlap between vampirism and capitalism. I found this story well written and engaging. I enjoyed my time with James and have always thought that somewhere in the vampire-world there had to be at least one vampire who didn't become financial sound. We finally get his story. It is a fun satire and sharp commentary on capitalism, though I would have loved more character development. Overall, there is not much meat on the bones of this novella, but its message is very clear. Sucking resources dry is never sustainable.
Thanks to CLASH Books and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 22, 2025
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a vampire? well as it turns out you’d have the same problems as the living! This book delves into the life of James Sugre, a broke vampire, as he tries to find a way to make some money without angering the Vampire Nation, leading to him creating a pyramid scheme for turning people into vampires. I do wish we had gotten a chance to have more plot development as certain steps were jumped in the business process that could have been interesting to explore.
Stylistically I really enjoyed using his bank balance as a form of chapter title, helping segregate the story into different stages of success. I also really enjoyed the drawings dotted throughout keeping things light hearted. For such a short book though I think the spreadsheets and graphs could have been left out as they were very difficult to read and took up quite a bit of space without providing any benefit to the narrative.
For lovers of vampires in need of a quick easy read I’d say pick this up when it comes out and decide for yourself if it’s the life you want!
Stylistically I really enjoyed using his bank balance as a form of chapter title, helping segregate the story into different stages of success. I also really enjoyed the drawings dotted throughout keeping things light hearted. For such a short book though I think the spreadsheets and graphs could have been left out as they were very difficult to read and took up quite a bit of space without providing any benefit to the narrative.
For lovers of vampires in need of a quick easy read I’d say pick this up when it comes out and decide for yourself if it’s the life you want!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A hilarious and surreal novella about a broke vampire and all of his audacity.
Imagine being gifted with immortality but being broke the entire time? I love taking the trope of vampires living in castles and mansions and just flipping it on it's head. Immortality isn't so fun if you have to work forever and can never retire.
Our main character, James, is a fairly new vampire doesn't have funds for the lavish lifestyle he craves. With all the audacity of a mediocre white man, he decides he's going to start a video game company, without ever knowing anything about coding or the videogame industry. It all spirals from there as he accidentally stumbles from success to success.
What to expect
🧛 Dark comedy novella
🧛 Dollarstore Dracula (positive)
🧛 Laugh out loud
🧛 Trust cost of immortality
🧛 Criticism of capitalism
🧛 Everyone is a sucker (polysemy)
This book is best read while buying VIP tickets to SuckerCon, and investing your lifesavings into an MLM.
Imagine being gifted with immortality but being broke the entire time? I love taking the trope of vampires living in castles and mansions and just flipping it on it's head. Immortality isn't so fun if you have to work forever and can never retire.
Our main character, James, is a fairly new vampire doesn't have funds for the lavish lifestyle he craves. With all the audacity of a mediocre white man, he decides he's going to start a video game company, without ever knowing anything about coding or the videogame industry. It all spirals from there as he accidentally stumbles from success to success.
What to expect
🧛 Dark comedy novella
🧛 Dollarstore Dracula (positive)
🧛 Laugh out loud
🧛 Trust cost of immortality
🧛 Criticism of capitalism
🧛 Everyone is a sucker (polysemy)
This book is best read while buying VIP tickets to SuckerCon, and investing your lifesavings into an MLM.
December 11, 2025
James Sugre is a broke-ass vampire who can’t even afford his own reflection. After sinking his money into one failed get-rich scheme after another, he’s now immortal and in debt - truly the worst combo.
Spotting the boom in video games, he decides this is his last shot at making it big. But when he meets Laura, someone he’s supposed to be interviewing for his company, the two of them pivot and turn Bloodsucker LLC into a full-on MLM:
1. Get turned into a vampire
2. Get your next meal
3. Convince your meal to get turned
4. Receive your assigned role
So capitalism, but make it undead.
I really appreciated the satire. Capitalism is a bitch, and it’s funny watching it haunt the undead too. But after a while, the story starts looping through the same conundrum, over and over. James’s inner monologue drones on, he fades into the background, and by the halfway mark the plot just… loses steam. His constant self-doubt becomes exhausting, and the ending repeats the same pattern of self-destruction, but with less impact.
There’s great potential here, even as a novella, but it fizzles hard in the second half.
Thank you NetGalley and CLASH Books for the e-ARC!
Spotting the boom in video games, he decides this is his last shot at making it big. But when he meets Laura, someone he’s supposed to be interviewing for his company, the two of them pivot and turn Bloodsucker LLC into a full-on MLM:
1. Get turned into a vampire
2. Get your next meal
3. Convince your meal to get turned
4. Receive your assigned role
So capitalism, but make it undead.
I really appreciated the satire. Capitalism is a bitch, and it’s funny watching it haunt the undead too. But after a while, the story starts looping through the same conundrum, over and over. James’s inner monologue drones on, he fades into the background, and by the halfway mark the plot just… loses steam. His constant self-doubt becomes exhausting, and the ending repeats the same pattern of self-destruction, but with less impact.
There’s great potential here, even as a novella, but it fizzles hard in the second half.
Thank you NetGalley and CLASH Books for the e-ARC!
January 3, 2026
If you could unalive someone, even multiple people, for a six-figure payday, without legal repercussions or feeling morally bankrupt, wouldn’t you? I sure as EFF would!
Essentially, that’s the premise here and I’d absolutely jump onto that gravy train. The plot issue here is sustainability. You need, um, food. Sustenance.
To resolve that, you need an enslavement utopia. A blood bank of sorts complete with long term donors for the present and future. Offer an affordable, livable wage with health benefits. Problem solved!
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books and the author, Michael J. Seidlinger for the advanced copy of Brokeula. This will be published July 7, 2026.
This was a very fun read that was light on the horror and quick with the humour. Best line, spoken by Lauren to James:
“You’re like a dollar store Dracula.”
Essentially, that’s the premise here and I’d absolutely jump onto that gravy train. The plot issue here is sustainability. You need, um, food. Sustenance.
To resolve that, you need an enslavement utopia. A blood bank of sorts complete with long term donors for the present and future. Offer an affordable, livable wage with health benefits. Problem solved!
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books and the author, Michael J. Seidlinger for the advanced copy of Brokeula. This will be published July 7, 2026.
This was a very fun read that was light on the horror and quick with the humour. Best line, spoken by Lauren to James:
“You’re like a dollar store Dracula.”
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC Review
An oddly fun story of a broke vampire named James. Down on his luck, James resorts to a bit of self mutilation. After getting an idea thanks to wandering into a comiccon, his eternal life is about to change.
I had so much fun reading this story. The first couple of chapters felt a little repetitive, and I was worried the entire story was going to feel that way, but once we get passed Comicon things really get moving. Going into this I wasn't sure what to expect, the description gave me some cringe feels, but I wanted to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did. The last few chapters feel like they sped on too quickly, but overall a really good solid bit of writing. Recommended if you are looking for a bit of a pallet cleanser and a bit funny.
An oddly fun story of a broke vampire named James. Down on his luck, James resorts to a bit of self mutilation. After getting an idea thanks to wandering into a comiccon, his eternal life is about to change.
I had so much fun reading this story. The first couple of chapters felt a little repetitive, and I was worried the entire story was going to feel that way, but once we get passed Comicon things really get moving. Going into this I wasn't sure what to expect, the description gave me some cringe feels, but I wanted to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did. The last few chapters feel like they sped on too quickly, but overall a really good solid bit of writing. Recommended if you are looking for a bit of a pallet cleanser and a bit funny.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“I’m hungry. Famished for some fucking money”
That’s the realest thing I’ve ever read in a book 😫
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4)
I thought inflation was bad now and I’m only 20 years old…so imagine how awful dealing with inflation would be as an ageless vampire!! 😱
I love the concept of this book and I think many people these days can relate to our main character when it comes to stressing about money🧛💰
Good, short, little book to read in one sitting 🤗
I also loved the gorgeous artwork thought the book 🖌️🖼️
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Michael J. Seidlinger for this arc copy of “Brokeula”!!! 😊❤️🧛♀️
That’s the realest thing I’ve ever read in a book 😫
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars rounded up to 4)
I thought inflation was bad now and I’m only 20 years old…so imagine how awful dealing with inflation would be as an ageless vampire!! 😱
I love the concept of this book and I think many people these days can relate to our main character when it comes to stressing about money🧛💰
Good, short, little book to read in one sitting 🤗
I also loved the gorgeous artwork thought the book 🖌️🖼️
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Michael J. Seidlinger for this arc copy of “Brokeula”!!! 😊❤️🧛♀️
December 21, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH Books for an ARC of this book.
‘Brokeula’ is a modern-day take on the vampire story, in which James Sugré is down on his luck and struggling to pay off his debts. It’s a great concept, but one which is unfortunately not executed very well.
As others have mentioned, the length of the story makes it difficult to connect with any the characters and this is only exacerbated by the repetitive writing style. Most of the jokes fell flat for me and I found the comparison between vampirism and capitalism under-developed.
Not for me.
‘Brokeula’ is a modern-day take on the vampire story, in which James Sugré is down on his luck and struggling to pay off his debts. It’s a great concept, but one which is unfortunately not executed very well.
As others have mentioned, the length of the story makes it difficult to connect with any the characters and this is only exacerbated by the repetitive writing style. Most of the jokes fell flat for me and I found the comparison between vampirism and capitalism under-developed.
Not for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc.
This was an entertaining, quick read with an interesting theme of capitalism. The premise sounded pretty interesting and the story itself matched the book's description.
This follows a vampire, James, as he tries to figure out a way to get rich quick. It's almost kind of sad how relatable the story read. How once you have it all, it still isn't enough. I don't know if it really is *that deep* but if you really think about it, yeah, it was sad. Overall, this was an entertaining story.
This was an entertaining, quick read with an interesting theme of capitalism. The premise sounded pretty interesting and the story itself matched the book's description.
This follows a vampire, James, as he tries to figure out a way to get rich quick. It's almost kind of sad how relatable the story read. How once you have it all, it still isn't enough. I don't know if it really is *that deep* but if you really think about it, yeah, it was sad. Overall, this was an entertaining story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really, really wanted to like the book. A broke vampire, just trying to survive our capitalist society? Yes! And then inadvertently starts a cult/MLM type thing? Sounds great!
Maybe if this was longer, so we could really get to know our characters and flesh out this unique idea, it would've hit better. So many times, I would really start to get into whatever was going on and then there was nothing, no follow up. It had potential, but just fell flat.
Maybe if this was longer, so we could really get to know our characters and flesh out this unique idea, it would've hit better. So many times, I would really start to get into whatever was going on and then there was nothing, no follow up. It had potential, but just fell flat.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Smiled and giggled at this book my entire train ride. Not only is the premise absurd, with the society of vampires succumbing to capitalism, but James, aka. Brokeula, is very entertaining as well, along with Lauren, his business partner. I also thought the account balance at the start of each chapter was a nice touch. Overall, I would say that I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews