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Sunglasses After Dark
(Sonja Blue #1)
by
A half-human, half-vampire hunts the bloodsucker who bit her in this “compelling” Bram Stoker Award-winning debut (Publishers Weekly).
One spring night in London, heiress Denise Thorne disappears while partying at a nightclub, never to be seen again. That very same night, Sonja Blue, a tough-as-nails punk vampire/vampire-slayer, conceived in terror and blood, is borne fr ...more
One spring night in London, heiress Denise Thorne disappears while partying at a nightclub, never to be seen again. That very same night, Sonja Blue, a tough-as-nails punk vampire/vampire-slayer, conceived in terror and blood, is borne fr ...more
Kindle Edition, 250 pages
Published
July 1st 2014
by Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
(first published August 1989)
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Start your review of Sunglasses After Dark (Sonja Blue, #1)
The positives (when they were present). A high level of inventiveness, and excellent visuals for scenes, characters and action.
There are some very important negatives.
The narrative flow is broken by some dreadful backstory exposition full of lazy stereotypes that any competent story editor would have cut and thrown into the bin.
The actual manuscript used for th ...more
this book started out good but then we spend the next big chunk in flashbacks. I like flashbacks but there was so many, I forgot where we left off at the present. These Vampires and other pretenders are mean and vicious. There was a hellva lot of rape casually thrown around in this book, too. Sunglasses was ok but I'm not sure if i'll go on to read the next one or not. Maybe if I find it super cheap...
...more
Sometimes, context is everything. Nancy A. Collins wrote this book in the 1980's, after the rise of Anne Rice's pretty-boy, drinking-blood-as-a-metaphor-for-sex vampires. She went against that tide by making Sonja Blue the monstrous killer of older vampire stories, but forged a new path by giving her the tools and motivation to kill other monsters.
The book starts out in an insane asylum, which sets the tone pretty well. The story is told partially through the point of view of the overnight order ...more
The book starts out in an insane asylum, which sets the tone pretty well. The story is told partially through the point of view of the overnight order ...more
It was ok.
I wasn't aware before reading that the author had edited newer versions of the book. It kind of ruined the flow of the story for me. I knew the book was published in the late eighties and then came across mention of a DVD player which confused me. SO I looked up some reviews here to find out what was going on. There was also a lot of typos as well. Sometimes whole sentences were repeated with minor changes in the second sentence.
(view spoiler) ...more
Jan 12, 2018
Nancy
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-library,
do-not-own
Not worth the paper it’s written on. Or your time.
This could have been interesting story that kept you on the edge of your seat. Almost 50% of the book was spent on flashbacks of two characters. There was the first 59 pages of the book. Flashbacks for the next 84 pages. The last 42 pages are back to the story. Talk about completely taking you out of the story. What story there is, isn’t much of a story. Just a missed opportunity.
This could have been interesting story that kept you on the edge of your seat. Almost 50% of the book was spent on flashbacks of two characters. There was the first 59 pages of the book. Flashbacks for the next 84 pages. The last 42 pages are back to the story. Talk about completely taking you out of the story. What story there is, isn’t much of a story. Just a missed opportunity.
Like the rest of the Western world, I am vamped out and picked this book because I didn't have other fiction handy over a holiday weekend. I really wasn't burning to read anything more about vampires indefinitely. But, I have liked Nancy Collins since I read her short story "Dancing Nitely" in the anthology Under the Fang and this book turned out to be clever and original and I loved the kickass heroine. Alas, vampires had to go and become culturally omnipresent but do bear in mind this book was
...more
I remember very much wanting to read this when it came out sometime in the 1990s. I was going through a vampire phase. Unfortunately it was not worth the wait. The "story" is a series of horrific vignettes: Sonja Blue, the protag vampire, goes berserk; someone gets victimized; Sonja Blue goes berserk and someone gets victimized. Toward the end, Collins decides there should be some psychological development so Sonja integrates her sane self and her berserker self, neither of whom I cared about. I
...more
A fun vampire tale; a wild erotic ride. More gore than I usuyally like, but very stylish. An Sonja Blue is such a kickass female vampire.
Interesting world this is set in but it does have some issues.
It was a bit of a mess of flashbacks, bit part characters and side character introductions. When the bad (or lack of) editing wasn't present there was some ok scenes but the whole origin story etc shoved any actual plot out of the way so when you got back to it you just didn't really care or had forgotten who was who and what they had to do with anything.
The editing issues apparently stem from the author 'modernising' the story to inc ...more
It was a bit of a mess of flashbacks, bit part characters and side character introductions. When the bad (or lack of) editing wasn't present there was some ok scenes but the whole origin story etc shoved any actual plot out of the way so when you got back to it you just didn't really care or had forgotten who was who and what they had to do with anything.
The editing issues apparently stem from the author 'modernising' the story to inc ...more
Sonja Blue is the perfect antidote to Twilight poisoning. The story is scary. The characters are creeped out. Sonja may be a vampire killer, but she is seriously twisted and dangerous in her own right.
Others claim the book is a poorly assembled series of vignettes. Personally, I did not find it so poorly assembled. The vignettes give us Sonja's history, from her birth as a vampire. And they are enthralling.
I think Sonja puts Anita Blake and Buffy both to shame. And I look forward to reading the ...more
Others claim the book is a poorly assembled series of vignettes. Personally, I did not find it so poorly assembled. The vignettes give us Sonja's history, from her birth as a vampire. And they are enthralling.
I think Sonja puts Anita Blake and Buffy both to shame. And I look forward to reading the ...more
Jul 28, 2009
Shanon
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
horror,
vampires-dark
I enjoy “bad” vamps. The drop dead gorgeous, over-sexed vamps that abound today get tiring and are very unreal. Sonja Blue seems genuine to me and I love that about her. Sunglasses After Dark is gritty, dark, violent and FUN!
I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book when I started it. It seemed a little disjointed and difficult to follow. However, now that I have finished, I thing the incongruities are an intentional part of the atmosphere. Nancy Collins has put forth some interesting ideas regarding the nature of vampires in this book that fans of the genre will no doubt find interesting. I'm not sure if I will continue reading the series, but I did end up liking this one.
...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this tawdry tale. I read the original paperback version. Check out my full review on my YouTube channel, Regina's Haunted Library.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-CKT... ...more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-CKT... ...more
Content warnings: gore, more gore, rape, sexual violence, abuse, emotional abuse, and animal death. This book is not for the faint-hearted.
While Sunglasses After Dark may have been written in '89, it is the most gothic punk 90s horror novel I could've asked for. The finale involves a mirror-shades wearing vampire invading a suburban mansion, setting it on fire, having a psychic battle with a half-succubus, shooting out guards and having a personal revelation about how comfortable she is with vio ...more
While Sunglasses After Dark may have been written in '89, it is the most gothic punk 90s horror novel I could've asked for. The finale involves a mirror-shades wearing vampire invading a suburban mansion, setting it on fire, having a psychic battle with a half-succubus, shooting out guards and having a personal revelation about how comfortable she is with vio ...more
Honestly, I gave this 3 stars because I didn't hate it and I can see how many people would enjoy the book. Collins is incredibly descriptive and there is nothing wrong with the story. I know intellectually that this is far more likely to be the behavior of someone who drinks human blood. However, it just really wasn't my cup of tea...or bottle of True Blood, be that as it may.
Sonja could have been a very sad character. I honestly believe she could have been written in such a way that my heart wo ...more
Sonja could have been a very sad character. I honestly believe she could have been written in such a way that my heart wo ...more
My search for good vampire stories continues with reading Nancy Collins' offerings to the genre. I'd first heard of Sonja Blue from a short story Collins wrote for The Vampire Sextette, which was one of the few stories I actually enjoyed from that collection. The novel did live up to my expectations for the most part, but some of the structuring seemed a bit awkward and almost amateur. It's early in the series, so hopefully the immense "flashback infodump" section that dominated this book will n
...more
Sonja Blue is locked up in an institution for the insane and is feared by staff and inmates alike as her monstrous side can enter their dreams to bring them terror and pain. So when she escapes a lot of people need to start worrying.
I found the whole alter ego thing to be very confusing. You seem to be getting told that Sonja is the evil part of the partnership but you can never tell exactly which personality is in control at what time. When inside Sonja's head you're not sure which part of her ...more
I found the whole alter ego thing to be very confusing. You seem to be getting told that Sonja is the evil part of the partnership but you can never tell exactly which personality is in control at what time. When inside Sonja's head you're not sure which part of her ...more
Not sure how I'd forgotten the truly nightmarish nature of this book. I've read quite a lot by Nancy A Collins, but none as dark and hideous as this. There are no redeeming characters, everything is exploitative, violent, revolting and shocking. It kind of loses the impact after a while, which is rather alarming in retrospect.
I can't really recommend it, but admire it's unflinching habitation of horror and recognise some of the internal visions of the characters. ...more
I can't really recommend it, but admire it's unflinching habitation of horror and recognise some of the internal visions of the characters. ...more
Absolute must-read for all World of Darkness fans!
http://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/13...
4.5/5
SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK by Nancy A. Collins is the first of the Sonja Blue novels that I have been recommended multiple times but haven't gotten around to reading until now. I actually know Nancy Collins, first, from her Vampirella comics that were quite entertaining and sadly cut short. I also knew her to be an author who had briefly put her characters in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe but I had never read her signature Sonja Blue series.
The prem ...more
4.5/5
SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK by Nancy A. Collins is the first of the Sonja Blue novels that I have been recommended multiple times but haven't gotten around to reading until now. I actually know Nancy Collins, first, from her Vampirella comics that were quite entertaining and sadly cut short. I also knew her to be an author who had briefly put her characters in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe but I had never read her signature Sonja Blue series.
The prem ...more
Wow. It just hit me that this book is nearly thirty years old. It holds up pretty well, though it's less remarkable now. I remember it as one of the formative works for vampires as goth-rock badasses. It came out hot on the heels of Near Dark and before Vampire the Masquerade. (I think of the Lestat books as being more high Gothic, but it's been a long time since I read them.) Now that that's a whole genre, I expect there are better books of that ilk out there; recommendations welcome.
...more
This was not what I was expecting from the title. I thought it would be a lot lighter, and instead it was dark and rather gory. What really bothered me was that it had obviously not been edited/proofread. Words were substituted for other words, words were left out completely so that the sentences didn't make sense, periods at the end of sentences were missing, and misuse of commas or lack thereof. Drove me nuts while trying to read it. I only continued reading it because I needed to find out wha
...more
Feb 15, 2014
Marty
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2014-reading-challenge
If you're sick to death of the 'Twilight' approach to vampire literature, this book will cure that malaise pretty thoroughly. Be aware, though, that the violence and gore is quite graphic.
Sonja Blue, the main character, formerly heiress Denise Johnson, became a vampire in 1969 as a result of a brutal attack by the so-called 'Sir Morgan,' a "Noble" level vampire, who left her for dead. In this case, a human being is transformed by become a host to a 'demon,' or as Sonja calls it, the Other. At t ...more
Sonja Blue, the main character, formerly heiress Denise Johnson, became a vampire in 1969 as a result of a brutal attack by the so-called 'Sir Morgan,' a "Noble" level vampire, who left her for dead. In this case, a human being is transformed by become a host to a 'demon,' or as Sonja calls it, the Other. At t ...more
Fantastic vampire novel with not a sparkle in sight. Looking forward to reading the rest of the Sonja Blue series.
December 23, 2014
Good afternoon constant reader.
If you're looking for a gritty, bloody, no holds barred, in your face no-sparkling-vampires-allowed vampire tale, then this is the book for you.
While Nancy A. Collins is not a "new" author by any means, you need to run, not walk, to your nearest book source and read what you've been missing.
Allow me to introduce you to Sonja Blue. She's ...more
December 23, 2014
Good afternoon constant reader.
If you're looking for a gritty, bloody, no holds barred, in your face no-sparkling-vampires-allowed vampire tale, then this is the book for you.
While Nancy A. Collins is not a "new" author by any means, you need to run, not walk, to your nearest book source and read what you've been missing.
Allow me to introduce you to Sonja Blue. She's ...more
Except for the rather bitter author's note in this "ten years later" edition, this was an enjoyable read. Maybe if I'd read this book for the first time back when it was "new and edgy" I might have another opinion (ie: be a fan), but really, author. Get over it. Everyone 'rips off' everyone else. Even you.
Unfortunately, I didn't like or engage with the main character enough to keep looking for more stories about her. The side characters ended up being more interesting, and, by the end that hardl ...more
Unfortunately, I didn't like or engage with the main character enough to keep looking for more stories about her. The side characters ended up being more interesting, and, by the end that hardl ...more
Sonya Blue is one tough vampire and I liked the dark and edgy feeling to it. This is no vampire romance, but a cool look at vampires as a subculture in our times.
Adding a review I wrote in 1992, which I just found in an old book-diary.
Sonja Blue is a vampire, but inside her is still the girl Denise Thorne. The good and the evil are fighting for dominance. Helping her is Claude Hagerty, who was a guard in the asylum she was kept in.
She is a likable character and a very well written book. I enjoye ...more
Adding a review I wrote in 1992, which I just found in an old book-diary.
Sonja Blue is a vampire, but inside her is still the girl Denise Thorne. The good and the evil are fighting for dominance. Helping her is Claude Hagerty, who was a guard in the asylum she was kept in.
She is a likable character and a very well written book. I enjoye ...more
A pretty good book, but i will say that its not for everyone, sometimes the changing between characters get hard to follow, and the middle was very, very flashback heavy that went real deep on sonja backstory, but i love character driven books so it was okay.
Mar 19, 2016
DeAnna Knippling
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nightmare-magazine-s-top-100-horror
A reread. I keep trying to reread this and getting derailed. I think I figured out why.
Love the character. Lots of good writing. But the plot keeps veering around, one minute you're reading a frame story, the next you're reading summaries, now it's first person, now it's third--none of the transitions bother to remind you of what's going on or why you care, so all the shifts are jarring. Too many bad guys with no resolution.
But I love the character. Ach, a conundrum. ...more
Love the character. Lots of good writing. But the plot keeps veering around, one minute you're reading a frame story, the next you're reading summaries, now it's first person, now it's third--none of the transitions bother to remind you of what's going on or why you care, so all the shifts are jarring. Too many bad guys with no resolution.
But I love the character. Ach, a conundrum. ...more
This was a very interesting book. I read it after hearing about it on Fiction_L. Not the usual vampire romance drivel; an all-together new twist on vampires. Denise Thorne, an heiress and possibly a vampire, escapes from a mental hospital and begins tracking Catherine Wheele, a psychic evangelist.But is she really Denise or Sonja Blue?
I liked this alot, but Sonja has had a long life and we stray from present times back to the future. I enjoyed it, but something was missing and I still don't know exactly what happened to make her Vampire.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use occhiali da sole outlet for a more safer and More protective view | 1 | 2 | Feb 06, 2018 09:00PM | |
| Castle Dracula: Sunglasses After Dark - January | 106 | 33 | Jan 30, 2018 04:33PM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Updated or alternate cover art | 2 | 14 | Dec 09, 2017 11:46AM |
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Nancy A. Collins (born 10 September 1959) is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has also written for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs. Leatherface, Predator: Hell Come A Walkin and her own one-shot Dhampire: Stillborn.
Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in N ...more
Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in N ...more
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Sonja Blue
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“How pathetic. Minor-league monsters strutting and performing in their private Grand Guignols. How fucking lame. You want fear? You want terror? You want to see what it’s really like to be a monster? You used to know, before they caught you and threw you in this playpen. Now you have to dream about blood and pain instead of living it out. You’re no longer free to actualize the perfection of your private hells on the flesh of your victims. But that’s the way life is. Once you’re caught, assholes, you’re at the mercy of others. Welcome to your nightmares.”
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