Knuckle Supper by Drew Stepek

Vampire fiction has always been a tough sell for me because I often feel that the authors who pen these novels fail to realize the potential for horror such stories can unleash, and instead often follow the more mundane path that has been established over the last hundred years, a path that started out frightening but has since grown pretty stale. A part of this problem is the sense that one has to follow the rigid ‘rules’ of vampire fiction, rules that many people falsely believe have always been in place (most of them were in fact created by filmmakers in the early days of movie making). If done correctly these rules can help create a fun vampire story, but most of the time their use simply creates a sense of ‘same story, different cover’ feel. Another problem is the horrible ‘vampires are romantic’ trend that has spilled upon the horror market. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with romance authors using vampires in their bodice-rippers, but when publishers hijack the horror section to sell them and constantly stuff our shelves full of mislabeled stories, then I have an issue. Because of this I often steer clear of vampire fiction, which then prevents me from reading really good vampire stories. Knuckle Supper by Drew Stepek would probably have been one of these unfortunate victims, but thankfully the publisher of the book seemed to feel this was the type of story I would enjoy and sent along a copy. They were right.

Knuckle Supper is the story of a heroin addicted vampire named RJ who leads one of the vampire gangs in Los Angles, a city that is home to several different vampire gangs and their drug addicted creatures. Like most vampires, these creatures need blood to survive, but not just because it is a fluid their body craves, but because blood also acts as the vessel for the drugs they require. In fact, like most addicts, the drug addiction supersedes everything in their life, food included, which is why the vampire RJ and his partner Dez are constantly trying to subdue living victims, victims whose bloodstreams are needed to mix together the heroin they desire. Once the addiction is satisfied, the vampires then butcher the bodies for food, but only after their use as a source for drugs in complete. It is during one of these ‘hunt for living victims’ rituals that RJ meets Bait, a twelve year old prostitute who was supposed to be a victim after her pimp was all used up. Rather than kill her, however, RJ becomes fascinated by her and allows her to live with him, her payment being the men she will lead back to the lair for RJ and Dez. Other vampires aren’t so keen on this situation, however, especially Dez, and soon it creates a terrible rift in the gang, one which threatens to spill over into the entire vampire community. On top of that there is rumor of a mysterious group that is laying waste to the vampire gangs, one that seems well funded and may have religious ties, one that will profit from the distraction Bait is creating as they try to rid the city of the vampires. Will RJ and his newfound friend be able to survive all the turmoil that is unfolding, or will they just become two more ‘soon to be forgotten’ victims of the unforgiving world they live in? Even more, will the vampire creatures themselves be able to survive the disgusting truth behind their creation, a creation many have been curious about but haven’t been able to uncover. Only time will tell.

My reluctance to purchase vampire books for fear that it will be another ‘same story, different cover’ experience, or worse, a mislabeled romance novel, has made it difficult for me to recommend vampire books for those wanting something new. Knuckle Supper, however, may have lit the spark that was needed in pursuing such tales because it once again made me realize how much I actually enjoy reading vampire novels, especially ones that break the stereotypical mold of the vampire, yet still have creatures that can legitimately be called vampires (a very fine line that many authors can’t balance themselves upon). That said I must warn readers that this novel doesn’t hold back, and while many fans of vampire fiction may be accustomed to the gruesome nature of such horror stories, they may not be used to the brutally honest inner city street life that is displayed upon these pages. Nothing is left to the imagination with this one, and for some it may be too much to handle, especially given the realization that without the vampire elements this story could easily be one of many true life tales of drug addicted adults and the gritty landscapes they call home, landscapes that many choose to turn a blind eye too everyday as they go about their lives.