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Contributors | November 10, 2009

Zachary Lazar: IMG Evening's Empire

0 comments By Zachary Lazar

Without knowing it, I'd always had two unspoken arrangements with the world. The first was that I would not trouble it with unpleasant conversation... Continue »
  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Evening's Empire: The Story of My Father's Murder

    Zachary Lazar

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats

by Mario Acevedo

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats Cover

ISBN13: 9780060833268
ISBN10: 0060833262
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The first and only vampire book to be declassified

by the federal government . . .

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier. He came back a vampire.

Now he finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue when an old friend prompts him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at the secret government facilities in Rocky Flats. He'll find out the cause of all these horny women or die trying! But first he must contend with shadowy government agents, Eastern European vampire hunters, and women who just want his body . . .

Skewering sexual myths, conspiracy fables, and government bureaucracy, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats reveals the bizarre world of the undead with a humorous slant and a fresh twist.

Review:

"This debut novel succeeds largely because Acevedo gleefully acknowledges that it takes a lot to make a vampire story interesting anymore. PI Felix Gomez, an ex-soldier who became a vampire while serving in Iraq, uses his supernatural powers to solve mysteries that befuddle mere mortals. When a friend in the Department of Energy asks him to look into an outbreak of nymphomania among female guards at a plutonium processing plant in Colorado, things get really weird: hypnotized personnel talk cryptically about Roswell and something called Project Redlight, trained assassins start decimating the local vampire community and an amorous dryad shows up to assist in the detective work. As though this weren't enough, Felix refuses to drink human blood, an ethical stand that attenuates his uncanny powers and results in intriguing plot complications. Not everything adds up by the book's dizzying finale, but most readers will be too charmed by the crisp style to notice the loose ends. Acevedo doesn't add anything new to the modern vampire tale, but he has a lot of fun sounding its bells and whistles." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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About the Author

Mario Acevedo is the bestselling author of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Bloodsuckers, and The Undead Kama Sutra. A former infantry and aviation officer, engineer, and art teacher to incarcerated felons, he lives and writes in Denver, Colorado.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
olivasdan, April 15, 2006 (view all comments by olivasdan)
Sex, War and Chicano Vampires
Review by Daniel Olivas

In his debut novel, Mario Acevedo lets us know early on that his protagonist, Felix Gomez, is nothing like your father's private investigator: "I don't like what Operation Iraqi Freedom has done to me. I went to the war a soldier; I came back a vampire."

We're immediately thrown into the hell of war as we follow then-Sergeant Gomez and his infantry division, "still ass-deep in combat along the Euphrates valley," searching out fedayeen guerrillas in a village south of Karbala. Gomez spots a group of what he believes to be the enemy apparently armed with RPGs or other weapons. Based on his confirmation, the division's lieutenant gives the signal to open fire and they do. When the lieutenant orders cease fire, Gomez's "heart pounded in euphoric victory" and he acknowledges that the "moment was exhilarating...." But the thrill quickly dissipates as Gomez and his comrades discover that they've just massacred a family. Only a young girl shows signs of life and Gomez tries to stop the bleeding from a hole near her navel. But it's hopeless.

In a guilty daze, Gomez wanders until he comes upon a stranger with eyes that shone like a wolf's; the man immediately controls Gomez with nothing more than his gaze. Gomez confesses about what he has done and that he wants to be punished for his crime. The stranger obliges and bites Gomez on the neck. Gomez feels the transformation occurring and asks what's happened. The stranger answers: "...I've given you what you wanted. A punishment even worse than death. I've given you immortality. As a vampire."

Back in the states, Gomez makes a living as a private investigator using special contact lenses and plenty of makeup and sunblock to venture out in the daylight. Gomez is a vampire with a conscience: he refuses to drink human blood because of his guilt over the massacre. He makes due on animal blood which slightly diminishes some of his vampire powers such as scaling walls and transforming into a wolf. But even in this weakened state, Gomez still outpaces humans with supernatural powers so that his private investigation practice becomes almost legendary.

Gomez's successes lead to a lucrative job offered by his old college roommate, Gilbert Odin, who now is the Assistant Manager for Environmental Restoration at Rocky Flats, which had been a nuclear weapons plant. It seems that the Department of Energy needs to uncover the cause of an outbreak of nymphomania among female personnel at the plant. To complicate matters, the vampire society known as nidus, or the web, has its own investigation going into a deadly group of vampire hunters who seem to show up every time there's an outbreak of nymphomania. This setup allows Acevedo to take us on a wild ride-often with a wink and a nod-delving into everything from lying war mongers and vengeful scientists to Homeland Security cover-ups and alien abduction.

And let's not forget that vampire stuff. Acevedo gleefully debunks vampire lore and creates new rules of the game with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. In the end, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats delivers fast-paced fun topped off with wry humor and dead-on social commentary. One wonders who will play Felix Gomez in the screen adaptation. [This review first appeared in La Bloga.]
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780060833268
Author:
Acevedo, Mario
Publisher:
Rayo
Author:
by Mario Acevedo
Subject:
General
Subject:
Humorous
Subject:
Vampires
Subject:
Nymphomania
Subject:
Horror - General
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Humorous fiction
Subject:
Suspense fiction
Copyright:
2006
Publication Date:
March 2006
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
354
Dimensions:
8.00x5.90x.85 in. .61 lbs.
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