"The Smell of Death & A Taste of Blood" by Marie Krepps

BOOK TITLE: The Smell of Death & A Taste of Blood

AUTHOR: Marie Krepps

YEAR: 2016

GENRE: Fictional Short Stories

SUBGENRE: Vampire Fantasy

GRADE: Extra Credit

The origins of Lord Gerard and his vampire coven are covered in blood, tears, and shattered bones. Life is rarely easy to journey through and any hardships we survive will make us stronger. In the case of the coven, these vampire warriors are strong enough to wage war against their bigoted human brethren. All it takes is an animalistic bite and the sweet and lustful taste of vengeful blood. War has never been so heavenly or so delicious for these sadistic characters.

My favorite short story within this entire collection is the one that made me give this book a full five stars: “Trophy Wife”. All Morgan wanted to do was have a modeling career and a happy life. Instead she did what most women were goaded into doing in the 50’s and 60’s and married a handsome gentleman while doing household chores. The way the husband beat the crap out of Morgan and insulted her was heart-wrenching to me. Even though this part of the book is historical fiction, such mistreatment of women continues to happen in today’s world and the extent of how brutal male supremacy can be is disgusting. The female author of this story has no doubt experienced some kind of sexism in her life and now she’s the teacher of the lesson we all must learn. That lesson is to be kind to our women and show them respect. They won’t all turn out to be vampires like Morgan, but there are consequences for misogyny no matter who the victim is.

Another favorite story of mine that ripped my heart into a million pieces was “Fire Hair”. In this one, a redheaded village girl comes home from a hard day of field work and gets bullied and beaten by a group of other children. The worst part about the beatings is that they happen over and over again for the longest time. We are now in a generation where bullying has to be taken seriously due to the suicides and school shootings we keep hearing about in the news. This particular story highlights just how brutal it can be even though it’s historical fiction. It’s not just the physical beatings that wear children down; it’s the psychological torture and the building anxiety because of it. While going on a blood-splattering rampage is an illegal and dangerous way to solve the bullying crisis, I do commend Ms. Krepps for holding a mirror up to society and showing all of its ugliest features.

Every single one of these short stories deserves praise from even the toughest of critics. She has showing instead of telling down to a science and that is an admirable trait to have in an author. As a reader, you want to feel how badly those punches hurt, how tasty those kisses are, and how relaxing the sounds of nature are. Marie Krepps will take you to her most beautiful and deadliest places in her mind and won’t let you leave. The minute you read the first page, you’re her literary prisoner and your sentence will last until the final page. Your figurative prison sentence will be grueling. It will be heartbreaking. But most importantly, it will be a hell of a lot of fun!

If you want a book that mixes genres into a bundle of nerd heaven and leaves you wanting more, buy a copy of this short story collection. And after you’re done with this, buy another Marie Krepps book. And another. And another. Hell, it’s a lot like taking drugs: the more you have, the more you need. You will become a Marie Krepps book junkie after one read. I promise you that! Five stars for an awesome collection!

"Threads of a Web" by Marie Krepps

BOOK TITLE: Threads of a Web
AUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2016
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Vampire Sci-Fi & Urban Fantasy
GRADE: Pass


Ever since humans discovered the truth about vampires existing, the two races have been at war with each other for many centuries. The war continues into the modern era where government agents raid covens of vampires and drag them into the sunlight to be burned. And now the vampires are learning to stick together and fight back against those who want to commit genocide against their race. As the story progresses farther into the future, the secret war between humans and vampires becomes a triple threat battle royal with the inclusion of a mysterious alien race known only for killing everyone they see with no discrimination. Can the humans and vampires trust each other long enough to thwart this alien invasion or will they continue to spill each other’s blood and ensure complete genocide?

We all have an idea of what science-fiction, fantasy, and horror stories are supposed to be like. But what if you took the best elements from all three of those genres and combined them into one bloodthirsty, emotional narrative? Genre mixing has always been a fascination of mine and this story of vampires and aliens is a match made in heaven. Ms. Krepps isn’t combining these genres just to be cool. She still has a solid story beneath all of the geeky tropes. That story includes vampire/human romances, loyalty toward the great leaders, the value of friendship, and of course, ass-beatings. Lots and lots of ass-beatings. This story is both emotional and exciting on so many levels, which is why I believe it will please a wide variety of audiences instead of just one.

The cast of characters in this thrilling novel is also something that deserves high praise. The first of which we’re introduced to is Marla, a stripper with a no-nonsense attitude and a badass aura. Even when she comes face to face with the ultra-powerful vampire elder Mertuk, Marla toughs it out like the warrior she is. And then you have William, a young and handsome vampire who has a nasty habit of falling in love with beautiful women at the wrong times. And then there’s Morgan, a vigilante hacker with a supermodel body and less tolerance for bull-crap than Marla. I could go on and on naming all of the characters who come together for the sake of fighting off humans and aliens. So many cool characters, all of them with kick-ass intentions, stone cold emotions, and only a hint of romance when the tears truly count. No sparklers here.

In writing this novel, Marie Krepps isn’t just telling a story. She’s building an entire world of high action and emotional drama for all of these solid characters to live in. If you’re the kind of person with a fragile backbone and no guts, you wouldn’t survive ten minutes in this dangerous realm of blood hunger. This is the kind of danger audiences want in an action-packed novel. There will be no peace until complete annihilation has overtaken the entire world. Racial supremacy is a deadly way to look at life weather it’s vampires vs. humans or in today’s world with whites vs. blacks or Americans vs. Iraqis. The violence that takes place in this book not only makes for a fun ride, but it’s also realistic of how some scenarios are just zero sum games. What does the narrator from the Fallout videogame franchise like to say? War. War never changes.

Marie Krepps isn’t the kind of author who knocks at the door of opportunity. She smashes it down and brings an army of bloodlust-driven vampires with her. If she wants success in the literary world, she will get it one way or another. This woman represents the reality of an author’s life: tireless work and overcoming obstacles. If Threads of a Web is any indication of what she’s capable of, then Marie Krepps could very well be the role model Generation Y needs to move ahead. A passing grade for an A+ author. How does that sound?