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Out for Blood
Young Chris Callaway finds escape from the diagnosis of his terminal illness in the company of vampires, but he soon discovers that "life" among the undead holds its own set of terrors
313 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1991
About the author
John Peyton Cooke
17 books31 followersAuthor of several novels and short stories of crime, suspense, horror, and dark fantasy. I have tried in my work to bring gay characters and a gay perspective to my favorite genres of popular fiction. Please check out my books and let me know what you think.
I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. My novels include TORSOS, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER, HAVEN, OUT FOR BLOOD, THE LAKE, THE RAPE OF GANYMEDE, and THE FALL OF LUCIFER. My short story "After You've Gone" was selected for BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2003. I've also published short fiction in Christopher Street, Weird Tales, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, VOL. 4. My first 10 published tales are collected in AFTER YOU'VE GONE AND OTHER OUTRE TALES. I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband and our whippet Oliver.
I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. My novels include TORSOS, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER, HAVEN, OUT FOR BLOOD, THE LAKE, THE RAPE OF GANYMEDE, and THE FALL OF LUCIFER. My short story "After You've Gone" was selected for BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2003. I've also published short fiction in Christopher Street, Weird Tales, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, VOL. 4. My first 10 published tales are collected in AFTER YOU'VE GONE AND OTHER OUTRE TALES. I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband and our whippet Oliver.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 2, 2024
If you went to great clubs in small towns in the early '90s this book will feel like a walk down memory lane. Also, if you were a gay vampire it'll bring back a lot of memories, too.
December 16, 2019
I've finished recording my narration for Out For Blood! This book is by far one of my favorite takes on vampires. It was an honor to be the one to bring it to life with my voice. I really hope more people will discover this awesome vampire novel.
April 3, 2021
Bad bad bad. The writing is boring in style and narrative. There’s no friction in the story. MC trusts every person he meets with no hesitation and it’s always fine because they all have the personalities of a benign suburban parent or a fifth grade teacher. Every character sounds exactly the same, except for the one who’s black because the author tries to write his dialogue in AAVE, which is offputting because it’s not realistic and there’s also tons of casual racist commentary by the narrator (who insists every time it comes up that he’s not racist) throughout the book.
There’s an extended scene where the MC lures home a girl at a bar to drink her blood and their conversation starts when she’s like “Hey do you have any drugs? I want to fuck and get high!” And MC says “Yeah I’ve got some drugs at home.” And then at his house the girls like “Where all the drugs?” And the MCs like “I keep all my drugs in this back room.” Can you say what KIND of drugs please??? Nobody talks like this. Nobody comes onto a stranger at a bar at then follows them home at the promise of unspecified drugs without even bothering to ask what kind they are.
The author also has a tendency to describe how the MC is reacting emotionally to something, and 30 pages later the MC in his narration say essentially “I’ve always had a tendency to feel X, which is why 30 pages ago when Y happened, I reacted in Z way, just like now.” The author is incapable of manifesting a characters personality in a compelling way, so he just has every character describe their own personality like a therapist would do of their client.
There’s an extended scene where the MC lures home a girl at a bar to drink her blood and their conversation starts when she’s like “Hey do you have any drugs? I want to fuck and get high!” And MC says “Yeah I’ve got some drugs at home.” And then at his house the girls like “Where all the drugs?” And the MCs like “I keep all my drugs in this back room.” Can you say what KIND of drugs please??? Nobody talks like this. Nobody comes onto a stranger at a bar at then follows them home at the promise of unspecified drugs without even bothering to ask what kind they are.
The author also has a tendency to describe how the MC is reacting emotionally to something, and 30 pages later the MC in his narration say essentially “I’ve always had a tendency to feel X, which is why 30 pages ago when Y happened, I reacted in Z way, just like now.” The author is incapable of manifesting a characters personality in a compelling way, so he just has every character describe their own personality like a therapist would do of their client.
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August 28, 2013This is the 2013 reissue of my 1991 vampire novel. It has long been featured on the Lambda Sci-Fi Recommended Reading List (http://www.lambdascifi.org/books/reco...)
November 22, 2007
One of those rare books were the vampires are the good guys.I also loved the humour in the book as well as the plot that had someone hunting vampires to drink their blood in a bid to stay young. It was a nice twist on the vampire myth.
July 27, 2023
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Chris was going to die. No chance to survive his illness, no future to hope for. So when a lovely vampire showed up on his doorstep, he gave his consent near immediately. Not realizing that what seems to be too good to be true, might, at the very least, have extra clauses he should’ve asked about… But then again, what could be worse than the fate he was destined to?
My Opinion: A slow-paced tale of vampires and their issues, with story-time retelling of events that lead to present. Felt like Anne Rice if Anne Rice was classic Russian author. Whether that’s good or bad is a matter of taste though. Characters are okay, with Chris being exceptionally lacking in personality. Story wasn’t mind blowing, but not all books have to be. Overall, I enjoyed it.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Chris was going to die. No chance to survive his illness, no future to hope for. So when a lovely vampire showed up on his doorstep, he gave his consent near immediately. Not realizing that what seems to be too good to be true, might, at the very least, have extra clauses he should’ve asked about… But then again, what could be worse than the fate he was destined to?
My Opinion: A slow-paced tale of vampires and their issues, with story-time retelling of events that lead to present. Felt like Anne Rice if Anne Rice was classic Russian author. Whether that’s good or bad is a matter of taste though. Characters are okay, with Chris being exceptionally lacking in personality. Story wasn’t mind blowing, but not all books have to be. Overall, I enjoyed it.
April 20, 2020
A fun and pretty unique vampire novel, Out For Blood is about a young man in his twenties who gets the opportunity to become a vampire after being diagnosed with Leukemia. Already a fan of vampires and vampiric lore, he jumps at the chance—but finds being a “creature of the night” isn’t exactly what he was expecting.
What I loved most about this book is Chris, our main character, feels realistic. He’s awkward and sarcastic and just wants to live, to be happy. He has trouble learning the ropes of being a vampire, and I think that’s an angle I’ve never read of before. For the first 2/3 or so I was in heaven, taking my time, sure this would become an all-time favorite.
Then comes Temsik’s memoir, which takes up a good 50 pages or longer. It took me out of the narrative and really messed up the pacing of the final act. Due to that the climax is horribly rushed and the ending feels jokey, silly. Totally left a bad taste in my mouth.
While Out For Blood ultimately disappointed me (though I don’t think I’d call it failure), I enjoyed my time reading it and would recommend it to fans of vintage horror.
What I loved most about this book is Chris, our main character, feels realistic. He’s awkward and sarcastic and just wants to live, to be happy. He has trouble learning the ropes of being a vampire, and I think that’s an angle I’ve never read of before. For the first 2/3 or so I was in heaven, taking my time, sure this would become an all-time favorite.
Then comes Temsik’s memoir, which takes up a good 50 pages or longer. It took me out of the narrative and really messed up the pacing of the final act. Due to that the climax is horribly rushed and the ending feels jokey, silly. Totally left a bad taste in my mouth.
While Out For Blood ultimately disappointed me (though I don’t think I’d call it failure), I enjoyed my time reading it and would recommend it to fans of vintage horror.
December 16, 2024
1980s gay s&m vampires i don't care what anyone says it's perfect
April 17, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist is a gay vampire, and much of the book takes place in Madison, WI. Very fun read.
December 13, 2012
This was actually one of my favorite vampire books of all times, well written, great characters, nice flow. <3
June 6, 2022
This book is currently on sale for $1.99
August 27, 2020
This book was an experience. I had a lot of fun! But there was so much I found annoying, excessive or boring and the romance was so rushed...
March 25, 2011
Go John.
June 23, 2020
I’ve been trying to remember the last time I read a vampire novel. I don’t mean a tale revolving around the Brian Lumley’s body-sculpting Wamphyri or Colin Wilson’s sexy Space Vampires but good, old fashioned vampires and I think it was probably The Vampire Lestat which I read the 90s as a rebellious teenage and so it was with interest that I started Out for Blood.
Synopsis wise, it’s an interesting premise and the idea of Chris Callaway, a young gay man suffering from leukemia, was certainly a different take than the usual person seeking excitement, revenge or power. The portrayal of his fear and frustration over his illness was well defined while avoiding it making it seem he was steeping in self-pity and I quickly grew to really like him and this was aided in no small part by the excellent narration by Sean Duregger who really gave him a beautiful sense of reluctant resignation.
Enter Beth, stunning goth girl who admits that she’s a vampire and has fed on him once and now wishes to offer him eternal life as a vampire. In a very short time, he’s died, been reborn and met the local pack of vamps and we learn that the vamps are not blood-thirsty killers but live with a very carefully regulated feeding ethos and take great care to avoid killing or turning.
This was a really nice change from the typical portrayal of vampires, as party animals revelling in death, blood and chaos and felt extremely refreshing. Another new addition is Chroba, the form that blood takes within a vampire after feeding and used to fuel their existence. I can’t remember the last time that a book about ‘classic’ vampires created anything new but this is certainly one such instance.
Things are not all fun and games as Chris learns and the problems don’t just involve hiding his new condition from humans as there are those who would use Vampires to their own ends and, following his meeting Temsik, he learns that there are things that even Vampires need to fear but to know what that is, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
And I do recommend you do, this is a great story full of likeable characters, an original take on vampires and a really exciting story. To think that was published 30 years ago with a gay main character is brillaint and I honestly can’t think of many gay characters this well portrayed from that era.
Synopsis wise, it’s an interesting premise and the idea of Chris Callaway, a young gay man suffering from leukemia, was certainly a different take than the usual person seeking excitement, revenge or power. The portrayal of his fear and frustration over his illness was well defined while avoiding it making it seem he was steeping in self-pity and I quickly grew to really like him and this was aided in no small part by the excellent narration by Sean Duregger who really gave him a beautiful sense of reluctant resignation.
Enter Beth, stunning goth girl who admits that she’s a vampire and has fed on him once and now wishes to offer him eternal life as a vampire. In a very short time, he’s died, been reborn and met the local pack of vamps and we learn that the vamps are not blood-thirsty killers but live with a very carefully regulated feeding ethos and take great care to avoid killing or turning.
This was a really nice change from the typical portrayal of vampires, as party animals revelling in death, blood and chaos and felt extremely refreshing. Another new addition is Chroba, the form that blood takes within a vampire after feeding and used to fuel their existence. I can’t remember the last time that a book about ‘classic’ vampires created anything new but this is certainly one such instance.
Things are not all fun and games as Chris learns and the problems don’t just involve hiding his new condition from humans as there are those who would use Vampires to their own ends and, following his meeting Temsik, he learns that there are things that even Vampires need to fear but to know what that is, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
And I do recommend you do, this is a great story full of likeable characters, an original take on vampires and a really exciting story. To think that was published 30 years ago with a gay main character is brillaint and I honestly can’t think of many gay characters this well portrayed from that era.
May 18, 2021
I received a free copy of this audiobook, so this is my honest review in return.
"Trashy gay vampire erotica" is the best way I can describe this book. It seemed as if the author read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and thought it needed more sex scenes, much less homoerotic subtext, and less interesting characters. (I mean that in the most descriptive way possible, not as a condemnation of the novel.) Cooke's vampires are neither the tortured creatures of Rice's oeuvre nor evil, malevolent predators akin to Dracula or Brian Lumley's vampires in the Necroscope series.
Partway through the novel, one of the characters waxes philosophic about how vampires' souls are destroyed when they become creatures of the night and how this means vampires are not granted an afterlife whereas humans' souls depart for another place when they die, but this idea doesn't pan out beyond a half-assed "moral" about living one's (un)life to the fullest. It seemed like the author couldn't decide between writing a literary novel with gay vampires or trashy erotica, and so tried to do both while only managing to succeed at the latter with clumsy attempts at the former.
The audiobook narrator's performance was fine. I'd rate it at average or slightly below average in that I've listened to a lot of excellent performances and a few truly awful performances. My only complaint is that the narrator's accents left something to be desired. I can't quite put my finger on why I found them slightly off-putting, but the words "stilted" and "stereotypical" come to mind, even if they don't fit perfectly here.
Overall, the novel was exactly what I expected it to be, and it fully lived (or unlived?) up to my expectations. A perfectly readable trashy novel best read on vacation with a bloody mary in hand.
"Trashy gay vampire erotica" is the best way I can describe this book. It seemed as if the author read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and thought it needed more sex scenes, much less homoerotic subtext, and less interesting characters. (I mean that in the most descriptive way possible, not as a condemnation of the novel.) Cooke's vampires are neither the tortured creatures of Rice's oeuvre nor evil, malevolent predators akin to Dracula or Brian Lumley's vampires in the Necroscope series.
Partway through the novel, one of the characters waxes philosophic about how vampires' souls are destroyed when they become creatures of the night and how this means vampires are not granted an afterlife whereas humans' souls depart for another place when they die, but this idea doesn't pan out beyond a half-assed "moral" about living one's (un)life to the fullest. It seemed like the author couldn't decide between writing a literary novel with gay vampires or trashy erotica, and so tried to do both while only managing to succeed at the latter with clumsy attempts at the former.
The audiobook narrator's performance was fine. I'd rate it at average or slightly below average in that I've listened to a lot of excellent performances and a few truly awful performances. My only complaint is that the narrator's accents left something to be desired. I can't quite put my finger on why I found them slightly off-putting, but the words "stilted" and "stereotypical" come to mind, even if they don't fit perfectly here.
Overall, the novel was exactly what I expected it to be, and it fully lived (or unlived?) up to my expectations. A perfectly readable trashy novel best read on vacation with a bloody mary in hand.
July 26, 2024
Queer, fun horror
I was a horror-obsessed gay guy growing up in the 90s, so this book immediately appealed to me. The author does an excellent job of capturing the time period, so much so that at times it felt I was reliving my youth! And much respect to the author for creating an extremely likeable, sweet, interesting and fully-rounded gay protagonist who is undamaged by his sexuality. I also greatly appreciated that a same-sex romance was positioned at the very front and centre of the novel, rather than being relegated to a minor sub-plot. In fact, this book could arguably just as easily be classified as romance than as horror.
Balancing horror and humour is difficult, as usually one is emphasised to the detriment of the other. Plus, humour is subjective. Nevertheless, I found the light and frothy tone of the book, and the fact that it didn’t take itself too seriously, very enjoyable. Just don’t expect a really dark, intense, stifling, gothic, viscerally blood-soaked take on vampires.
My only complaint about this book is that I was left wanting more. So, if the author happens to read this review, John please write a sequel!
I was a horror-obsessed gay guy growing up in the 90s, so this book immediately appealed to me. The author does an excellent job of capturing the time period, so much so that at times it felt I was reliving my youth! And much respect to the author for creating an extremely likeable, sweet, interesting and fully-rounded gay protagonist who is undamaged by his sexuality. I also greatly appreciated that a same-sex romance was positioned at the very front and centre of the novel, rather than being relegated to a minor sub-plot. In fact, this book could arguably just as easily be classified as romance than as horror.
Balancing horror and humour is difficult, as usually one is emphasised to the detriment of the other. Plus, humour is subjective. Nevertheless, I found the light and frothy tone of the book, and the fact that it didn’t take itself too seriously, very enjoyable. Just don’t expect a really dark, intense, stifling, gothic, viscerally blood-soaked take on vampires.
My only complaint about this book is that I was left wanting more. So, if the author happens to read this review, John please write a sequel!
November 13, 2023
I got a kick out of imagining a straight horror bro picking up this book without knowing anything about it and getting dragged into a tale of queer vampires. Granted they probably wouldn't have made it very far before realizing what they were in for, but still. Out for Blood is definitely a ride, it swung back and forth between kitschy gay romance and hard-driving horror. I was able to see the two big plot twists coming a mile away but that says more about my neurotype than it does about the author's plotting. All in all it was definitely ahead of its time a great read for any gay horror fan.
August 10, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finished reading. 5 Stars.
So I'm embarrassed to say that either for the last 30 years I thought that I had read this book, or even worse I forgot so much about it that it read like a new book to me... Well it's stuck in my head now for sure! I LOVED IT!!
Great pacing, great writing, great story. And great sex scenes!
On a day when I had blood work done, four stabs to get a vein and vial after vial after vial of my life liquid taken, I finished one of the best vampire novels I've ever read. Seems appropriate!
Finished reading. 5 Stars.
So I'm embarrassed to say that either for the last 30 years I thought that I had read this book, or even worse I forgot so much about it that it read like a new book to me... Well it's stuck in my head now for sure! I LOVED IT!!
Great pacing, great writing, great story. And great sex scenes!
On a day when I had blood work done, four stabs to get a vein and vial after vial after vial of my life liquid taken, I finished one of the best vampire novels I've ever read. Seems appropriate!
September 20, 2020
Originally published in '91, John Peyton Cooke's queer vampire romp is a lot of fun in the first half. Unfortunately, a long historical flashback kills the momentum and there's a lot of bleh (and not in the Bella Lugosi way) before a rote climax and a kind of cute romantic coda.
It is cool of Cooke to cast what reads like a drugstore paperback rip-off of Anne Rice (not necessarily a bad thing!) as unabashedly queer.
It is cool of Cooke to cast what reads like a drugstore paperback rip-off of Anne Rice (not necessarily a bad thing!) as unabashedly queer.
October 24, 2024
3.5.
An entertaining and surprisingly queer and kinky vampire novel from 1991. The writing and dialogue can be a little awkward at times, the main character is a bit of an idiot, and the pacing is wonky. But in the end I found it a lot of fun, and the sheer amount of unashamedly explicit gay sex was remarkable, considering this was originally published during the '80s/'90s horror boom. (By Avon, of all things!) So I'd recommend it if you're into gay vampires. 😜
An entertaining and surprisingly queer and kinky vampire novel from 1991. The writing and dialogue can be a little awkward at times, the main character is a bit of an idiot, and the pacing is wonky. But in the end I found it a lot of fun, and the sheer amount of unashamedly explicit gay sex was remarkable, considering this was originally published during the '80s/'90s horror boom. (By Avon, of all things!) So I'd recommend it if you're into gay vampires. 😜
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January 27, 2022I had never read this vampire story by Cooke. I am so glad to have discovered it with this reprint! If you want a fun vampire tale with a gay main character, here you go. I was thoroughly entertained by the world Cooke created! Even a couple decades after its original appearance, the story is relatable and intesely vampiric.
March 3, 2020
Fun read, not great but if you long for a decent queer vampire novel it’s definitely worth checking out. The narrator is ok but his British/European accents are lacking and how he pronounces the letter “A” is soooooooo irritating.
March 23, 2022
We all know vampires suck blood, but apparently they also eat salad?!? Very much Dracula meets Queer as Folk which is exactly my vibe. It's a fun read and I cannot stress this enough...Gay Vampires eating Ass! May have to trade my boyfriend in for a vampire, now that I know that's an option
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 25, 2020DNF - The racist language might've been tolerated in '91, but miss me with this BS in 2020.
Read
September 1, 2022Dnf at 12 percent. Not great.
June 29, 2023
Waste of time. DNF
December 29, 2023
This book is very much the 1980's, with some antisemitic tropes and the self absorption of the main characters.
Read
June 13, 2024very interesting perspective on gay culture in the late 80's/early 90's but not particularly frightening as a horror novel
April 5, 2020
Audible.
I don’t actively seek out horror books (well, not since I was on a Stephen King kick in middle school), but I’m thrilled to have found this audiobook. I think it technically qualifies as a romance too, but this will be best enjoyed by folks who are OK with that being a small part of the story.
Chris Calaway is 22, dying of leukemia, obsessed with vampires and I immediately fell in love with him as a character. If fatal optimism is possible, that’s Chris. He’s really so excited to be free of his disease and becoming a part of a world he has fantasized about his whole life that I couldn’t help but jump into the world with him.
Cooke has a unique take of vampires and does a fantastic job on world building. He also spends time on the history of certain characters that entertains and it’s not until later that you realize what parts are relevant to current day. 1991 current. Perhaps it’s because I was not much younger than Chris in the early 90’s, but the book felt nostalgic instead of outdated. There is quite a bit of well crafted mystery and suspense going on, punctuated by enough humor to keep the nightmares at bay. I was enthralled from beginning to end and finished it in 2 days.
My only complaint, and I admit it’s unfounded other than I really like a good romance, would be to have heard more about Chris and his beau. Is it possible to demand a sequel 30 years later?
Narration:
Sean Duregger did a fantastic job with the narration. This was a huge cast of characters and Duregger gave each of them their own unique sound as well as skillfully expressing various emotions. I look forward to more of his work.
Trigger Warnings (possible spoilers):
It’s Vampires. There’s blood sucking and a few murders. While somewhat detailed, I didn’t find it overly gory.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I don’t actively seek out horror books (well, not since I was on a Stephen King kick in middle school), but I’m thrilled to have found this audiobook. I think it technically qualifies as a romance too, but this will be best enjoyed by folks who are OK with that being a small part of the story.
Chris Calaway is 22, dying of leukemia, obsessed with vampires and I immediately fell in love with him as a character. If fatal optimism is possible, that’s Chris. He’s really so excited to be free of his disease and becoming a part of a world he has fantasized about his whole life that I couldn’t help but jump into the world with him.
Cooke has a unique take of vampires and does a fantastic job on world building. He also spends time on the history of certain characters that entertains and it’s not until later that you realize what parts are relevant to current day. 1991 current. Perhaps it’s because I was not much younger than Chris in the early 90’s, but the book felt nostalgic instead of outdated. There is quite a bit of well crafted mystery and suspense going on, punctuated by enough humor to keep the nightmares at bay. I was enthralled from beginning to end and finished it in 2 days.
My only complaint, and I admit it’s unfounded other than I really like a good romance, would be to have heard more about Chris and his beau. Is it possible to demand a sequel 30 years later?
Narration:
Sean Duregger did a fantastic job with the narration. This was a huge cast of characters and Duregger gave each of them their own unique sound as well as skillfully expressing various emotions. I look forward to more of his work.
Trigger Warnings (possible spoilers):
It’s Vampires. There’s blood sucking and a few murders. While somewhat detailed, I didn’t find it overly gory.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
September 21, 2023
A really clever gay vampire tale, with its own set of vampiric rules and regulations. A fun twist is that the extremely evil villain is actually not a bloodsucker, at least not in a conventional way. This is just a fun page-turner all around, a perfect beach read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews