Doug is fifteen, fat, and a newly turned vampire. The book starts with a pilgrimage to the San Diego Comic Con. The nerd mecca of all comic conventions. Doug and his best friend Jay head to the con to find about about the latest comics, stare at the hot trekkie chics, and of course score some blood. Once they head back to their home town their friendship gets tested as Doug gains better control of his vampire powers and they both have a shot at romance.
The story goes back and forth between Doug’s story, the story the Vampire Hunters T.V. show, and the story of an Indian foreign exchange student. I love the book cover, the dialog, and the humor. What I didn’t love was everything else. There are several story lines going all at once, but none of the stories are fully developed. Some of the characters, like Victor and the other vampires are not at all fleshed out. They are so one demential it’s hard to understand why they do the things they do. The idea of “The Google” being a psychological disorder is brilliant, but underdeveloped. It could have been it’s own book but instead it’s a side story without resolution. I loath the ending. I understand that not every story can have a Disney ending, but if the end has to be sad there needs to be a reason for the sadness. I want a reason things had to be this way. In my mind Doug should get to be a regular, acne covered, slightly chunky comic book geek who learns a valuable lesson then gets the girl. I’m mad at this book and Adam Rex for writing the ending this way.
Even though the ending is upsetting and there are too many stories going on all at once, I liked the idea behind everything. The whole book was not for me, but teen guys might like it. There is a strong male perspective and the friendship between Jay and Doug reads true to the way guys relate to each other.
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