Synopses & Reviews
She lives.
Miriam Blaylock's insatiable hunger has never ceased. Her incomparable beauty has made her a legend among the Keepers. Her many lovers have come and gone, crumbling into ash and nothingness. She knows the secrets of civilization, and the mysteries of life. In the hollow soul of her mother she has witnessed the agony of undeath.
For centuries she has gained the wisdom of God and the wit of the Devil. For centuries she has traveled the world undetected. For centuries she has felt safe. Until now.
For Miriam Blaylock, immortality is a thing of the past.
He watches.
Vampires. Interpol agent Paul Ward knows of them: he has battled and cleansed continents of their exquisite poison. He orchestrated the extermination of an ancient lair in Bangkok, obtained their sacred Book of Names, and knows where they hide and when they feast. He knows their weaknesses. And what's more, he knows his own...it's Miriam Blaylock. Elusive and toxic, she has escaped his complex network of hunters for years. Seductive and cunning, she has become his obsession.
And now each has set a trap for the other.
Now, predator is about to become prey. Killer to become lover. Good and evil will become inexorably entwined. The endgame begins for the last vampire.
The eternal heroine of Whitley Strieber's classic novel The Hunger, Miriam Blaylock returns in The Last Vampire -- a new tale of stunning invention and mounting suspense that goes as deep into the dark as a nightmare.
Review
"The novel's first two-thirds offers a tour de force of mythmaking (as Strieber redefines the world through vampiric eyes) and emotionally intense action....The last third, set in Manhattan, is less successful, as Miriam, intent on destroying Paul, lures and seduces him and then falls in love, as does he with her. This turn doesn't quite convince, and the contrived ending shrieks sequel. There's much here to admire, not least Strieber's expert modulation of tone and dialogue as POV shifts from Miriam (fluid, refined) to Paul (muscular, slangy). While not as original as its parent, this bloody, lush and gripping novel trumpets a welcome return to fiction by Strieber and could win award nominations." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Unfortunately, the plot wrinkles once too often, for Miriam falls for her nemesis, CIA man Paul Ward. Strieber's prose degenerates when things wax romantic, and Paul and Miriam, hitherto pretty canny, become dolts when their horns pop up. Strieber's continuation of his early hit The Hunger is a rancid book that seems motivated by money, especially movie money (it is due to be filmed), rather than its author's enthusiasm." Booklist
Review
"While The Hunger was well written and had a dark, erotic quality, its sequel reads like a hastily conceived first draft, filled with awkward phrasings and ridiculous plot lines." Library Journal
Review
"The CIA is sweeping the planet clean and out to kill The Last Vampire in this flowing, sexy, intellectually rousing sequel to The Hunger....A deliriously meaty cultural anthropology, sickening and delicious." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Whitley Strieber has done more than recapture the magic that made him a modern master of horror literature he has surpassed himself. This is a wonderfully imaginative book, one that defies the reader to put it down." Peter Straub, author of Ghost Story and co-author of Black House
About the Author
Whitley Strieber is the #1 bestselling author of the landmark horror novels The Hunger and The Wolfen, and the million-copy bestsellers Communion, Transformation, and Confirmation. He is the coauthor, with radio talk-show host Art Bell, of the New York Times bestseller The Coming Global Superstorm, published by Pocket Books. The Last Vampire is currently being optioned as a major motion picture. Visit www.lastvampire.com and www.whitleysworld.com.