Book Review: Amish Vampires in Space by Kerry Nietz

Title: Amish Vampires in Space

Author: Kerry Nietz

Publisher: Freeheads

Publication date: January, 2014

Softcover: 490 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone

How I got this book: Galley from the author.



Why I chose this book: I was very interested in what this book had to offer.  Obviously the title catches your attention, but the synopsis does so even more.  I knew I had to read this book and see what was in store for me.

Synopsis: 

Jebediah has a secret that will change his world forever and send his people into space. 

The Amish world of Alabaster calls upon an ancient promise to escape destruction. Then end up on a cargo ship bound for the stars. 

But they are not the only cargo on board. Some of it is alive…or used to be. 

Now, with vampires taking over and closing in on the Amish refugees, these simple believers must decide whether their faith depends upon their honored traditions or something even older.

Review:

I wasn’t expecting too much going into this book.  I wanted to have my head clear to give this book the chance to prove itself.  And it did, plus much, much more.  I want to say that I was even pleasantly surprised.  With a title and synopsis like this book possesses, it was expected that the book would get a little absurd at times.  How could it not?  However, I found that this book was both sincere as well as entirely plausible.

This book may have started as a big joke, but it’s turned into a story that carries a lot of weight.  The plotting throughout this book was brilliant, as well as excellently paced.  I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, without being left on the hook for so long that I got bored and no longer cared.  I didn’t think that all these variables – Amish, Vampires, Space  – could fit together so well.  But they did.

I also want to make a point to say that the characterization done throughout the book was very good.  I find characterization to be just as important, sometimes even moreso than plot.  I want to love the characters, root for them, or at the very least understand them.  And I got all of that here.  I understood who my characters were, I could see them clearly, and I knew why they made the choices they made.

Overall, an excellent read, especially for lovers of the sci-fi genre.