A review by imaginary_space
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

🦇🦇🦇🦇 4/5 underground-dwelling vampires

"He gets away with it because he's strong."
"This is the story of mankind."
"I thought you were going to be a priest at one point."
"Yes. But then I read the newspaper."

I love a good vampire horror, and Christopher Buehlman delivered. I wasn't sure if I was going to give it 3 or 4 stars until the end, which pushed it firmly to 4 stars. 

There's a lot to like about this book:

  • The whole world-building around the vampires, how they work as a species, and (how they live in) the tunnels creates a great atmosphere from the start.
  • The characters are very flawed and lovable
  • Cvetko.
  • Unreliable narrator.
  • The creepy kids are creepy and cute.
  • The stakes are there and very real.
  • The beautiful scenes of real horror and tragedy in between, I absolutely loved them.
  • The ending really elevates the story.

Why I didn't give it 5 stars:

  • Even though I liked the ending, it felt a little like the author
    wasn't sure which ending would be best received by his audience and decided to offer all of them instead, putting the responsibility of whether you liked it or not on the reader.
    .
  • I wasn't able to make a strong emotional connection with the narrator, which may be different if I read it again in the future.
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