Mundania Press / May 2009
Reviewed by: Derek Clendening
Sometimes vampires are closer than you think; and, if you live across the Atlantic on the British Isle, you might find London’s theatre district swarming with them. In Enter Death, Stage Right, author William Veselik picks up right where he left off in Corpses so Lively: My Soul to Take. Professor Alfred Rhys Smythe, who has recently returned home after several years abroad to take a teaching job, is faced by a London vampire panic. At the end of My Soul to Take and the beginning of Enter Death, Stage Right, Smythe tends to his mother who has been attacked by vampires.
Any fan of Christopher Lee will find an immediate resemblance to the old Hammer film style in the novel. This is the type of vampire/horror fan that the novel will appeal to the most. Veselik also generates some appeal for the more casual vampire fan, who may enjoy the unconventional setting and the different light in which he casts his bloodsuckers. If you’re tired of the purely romantic vampire novels on the drug store rack, this might be a breath of fresh air. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and L.A. Banks, however, might find themselves disappointed, as will purveyors of the purely gothic vampire and Twilight groupies. Fans of traditional vampires – and all the stakes, mallets, and crucifixes that accompany them – should be pleasantly surprised.
If you plan to pick up Enter Death, Stage Right, you are well advised to pick up the first novel in Veselik's planned trilogy and read it first. While the second novel starts off fast and strong, it doesn’t strike this reader as a standalone novel — potentially problematic for the impulse buyer. As mentioned, if you’re a fan of the traditional vampire, this book is perfect for you. But those who crave a more imaginative vampiric vision should be warned that the novel offers nothing resembling groundbreaking. The writing and storytelling are passable, but neither is of the caliber that will grab you, hold your rapt attention, and make you beg for more. This is generally forgivable, but this reviewer didn’t find himself terribly inspired by the novel.
If you’ve enjoyed the first two novels, a third and final installment is forthcoming from Mundania Press.
Purchase Enter Death, Stage Right by William Veselik.