Vampire of the Midnight Sun by Priscilla Bettis #bookreview #shortstories #horror

On By Teri PolenIn Book Reviews

A VAMPIRE IN ALASKA
In “Vampire of the Midnight Sun,” Frasier and his best friend, Billy, are stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a rafting accident: grizzlies, arctic water, frozen nights, soggy tundra, no food, no matches, no civilization. And no one is coming to rescue them.

Plus Billy is convinced he’s a vampire. It’s a five-day hike to civilization. Billy claims he can only go three days without human blood.

Will the men survive the harsh Alaskan elements? If so, can Frasier survive Billy’s vampiric delusions, or will Frasier have to take his best friend’s life in order to save his own?

A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN AN OLD WEST COWBOY AND A FIRE WITCH
In “The Fire Witch and the Cowboy,” Henderson is the yellow-bellied coward of Dusty Bend, Texas. His wife is ashamed of him. Kids tease him. And he’s terrified of wildfires.

But when a wildfire threatens Dusty Bend, it is Henderson who brokers a deal between the townsfolk and the wealthy but formidable Widow Vandermeer, to use her resources in order to fight the fire.

“There will be sacrifices,” she says. If the widow learns Henderson’s decades-old secret, he might be the sacrifice.

Will Henderson grab his wife and run, leaving town while he can? Or will he stay and risk falling into Widow Vandermeer’s clutches?

Meanwhile, the wildfire grows closer…

I’m always a vampire fan, so the premise of two friends, one who claims to be a vampire, stranded in the Alaskan wilderness immediately intrigued me. How well do you know your friends? Billy’s never taken Frasier’s claims of being a vampire seriously. But should he? When they’re five days from civilization struggling to survive the harsh elements with no food or supplies, Frasier says he can only go three days without human blood. After Billy is severely injured and his chance of survival looks grim, he wonders if there might be some truth to Frasier’s claims. Let’s just say their friendship is put to the test.

I haven’t read many westerns, but the few I’ve read were enjoyable. This one is no different. The second story is set in the Old West as a wildfire approaches a town, and I really liked the feel of it. It features some loathesome characters and a widow you don’t want to cross. Karma has a way of coming back around. I loved the clever use of the steam locomotive in the story.

Bettis does an outstanding job at building tension and suspense, and the settings are richly detailed. I nearly needed a blanket while reading about the Alaskan wilderness. This is a quick read that can easily be read in one sitting.

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