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Robert McCammon
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They Thirst Hardcover – January 1, 1991

by Robert R. McCammon (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,863 ratings
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Prince Vulcan and an army of vampires invade the city of Los Angeles, the first step in a plan to conquer the world
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    412 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dark Harvest Books
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1991
  5. ISBN-10
    0913165603
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0913165607
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prince Vulkan, master of the vampires, has loosed his army of the undead on Los Angeles in this seamlessly written horror novel by the author of Mine. Vulkan's plan is to replace humankind, city by city, with the living dead. Four people stand in his way. Homicide detective Andy Palatazin, a Hungarian immigrant who fled this scourge as a child, is determined to stop it now. Young Tommy Chandler, whose parents were killed before his eyes, wants revenge. TV star Wes Richer hopes to save his beloved by tracking Vulkan to his lair. Father Silvera, a dying priest, believes that God has chosen him to destroy the vampire prince. Wreaking death and carnage, Vulkan proceeds to a final confrontation between the forces of good and evil. McCammon delivers terror with skillful ferocity as he pays tribute to masters of the genre and raises the standards for the craft a notch or two.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

First hardcover edition of an early (1981) mass-market paperback by the increasingly popular and accomplished McCammon (see Boy's Life, reviewed above). An epic tale of an army of vampires bent on world dominion, the adrenalized, splatter-happy narrative, set in Los Angeles, reflects McCammon's pulp-horror roots even as, in its richness of character and subplot, it presages his latter work (and the influence of Stephen King). Suspenseful, exciting, and visceral--Prince Vulkan of the vampires makes a particularly nasty impression--and a treat for new-found McCammon fans. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Harvest Books (January 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 412 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0913165603
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0913165607
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,863 ratings

About the authors

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Previous page
  1. Robert McCammon

    Robert McCammon

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including the award-winning BOY'S LIFE and SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD. There are more than four million copies of his books in print. His latest novel, THE KING OF SHADOWS, is the eighth book in the Matthew Corbett series.

    He recently completed the ninth book, SEVEN SHADES OF EVIL, which is expected to be published in 2023.

    Visit his websites: www.robertmccammon.com and www.matthewcorbettsworld.com

    See more on the author's page
  2. Robert R. McCammon

    Robert R. McCammon

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including the award-winning BOY'S LIFE and SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD. There are more than four million copies of his books in print. His 2018 novel, THE LISTENER, is set in the 1930s and is available now from Cemetery Dance Publications.

    His newest novel, CARDINAL BLACK, was published by Cemetery Dance in 2019. It is the seventh novel in the Matthew Corbett series, which started with SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD.

    Mr. McCammon is currently writing THE KING OF SHADOWS, the eighth novel in the Matthew Corbett series.

    Visit his websites: www.robertmccammon.com and www.matthewcorbettsworld.com

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,863 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

OpinionatedLady
5.0 out of 5 stars Why isn't this a miniseries?
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
I know McCammon considers this to be a less well-written book than his later tales. However, it is still completely engrossing, with well-rounded and realistic characterizations, a suspenseful plot, and a satisfying end. I only came across this amazing author a few years ago, and in my opinion, he is the master of horror stories, bar none.
2 people found this helpful
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Jesse Miller
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2023
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This was a well done book and I really enjoyed the build up of the vamps taking over LA. However, I felt like the ending was rushed:/
4 people found this helpful
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Clarice Marchman-Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Cheesy title for an awesome novel
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2013
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Don't let the cheesy title fool you, this is a worthy addition to the vampire canon. Exceptionally well-written with complex, well-drawn characters and vivid descriptions of settings and action. The Vampire King decides to take over modern (1981) Los Angeles by "turning" every single resident and creating a Vampire Army. This is almost like a period piece since it was written in the early 80's and the descriptions of the culture of that place (LA) and time are a distinctive part of the story. A nostalgic walk down memory lane for me - minus the vampires, of course.

The vampires in this story lose every ounce of their humanity when they turn. They do remember their past, but do not have any compassion or empathy for humanity. They see humans only as food or recruits and they are ruthless. I really liked the back story of the "Vampire King". It added an interesting new element to the vampire legend but had a very "old school" feel. I have to admit that I did find the "headmaster" plot line a little cheesy, but it was brief and was at least the vehicle that added a very interesting twist to the overall story - a twist that prevents humans from having the traditional period of safety when the sun is up.

The pacing was perfect - starting slowly with seemingly unconnected eerie events and introducing seemingly unconnected characters. The pace begins to accelerate exponentially as events and characters begin to weave together, and LA is unavoidably hurtling full-speed to inevitable destruction.

Is there a happy ending? Does humanity persevere over impossible odds? You'll have to read the book to find out.
7 people found this helpful
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Jeremiah
3.0 out of 5 stars Largely good, but could have been better
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015
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They Thirst
by
Robert McCammon

I read Swan Song, another book by McCammon, about 25 years ago and loved it. When I saw this pop up on BookGorilla for just a few bucks, I snatched it up.

I haven't read many of the modern vampire tales, but I've read some of the older stuff ... Dracula, Salem's Lot, The Keep ... what people might consider "classic" in style and/or content.

They Thirst didn't disappoint in that regard. The feel of it was reminiscent of Stephen King and Salem's Lot. Contemporary people in a somewhat realistic setting affected by the supernatural with undertones of old school vampire lore.

My opinion is that the novel was too wordy. If I were editing, I would have chopped quite a bit out. It made for periods when I wasn't enthusiastic about the reading and skimmed through some paragraphs. But, it was other wise a good novel, and I would have gone 4-Star through most of it.

Overall, I think that fans of classic vampire stories will enjoy the book.

But, I'll tell you why I bumped it down...

SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT

I'm really not a fan of using Deus ex machina to tie up loose ends. So the end of the book fell flat for me. There were some individual characters that found resolution outside of that, but most of the plot was wrapped up by something extraordinary.
2 people found this helpful
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connal bain
5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Vampire Armageddon Novel
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2016
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They Thirst was the novel that marked the maturity of McCammon's scope as a novelist. With his three previous novels, he inched closer and closer to the greatness and national acclaim he would eventually achieve with Swan's Song. But with this novel, he finally made his mark as a horror novelist to be reckoned with.

They thirst is a grand, apocalyptic novel of a vampire plague that threatens to decimate Los Angeles, and McCammon deftly handles multiple characters caught in the blood-sucking maelstrom. The early parts of the novel present a highly plausible version of how a vampire colony could begin in a city such as LA, the city of angels, the city of lights, the city of both reason and freakish insanity. The police are slow to believe that anything supernatural could be taking place as cemeteries are desecrated in the most startling way, bodies are found in a mysterious state of near-death, and an inner-city barrio is besieged. Plausible explanations such as a group of satanists, escalating Latino gang warfare, and just the every-day weirdness of LA life are offered.

But one cop, an immigrant from Hungary who, as a child, experienced the horrors of a vampire attack on his small village, suspects something much darker in play. He, along with an investigative reporter for an exploitation newspaper, an up-and-coming comedian with a girlfriend who is a practitioner of vodun, and a young child schooled in the horror films Hollywood itself produced are all that stands between the survival of the human race and a dark new age of the vampire.

McCammon's vampires are not the urbane figures from Stoker and Le Fanu; rather, they are savage, deviant, and oh so thirsty. Imagine Dawn of the Dead, but with Vampires, and you have an idea of what this novel holds in its pages. After a gradual build-up, LA finds itself buried in the most massive sandstorm ever to hit the modern world, a sandstorm brought about by the dark forces of the vampire master. McCammon presents a terrifying vision of LA as hit by an apocalypse of biblical proportions and only a brave few stand between humanity and its extinction.

To say that this novel is gripping would be an understatement. This book demands to be read in one stay-up-all-night-and-call-in-sick-to-work session. Yes, it's that good.
44 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Lucas Szilvia
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2023
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It was a real page turner. As a native Hungarian speaker, the random “Hungarianisms” made me cringe every once in a while but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the old school horror movie vibe.
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Guy E. Moosburger
5.0 out of 5 stars Been looking for this book over the years.
Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I read that the author felt that a few of his books were not worthy to be republished. I glad he changed his mind. The book is fantastic. It's been 30 years since I read it and I love it but what's different now is that I have a few hundred books under my belt and can appreciate the work that goes into writing and the time he did write it - no cells phones and Much Music was still very much a thing - the 80s.
One person found this helpful
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bill
4.0 out of 5 stars Vampire story
Reviewed in Germany on September 5, 2013
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New Twist in the numerous books about Vampires, interesting Story, Sometimes a Little far fetcht, but aren't all Vamp stories have a good fast read
One person found this helpful
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spider queen
4.0 out of 5 stars before its time
Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I must have read this when it first came out, because, you know: vampires eh

But all these years later, what a treat to find it again. Good plot, well written, interesting characters--including the Master, which often is not the case. I'd recommend it to fans of this genre.

And, ahem, I'd like to much more about the Headmaster, please and thanks.
One person found this helpful
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Wayne
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
But not as good as some of his books, Sean song still takes some beating, but still worth a read.
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