Already Dead

By: Charlie Huston

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

From the Battery to the Bronx, Manhattan is crawling with Vampyres. Joe Pitt is one of them, and he's not happy about it. Yeah, he gets to be tough as nails and hard to kill. But spending his nights trying to score a pint of blood to feed the Vyrus that's eating at him isn't his idea of a good time.

Now some fool who got himself infected with a flesh-eating bacteria is lurching around, trying to munch on folks' brains. Joe hates shamblers, but he's still the one who has to deal with them. It ain't easy going his own way, refusing to ally with the Clans that run the undead underside of Manhattan.

But it's worse once he gets mixed up with the Coalition and finds himself searching for a little rich girl who's gone missing. Now anarchist Vampyres are pushing him around, a crazy cult is stalking him, and Joe's got to find that girl and kill that shambler before the sun comes up.

©2005 Charles Huston (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An irresistible and fiendishly original take on the vampire myth....Huston has fun playing with the conventions of the genre, creating his own hip update that will appeal to fans of Quentin Tarantino and Buffy the Vampire Slayer alike." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great story

I really enjoyed this book. The performer did a fine job. Having read the book years ago I thoroughly enjoyed having it read to me.

Vampire Noir

What did you love best about Already Dead?

I really liked the dark and gritty feel of this book. It had an attitude like a '40s detective story, but set in modern times. Unlike many modern vampire stories, this one does not revolve around cliched sexuality. Instead, it paints the picture of an underground where power players (both natural and unnatural) bend the life of a cynical lone operator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Joe, was my favorite. I really enjoyed the portrayal of him as the reluctant good guy, someone almost mad at himself for not aligning with the more sinister elements.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I'm not normally a big Scott Brick fan, but his work on this book is genius. He portrays each character so perfectly that I can easily visualize whoever he is voicing at the time. And his style in this book is appropriately hard nosed.

Love this series

It probably feels a bit dated in the slang or scenery now but I loved this series when it came out and recently wanted to enjoy it again. It’s still a great horror-noir thrill ride.

I am glad I took the chance!

After reading several reviews, I decided to purchase this audiobook. I didn't want to turn the story off to go to sleep, nor turn it off to go to work! I was hooked! This book is gritty, and if you are offended by swear words or sometimes gruesome details, this book may not be one that you want to pick. However, I am quite satisfied with my purchase, and have purchased the second book in the series, No Dominion. This book is a classic "whodunnit" and you are lead along with the main character through the plot twists. This story had me emotionally involved. I had almost given up on the vampire genre, the books all seemed to rehash to same plot. I was very pleasantly suprised, especially since the narrator is by no means my favorite, although I do admit he does this book justice. I can't wait to see how the main characters develop in the second story! Purchase this one, you will enjoy!

Finally!

Finally a book I could "sink my teeth" into. Pun definitely intended! A lot of books have great reviews and a lot of recognition, but this one actually lives up to the limited hype it has received. Great character development (I actually "know" this guy!), excellent dialogue, captivating storyline, and the fact that the backdrop is New York City makes this book a winner. I'm not sure how well known the author is, but don't be afraid to give this book a listen. This is one author who should be on everyone's radar. I've already downloaded the second installment, 'No Dominion', and it is just as good as this one.

original

Some of the best vampire stories I've heard in a long time.

Overall, not a bad book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. The story is pretty good. It gives yet another twist to the classic vampire tale and one that could actually be plausable in this day and age

Which scene was your favorite?

I think it would be right at the end when Joe is in the school basement. to say anymore would give away part of the story.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Sure, I would love to see who would play Joe Pitt

Any additional comments?

The series itself is pretty good. The last two were a little tough to get through, but I think that had to do with me really wanting there to be a happy ending with Joe and Evie. Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators and he does not disappoint on these books. I would give them a listen, if for nothing else than to learn some slang, hear a white guy try to sound black and have a good chuckle at the sarcasim that is throwm around in the series.

Guilty Pleasure

I like vampire books, movies, and television shows. This writer has found a whole new take on the generic field. He's deftly avoided the ho-hum traps laid by pop culture, and made an anti-hero without the sad face and angst of Angel. He even threw a plug in for The Hunger (1983). Charlie Huston came up with a tale that is part vampire and part 1940's detective novel. If you are looking for real 'Literature ' best pass this one by, but if you want. a read that will entertain you, this one is fun.

Finally a Non Girly Vampire Story!

So many of the Vampire stories out there are romantic trash. For the non romanticist this story delivers. Lot's of action and a plausible Vampire world.

Scott Brick (Narrator) does an especially good job of narrating this story.

I couldn't put it down and found it unpredictable and engrossing.

Accents

So I have actually read this book in the real, decided to go ahead and listen to it now that I have audible and it's a great story good characters very nor detective. Only problem I had is the voice actors accent he used for every single different character was exactly the same hand hard to keep track of.