Vampire a Go-Go

by Victor Gischler

Victor Gischler is a master of the class-act literary spoof, and his work has drawn comparison to that of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Thomas Pynchon.
Now, Gischler turns his attention to werewolves, alchemists, ghosts, witches, and gun-toting Jesuit priests in Vampire a Go-Go, a hilarious romp of spooky, Gothic entertainment. Narrated by a ghost whose spirit is chained to a mysterious castle in Prague, Gischler's latest is full of twists and surprises that will have readers screaming - and laughing - for more.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Humor, Fiction

337 pages, Trade Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Victor Gischler is an American author of humorous crime fiction.
Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His fifth novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was published in 2008 by the Touchstone/Fireside imprint of Simon & Schuster.

He has also writes American comic books like The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine and Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Gischler worked on X-Men "Curse of the Mutants" starting in the Death of Dracula one-shot and continued in X-Men #1.

Gun Monkeys has been optioned for a film adaptation, with Lee Goldberg writing the script and Ryuhei Kitamura penciled in to direct.

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror and humor can go surprisingly well together. Victor Gischler’s Vampire A-Go-Gois hard to put down. It doesn’t really build a ton of suspense, but there are lots of twists and turns and good bit of history involved. Gothic State sounds like the kind of school I’d like to have attended. It also give Gischler the opportunity to show off his own literary chops and to sprinkle the tale with a generous bit of sarcasm (often well deserved) toward higher education. A regular mortal, Allen, on a research project with a professor from Gothic State finds himself in Prague. There he encounters three witches, a vampire, a werewolf, ghosts, a golem, and battle Jesuits.

Gischler doesn’t let glitz get in the way of a plot, however. His characters are well drawn and compelling. They’re easy to like even if they aren’t so easy to believe. There is blood and gore, but some chuckles too. The story revolves around the philosopher’s stone, an object that has come into its own in recent fantasy. Gischler sets it in Prague, which gives a great opportunity to take a virtual tour of the city. It’s fun stuff. A little romance is thrown in for fun, as is a chunk of mystery.

As I mention on my blog post about it (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), this book was an accidental find. It’s usually worth taking a chance on monster novels, even if they’re not preselected. I’ve run into a few that haven’t lived up to their promise, but this definitely isn’t one of those. I’d happily read more like this. It give me hope that there’s more monster fare awaiting and I can be pleasantly surprised when I take a chance on it.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! I get tired of all the dark brooding characters in vampire stories sometimes and it's great to read one with some humor. Damn good humor at that.

How can you go wrong with a story that starts out with Allen Cabbot, a grad student with a thing for Bronte, meeting with a college official who's office is full of budgies named Admiral Snodgrass and smokes a joint while informing him of his new summer assignment in Prague.

Things get interesting soon after that with violent Jesuit priests, a trio of witches and Penny Coppertone. Penny is special and I can't help but love that name!

I highly recommend Vampire a Go-Go to anyone and everyone with a pulse.

Now I truly must find another book of his titled, "Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse". I have this odd feeling it is going to be a blast.

[T.A. Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Very amusing in a low-key way up to about 20% then, for me personally, it got unfunny-silly. I'm not officially grading it as 2 Stars because there's nothing wrong with the story, it's just not my thing.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brought to you by OBS Staffer Katie http://openbooksociety.com/article/bo...

Victor Gischler
Vampire a Go-Go


Summary

Allen is a hapless grad student on the verge of academic probation at Gothic State University, an odd little institution on the rocky Pacific shores of Oregon. There is not much that can be done to salvage his GPA—except to redeem himself by accompanying the eccentric Dr. Evergreen and his cold, enigmatic wife on a research trip to Prague. Allen is none too excited to spend the summer with a professor known campus wide as a cranky taskmaster who stinks of bad cigars and gin—but Dr. Evergreen ends up being the least of his problems. Narrated by the all-knowing ghost of long-dead alchemist and conman Edward Kelley. Like Edward Kelly years ago, Allen simply doesn’t realize what he’s getting into, and an unforgettable cast of characters adds to the chaos. There’s a trio of witches who may not actually have magical powers, a gun-toting squad of Jesuit priests set on doing the will of the Church, and Allen’s best friend Penny—the pretty girl-next-door who also happens to be a werewolf. A deranged sorcerer and supernatural seductress add to the danger of a quest for an ancient device with the capacity to restore life itself.
Summary via – http://www.vampireagogo.com/

Review

I haven’t read a truly ‘laugh out loud’ book in a very long time. Lately its been all romance for me. When my aunt gave me Vampire a Go Go, I didn’t think I would like it, but boy was I wrong.

Victor Gischler takes us on an action packed journey through Prague. Where the main character Allen finds him self the interest of everyone there. Allen thinking that he was only in Prague to help the Doctor do some research, finds him self in the middle of a hunt for the philosophers stone. Being seduced and kidnapped by a few witches, almost killed by a machine gun carrying priest, Allen just wants to go home, but hes to involved.

I really enjoyed the little bit of history that was added into the story. Of course it’s not all fact, but it’s obvious that Victor Gishler did some kind of research while writing.

Vampire a Go Go is a lot of lighthearted fun. Is this a must read, no not really. Are there some mistake, yes, dialog isn’t great and you don’t really get to know the characters. But it will make you laugh and get some insight on some Renaissance history.

http://openbooksociety.com/article/bo...

[Winterking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is what I call a fun read. I literally hated putting it down, but other things must be done from time to time. Vampire a Go- Go is about the adventures and discoveries of two people from different time periods. You have the narrator Edward Kelly, along with the unwilling participant in this tale, Allen Cabbot.
This wild ride that takes place mainly in the city of Prague, but begins in the United States. Poor Allen is selected to accompany one of his college professors on a trip to Prague to assist in the Professor’s study of Kafka. What should be a boring summer trip turn quickly, and I do mean quickly, into an adventure involving a vampire, a werewolf, some witches, joke telling, gun wielding, Special Forces Vatican Priest, wizards, ghosts, alchemists, zombies, Frankenstein type experiments, several murders and the philosopher’s stone.
That’s right, all that plus alcohol and some very strong coffee.
How this all plays out is mad-capped and utterly fun entertainment. Victor Gischler has crafted one hell of a wild story that actually worked perfectly in my opinion. How this story plays out had me fighting against my medications for sleep. I wanted to find out just how this crazy tale ended. Who ends up with the philosopher’s stone? Will it be the Vatican special-forces unit? The witches? Maybe the Wizards, or maybe just maybe the Vampire. Let’s not forget about the alchemists or Emperor Rudolph II. Even the Freemasons join this party. I’m telling you this is one heck of a tale, that even me with my brain injury issues had no problem following. I smiled constantly and even laughed out loud at time, making my family look at me strangely. Because of this book I will be looking for Victor Gischler’s other books. I will be happy if they are even partially as fun as this one was.

[Corwyn Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the CW made a feature-length film...

No, but really; I'd watch this movie. It's goofy, cheesy, funny (sometimes), horror-fantasy themed, with a cast of college girls and a band of ass-kicking priests. Totally my kind of screw-around, guilty-pleasure flick (if it were one).

As for the book... Well, I'll try not to bash it too hard since it was sort of my bad for picking up a novel written in a prose that I didn't like. (But the prose makes for an interesting theory about this writer I'll get to in a minute.) But the good news: It's easy reading and definitely had its laughs. I liked the college kid characters and the setting. It's overall a fun read (if the prose doesn't bother you as much as it did me). The bad news: Considering the title, it really doesn't deliver. There's only one vampire, and she's hardly in the story at all, let alone a sexy go-go dancer, or anything even close-to. Most of the humor is a bit too soft for my taste. I like downright vulgar and raunchy. This was..."CW" (lol). But I did bark out loud once, and sorta chuckled a few other times throughout. The best part about this book was the "guide book" the main character used to navigate the city he was in. It was a clever and funny way to fill the reader in on what would normally be somewhat droll details concerning the stage in which the story was set. Honestly, the best gauge I can give you to whether or not you should read this book is the "CW" gauge. If you're into that cheeseball, teenish goofiness (and, admittedly, I (sort of) am), and aren't picky with prose, then yeah, give this a shot. Otherwise, steer clear, my dudes. This likely won't do a damn thing for you.

But the prose. It's more of a shorthand, lack-thereof, than an actual prose. "Allan wondered what that meant, sat down. Took a drink. It tasted bitter. He winced at the flavor, swallowed hard." (This is an example, not an actual quote from the book.) What the writer does is leave out the "and" throughout, which makes the sentences choppy and lacking in flow. Also, this is the very epitome of "telling instead of showing" in your writing. He's telling you what is happening instead of showing you (which is a very difficult concept to grasp, I know. I struggled with it for years). Anyway, the reason I mentioned earlier that this makes for an interesting theory is because this writer is a comic book writer, meaning he writes a lot of scripts. I'm actually a fan of his work in comics which is why I picked this book up (and because of the title). I loved his Deadpool Corps series, and Clown Fatale (which SO should be a b-movie action/horror flick. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.) So I think his shorthand "prose-lack-thereof" comes from writing scripts, which absolutely does NOT translate to writing novels. That's my theory, anyway. Maybe he just likes choppy, short sentences and finds them artistic and profound. (lofl...) OK, gonna stop now before I write something particularly dickish... (which I already did, then thought better of it and erased. Good thing I don't talk much in real life. There's no delete button out there on them unforgiving streets (lmao) )

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Gischler's X-Men years ago. He was the one who mixed them up with Dracula and turned Jubilee into a vampire.

Always having had a soft spot for my mutants and their writers I bought this book.
I liked it well enough, but after a pretty decent set-up this novel felt a bit drawn out at about 340 pages. The characters all felt a bit flat to me, the narrator being the exception.
Some of the revelations in the story seemed a bit obvious to me, but I can't say if that is by design (keeping the character in the dark, but not the reader) or not.

Overall this is an amusing, quick read that I don't regret, but somehow I just expected more.

[fanboyriot · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a quick lighthearted read with some good humor, but there were a few things I disliked about the book. The main issues that had with it was that you don’t get to know the characters all that well and most of the dialogue is kinda painful to read. However, you get to see a bit of renaissance history which is interesting, even if most of was fiction.

[Kathy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, funny, fast moving, couldn't put down. Not your usual vampire book. Good one.

[Patrick Boggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that takes place over centuries. Fun read and I would highly recommend for those who like some humor and intrigue in their supernatural stories.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

No as good as Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse but overall a fun book to read. You get through it pretty quick.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shocking lack of vampires ina book called Vampire a-go-go. But still quite entertaining.

[Norman Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires. Werewolves. Wizards. Witches. Zombies. Ghosts. A Jesuit Battle Squad. What else do you need. This was a damn fun read.

[Ashley Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent pacing. Love his books.

[Karen]

Entertaining, funny, fast read but a few more swear words than necessary.
Rarely read sardonic paranormal.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered Victor Gischler’s prose work with his post-apocalyptic novel “Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse.” It was a book with a really fun sounding title. So it had a lot to live up to, and it more than exceeded my expectations. So I was happy to pick up the writer’s follow up novel “Vampire A Go-Go.”

In “Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse” Gischler did a fun, action packed comedic riff on the post-apocalyptic genre. With “Vampire A Go-Go, the author attempts to do the same things with the supernatural horror and dark fantasy genres. The result is pretty much another home run with one exception.

The plot of the novel finds college student and reluctant hero Allan Cabbot being sent to Prague to help a professor with an obscure research assignment. As it turns out though Allan’s professor isn’t after anything academic though. He wants to find the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, an artifact renowned for its ability to bring the dead back to life. This makes Allan in unwitting pawn against several supernatural power players who want to keep the stone hidden or use it for their own nefarious purposes. Soon Allan finds himself on the run from and caught in the crossfire between a vampire, Jesuit commandoes, a secret society of witches and warlocks, and a malevolent sorcerer.

One of the strengths of “Vampire A Go-Go” is the characters. Allan is a great every man character. He makes poor choices and is by no means an action hero, but you root for him, and by the time the novel is over he grows into the role in a believable way. Also entertaining is Allan’s friend Penny, who has the hots for him and one other terrible secret. The Jesuit Commando characters are also a believable and likeable bunch.
Narrating the story in “Vampire A Go-Go” is the ghost Edward Kelly, a 16th century alchemist. Since he’s been dead for hundreds of years, Kelly has become quite bitter and some of his observations lead to some hilarious moments in an already funny book.

My only real problem with Vampire, and it’s a small one, are the scenes where Kelly is not narrating. In those scenes the action flashes back to the role Kelly played in the story while he’s still alive. For some reason these scenes seem to slow down the story a lot. Whenever I spent time with Allan the story would zip along, but with Edward things seem to drag. It’s probably the case of Allan being a much more likeable character. Still the scenes with Kelly did offer some interesting and funny moments.

So if you’re looking for a fun and funny read that both celebrates and mocks the conventions of the dark fantasy and supernatural horror genre, I definitely recommend “Vampire A Go-Go.

[Leew49 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allen Cabbot, a student at Gothic State, is assigned to accompany Professor Evergreen and his eerily seductive wife to spend the summer in Prague researching Kafka. But after two mysterious deaths (and more to come), it becomes inescapably obvious that there is much more to the trip than learning about the author of THE METAMORPHOSIS. In fact Evergreen and others are determined to find the legendary philosopher' stone and use its fearsome magical power for their own dark agendas. With a McGuffin as potent as the philosopher's stone, the bizarre cast of characters that emerges from the woodwork (not unlike a cockroach?) provides a steady stream of surprises and dangers for Allen. Meanwhile, back at the 16th century, we learn that Allen's dilemma can be traced to the clandestine activities of alchemists and astrologers when Prague Castle was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire.

Gischler's quirky novel is what Roger Ebert used to call a "guilty pleasure," though of course in reference to movies rather than books. The understanding that I was being exposed to some pretty outrageous silliness did not keep me from stealing moments to dive into the book, and regretting when I had reached the end. The combination of humor and supernatural horror has always been one of my preferred weaknesses as a reader (and viewer), and Gischler does know how to keep a plot moving while doing a pretty decent job of establishing an eerie atmosphere in which the highly implausible has a way of becoming believable. If your reading is intended to improve your mind or acquire useful knowledge to become a better person, I recommend Wikipedia. If you enjoy a bit of unconventional silliness every now and then, give Gischler a try.

[Darlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hillarious! I never read anything by the author before but when do some research (well, you know browsing the webs and all) he's actually has another book Go Go Girls which is also good. I wish I have the copy and read it straight away! He writes the book without saving anything best for the last since I think he's giving good in every page. Every chapters serve you with a very fast pace and it has good simplicity on the writing. I love it straight away. The characters are predictable but it's good because I find nothing wrong with it. Some adventurous scenes are like in a graphic novel which you can simply imagine and laugh! It's not very perfect, but it's perfect enough which every details of the book increase my interest to know more and keep on turning the pages. The writer know how to write scripts with humors; wry and quite dark. However, there's a few boring moment but it still okay. Maybe the interesting parts is that he includes vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, alchemists, zombies, just name a few, in the story. That is maybe what I need for a while apart from every books I've read recently seems those creatures are very 'in' and gives a very good impression. But in this book, you'll get the real thing.

It's a light reading and I think you might pick it up and love it at once. Well, maybe it is if you like paranormal and think this might be what you need for something real.

[Danielle Klassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title Vampire a Go-Go is apt for this book because it picks up from the beginning and never really lets you go. Following a grad student on his way through Prague and a war between the Vatican and a secret society in search of the philosopher's stone, it pulls you very quickly through this poor bastard's trials. It's funny, fast and has a few decently brutal moments that are both unexpected and sometimes even shocking. I really loved this book for all that it had and believe me, it's actually packed pretty full. There is so much going on in a little over three hundred pages that I ended up kind of shocked when it was all over. If there is one thing to caution you on, this book is irreverent and while that is part of its appeal, it also makes it feel a little on the flippant side sometimes. Things are resolved a little too quickly and though they make sense, there are aspects that the author could have made a point to concentrate on a little more. Also, I feel like I need to make a point to say that for a book called Vampire a Go-Go, there was very little to the vampire herself. I would have liked to see more of her character but it wasn't enough to really take away from the story as a whole in the end. Gischler did a great job keeping the pace and this book is well worth reading.

[zxvasdf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allen Cabbot, a skilled researcher, is sent to Prague as an assistant to the Professor Evergreen who professes to be studying Kafka. It wouldn't be a story if the Evergreen didn't have seemingly sinister intentions, with implications that sends Allen along for the ride of his life. Edward Kelley narrates from his place in the Prague castle and dutifully details Allen and Co's tribulations.

There are no linguistic pyrotechnics, plotting and characterization is relatively simple. Then why is Gischler's Go Go books compulsively readable? It is like a favorite B-movie where you know when the screams and the spurts will start flying, but it is still a pleasure to watch. You just slide through the narrative like warm butter.

For the most of the book, Gischler entertains with ambiguity. You are approached with several organizations with moral ambiguities that creates a difficulty determining which one is evil, if it is that at all. Furthermore, several characters exhibit the classic characteristics of a villain.

The wrench in the works is the vampire's background. I believe a bit more exposition in this would contribute more to the story, especially regarding the vampire's acquisition of knowledge of a certain talisman.

[Karma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was probably one of the few vampire books that I CAN'T call a cliche. I mean, how many times did a Priest with a machine try to kill Edward Cullen? My guess, would be never, but then again I never finished Breaking Dawn so I could be wrong.
I LOVED Edward Kelley, in the beginning but by the end, I kind of stopped liking him so much, I don't really have a reason why, but eh.
Zabel, who really wasn't even a major characer, so I dont know why I'm talking about him, reminded me of Magnus for NO REASON! I just started thinking of him as Magnus's evil twin or something, and could not get the Image of a rainbow haired Zabel out of my head.
But Aside from my love for some of the characters, I wouldn't say that I thought this book rocked my world. It was awesome, and it was nice to find a vampire book that wasn't like all the rest. And for that, I praise it :]

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vampire a Go-Go is a spoof or lampooning on all things supernatural: werewolves, vampires, witches, wizards, Harry Potter...and it all seemed perfectly normal (oh, yeah and ghosts and machine handling Jesuits). Victor Gischler writes in an easy manner with an easy flow. Since this is a stand alone work of fiction, the reader can enjoy the simplicity of the characters.

Vampire a Go-Go follows Allan Cabbot, a nerdy grad student sent to Prague to serve as a research assistant to Dr. Evergreen. Little did he know what he would be pulled into. The story is told by the ghost of Edward Kelley, an alchemist who served under Rudolopf II.

There's intrigue - relatable to The Lost Symbol and can you figure it out? did you see this happening.

This book may not be a classic in 100 years but it was definitly worth the fun read.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allen, in order to stay in school working on his Masters, is forced to take a summer job as Dr. Evergreen's research assistant. He goes to the Prague never realizing what he's getting into.

Before he's done, he gets involved with a vampire, a werewolf, witches, alchemists, wizards, and a squad of heavily armed Jesuit priests.

The story alternates between now and the sixteenth century where the narrator lived when he was alive. I forgot to mention the ghost.

Everyone's after the fabled Philosopher's Stone which did more than transform gold into lead. We're talking raising the dead. Immortality!
Lost for four hundred years.

Quite a fun novel.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, this book was so obviously written by a guy - he talks about hard-on's and makes the female characters talk in the way guys WANT them to rather than how we actually speak.

That being said, if you ignore the profanity that is liberally sprinkled throughout and the sexual references that are even more prevalent it's not a bad story - a vamp, zombies, ghosts, lycanthropes, witches, warlocks and more. Oh, and a completely normal guy tossed into the middle of it all trying to solve everything.

[Suzanne (Doppleganger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampire a Go-Go is a brilliant spoof of the search-for-ancient-treasure genre. It has all the necessary elements, an academic scholar who doesn't know what he's getting into, a Freemason splinter group, and a group of Vatican priests all searching for a lost treasure with mystical powers. That's the standard formula and Gischler screws with it by adding too much...vampires, werewolves, witches, golems, ghosts, alchemists, zombies, and probably more I've left out. The result is often corny, but an absolute riot to read.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

've been a Gischler fan since GUN MONKEYS and bought this right away assuming it was a sequel to GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE. It sat on the back burner for over a year--I liked GGG, but wasn't in the mood for a sf survivalist read. I always expect offbeat from Gischler, but wasn't expecting this historical supernatural thriller. I was not disappointed. Not as absurdly wacky as Christopher Moore, but it does have a dash of wackiness. The historical basis reminded me of Kostova's THE HISTORIAN. A better title might have brought a more appreciative readership to this book.

[Michael Hawk · Rating 2 out of 5]

To me, this book just really dragged compared to Gischler's other work. I found it really hard to get into and I finished I think just for the sake of finishing. I cared little for any of the characters and the big plot twists were pretty well telegraphed. There are some very interesting visuals created from priests with guns etc., but there is also a distinct lack of vampire action for a book with vampire in the title. If you like Victor, it's worth some time, but if you're new to him, start somewhere else.

[Natalien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adventure with Philosopher's Stone as a main theme!! Wrong cover, wrong title, misleading cover story - probably to attract more attention on the popular vampire hype, but I feel plainly lied to.

Anyway, story was fairly good if not overdone. There was some attempt at being funny which didn't work. Characters were being killed before they were fully developed.

I'd not recommend it, I just grabbed it from the library shelf for search of easy (it was) vampire novel (there was one vampire but she didn't want to be one).

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Victor Gischler is a hilarious writer- his books are offbeat, imaginative, and amusing. This book is about a lazy college student who gets shanghaied into a summer job in Prague working for a professor known to be difficult. The professor's wife is very pale and beautiful. In alternating sections of the book, our hero reaches Prague and starts meeting strange people. In the other sections, an alchemist from the late 1500's is involved in experiments for Emperor Rudolf. The plots come together, and our hero's experiences change him.

[Steve Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like a fast, funny, fantastic read, you NEED to grab some Gischler!

'Vampire' does for horror what 'Apocalypse' did for sci-fi: It grabs its genre and runs away laughing, having a hell of a blast the whole time. And it still delivers plenty of thrills and chills!

Gischler mostly does noirish crime, but this book and Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse show that he is one writer who shouldn't be pigeonholed... :)