Rabid Reader: Doc, Vampire-Hunting Dog

DOC, Vampire-Hunting Dog
Inkwolf Press
J.A. Campbell
*****
cover-I love this pic of the border collie, and that border collie stare. Check out the stake in his mouth though - wow. I love the cover.
There are lots of books written about vampires, humans, dogs and vampire hunters. There are many books written about dogs. There are so many books written from a vampire's point of view, and many written from a vampire hunter's point of view. But as far as I know, there is only one book written from the point of a view of a vampire hunter dog. Yep! that's right. Doc is a border collie who has a special skill - to hunt vampires...
When I say written from the dog's pov - it's really from the dog's pov - first person narrative. Campbell did a great job making the dog sound like a dog. Doc spoke in terms of dogs. Smells, his human, the obsessions that dogs can have - in Doc's example, that would be sheepherding. His human is so cool about it that he puts on the t.v. so Doc can watch sheepherding games. Have you ever come across your dog or cat seemingly transfixed on a t.v. show? I have. There are times when I wonder what the dog or cat (of the moment) is thinking when they are staring intently at the t.v.
Doc is a novella - and stems from an online storyline that J.A. Campbell gifted her early fans with. After a while, she took some of the stories down and reworked them into this version. There are still a few shorts available online for free reads.
Doc has a human that has been a bit sad lately. Their lives have recently changed. Doc's human has been going out at night and coming home tired. Almost by accident, Doc gets involved in his human's night-time activties. This is when they find out that Doc has this special talent with vampires. Things are going along, when as things do, The Shit Hits the Fan.
If you enjoy vampires and vampire hunters, and dogs - Hell, if you enjoy mix of all three then you're going to like this story. I enjoyed it a lot. As with all of her work, Campbell is able to instill a touch of horror, mystery and a bit of snark for a great mix. Her humor isn't overdone, either. You know how sometimes the snark seems to be trying a little too hard? you won't find that here. What you will find is a damn good story about dog who loves his human, and a human who loves his dog. The narrative is great - once you start reading it, you just want to go on reading. The dialog (which can be my pet peeve on any given book) is believable and fits the character. This means a lot to me - seriously a lot. There's some great action scenes - one part when I - and I'm a jaded 50-ish woman now, felt like tearing up for the DOG! I don't do that. Ever! well, hardly ever. :)

There's a satisfying end, and yet you know that it's really just the beginning....

Available from not only Amazon, but THE BOOK DEPOSITORY also! You can purchase this as an e-book or a print! Which is exciting for me, because I've been following Mz Campbell's work for a little while now, and have been able to watch her get published in the e-book world and now I can hold a print copy of her book IN MY HAND, with her name on the cover and all that jazz! I believe that I have just officially entered the geekdom of the book world, LOL
Other works by J.A. Campbell include
Into the West series (shorts for teens) a story told in six installments. I've read all six, and they're all very interesting, combined they make a hell of a story about a teen who experiences a bit of paranormal via time travel and meets her perfect man from the past...there's way more to it thatn that, outlaws, desert dangers, medicine man lore, first love, and horses. Everything you need to keep a young girl interested.