Fat Vampire audiobook

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that made me laugh out loud as much as Fat Vampire by Adam Rex. I mean literally, sitting in bed, home alone and cracking up. Loud, hysterical laughter. Laughter so hard, I had to put down the book to compose myself, then call my mom to read her a passage, and insist that she read this book the minute I was done with it. (She now has it in her possession. And then my dad has dibs.)Fat Vampire tells the story of Doug, who finds himself accidentally a vampire, and therefore facing an eternity of life as a chubby 15-year-old. Doomed to never slim down. Doomed to never get his driver’s license (legally, at least). Doomed to sucking the blood from unsuspecting cows because he can’t even get the goth girls at school to go for his vampire story. Oh, and while he’s coming to grips with his not-so-sparkly life as a vampire and coping with his crush on the new foreign exchange student, Doug’s also being chased by the team of the TV show “Vampire Hunters.” No big, right?Rex writes with a dry, sarcastic tone that lends itself perfectly to this story and its characters. It’s no-nonsense and that’s what makes this outrageous story work so well. He just tells it like it is, so that there’s no questioning the supernatural elements. As the reader, you just go with it. And yet, Rex uses this simplistic prose to create such colorful scenes that you can see each moment play out so clearly. He weaves together such vivid imagery that the story and characters come to life as you’re reading.Rex also injects Fat Vampire with the perfect amount of pop culture references, whether real or fictional (including a thinly veiled take on the cult classic vampire movie, “The Lost Boys”). Two of the pop culture highlights include Doug and his best friend Jay cavorting through San Diego Comic Con (all while Doug tries to dodge the sunlight in a poncho) and a colorful scene set during a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (a tradition older readers, especially, will appreciate).Fat Vampire is marketed as a Young Adult book — and while it definitely is a book about teens and would appeal to teen readers — I would hardly limit it to this branding. This book has broad cross-over appeals amongst readers of both genders and all ages (though maybe not readers too young, since there are some F-bombs and other mature subjects addressed).Rex has created a classic farce on the vampire genre and the coming of age story, while crafting a story that is uniquely his own. You will laugh at Doug. You will feel sorry for Doug. You’ll probably want to punch Doug at some point, and tell him to get himself together. But no matter how you feel, you’ll definitely feel something. Fat Vampire is one of those books that’s so funny you forget it’s making you excited to keep turning the page.

Halfway through this book, I read the reviews and almost got scared off reading the rest. Glad I continued! There is definitely a tone shift from the first half to the second half. The first half of this book is light-hearted, slapstick, silly, sweet, and has a middle grade vibe. The second half turns serious and introspective, the humor gets dark, there's more blatant social commentary, and the themes veer fully into YA territory. The two main characters, Doug and Sejal, turn out to have hidden demons. I don't think the author signaled this change at all, so it takes readers by surprise, and many resented the sudden change in tone and themes and humor. However, I actually enjoyed the second half more!A number of reviewers say they liked Doug until he turned into an asshole. I think Doug is a classic unreliable narrator, and the signs of his jerkish behavior were there, if subtle. In his POV, he is the hero. But he is a classic case of "so-called nice guy is self-deceptive and doesn't realize he is the opposite of a nice guy." He spent his whole life thinking he was the underdog, but it turns out he's a bully. And he's also a rather mundane, normal teenager, despite being a vampire with weird powers--he thinks he's a superhero, but he isn't. In the end, the story gives a self-aware nod that there are no heroes in this tale, and if anyone is the hero, it is Sejal. One thing this book does exceptionally well is give a genuine-feeling glimpse into the lives and psychology of teenagers. I am in awe whenever an adult author captures childhood so well.The audiobook narrator is very good with accents, but I think he did a disservice to this book by making Doug and Jay sound slow, like Dumb & Dumber. Their characters aren't supposed to be stupid, per se. The dumb-ass parody of teenage voices made it hard to get a handle on their characters. The themes and humor in this book are subtle, but I really enjoyed it.

Every vampire that we have met in the new age are all the same. Brooding, mysterious, perfect looking men who fall in love with the human girl. Are people afraid to show the imperfect vampires? Say the short, fat one who no one likes and every girl will laugh in their face as they try to be mysterious? Well, fear no more, for one author has given us that. Let us all applaud Adam Rex! Whenever we think of vampires, we think of Anne Rice’s Louis and Lestate, Stephenie Meyer’s Edward Cullen and Charlaine Harris’ Bill and Eric. The all too typical architecture of a modern vampire. But now, Adam Rex brings us Douglas Lee. Who is Douglas Lee you ask? Well let me not hold you from meeting this great fellow. Douglas Lee is a short, fat, Jewish vampire who will politely ask you if he can suck your blood, and then be seen walking away with a pout because he was turned down.Douglas is fifteen-years-old when he is attacked by the woman of his dreams. Or so he says. But the truth? He was attacked by his naked acquaintance and is too ashamed to admit it. Douglas could barely fit in his tragic story of his human life and now fitting in as a vampire is even worse. The only reason he stays sane is because of Jay, his best friend who entertains himself by proving and disproving vampiric ideas.Then we meet Sejal, an exchange student from India who traveled to America due to a severe case of “the Google”. Sejal and Douglas’ lives do not intertwine as one might expect. He is in love with her, and she is merely a friendly face trying to fit into the crowd. Unlike all other vampiric fiction, this story is not about love. It is about their story.As mentioned several times before, I don’t usually enjoy vampire novels. I have never liked them, even when I was a kid. And now, seeing them being taken out of their traditions, I have grown even more dislike for them. I actually won Fat Vampire in a contest and I finally got to reading it. I am glad I actually did read it and not give it away. In the beginning I kind of hesitant about actually reading it. I did laugh with the funny one liners and the sense of humor the characters had, but the fact that it was a vampire novel seemed to throw me off course. I almost gave up at one point just because it was a vampire novel.But I made myself go through until I finished it. Each character had their own funny personality that really adds to the story. And it is not as if we are meeting them for the first time. From the very beginning we go as if we have already know them and throughout the story we learn more and more about them. What would a vampire novel be without the inclusion of a vampire hunter? That’s right, someone wants to hurt our lovable, fat vampire. Within the world of Fat Vampire, there exists a show that is not much unlike our real world Ghost Hunters. They’ve got their lock on Douglas with a couple of Redeemers, a hunter-made weapon that might even make a human or two raise their eyebrows.By the end of the book, you are feeling pretty good. You have laughed plenty of times, gasped, and laughed a bit more. But by the end, you are left with your mouth opened by the shock of an ending. This novel is one of those that you either hate it, love it, or don’t really know which category to put it in. Most of the humor in it wouldn’t make everyone laugh but when it does, you’ll get a real kick out of it. So if you’re not really a vampire fan, but want to give it a try, read Fat Vampire. A never coming of age story starring our cake-eating friend. A blood cake that is.

Okay....so this fell into my hands at a library sale because a certain kid in my life thought the title was funny.NOTE - NOT A KID FRIENDLY STORY. This was fun. A cute take on the what-if of a teenager who ISN'T the jock or the popular girl becoming a vampire. It had moments that all of us former teens will remember (a some pretty good music references to boot!) and smile/shake our heads at.Do I think it is the epitome of vampire lit? Nope. But a fun read and not a bad book at all.

Doug is having a hard time getting the hang of this whole vampire thing. First of all, he is only about 5’5 and overweight. He’d been meaning to workout and lose some weight, but he was bitten before he could do that, so now he is eternally damned to be forever fat. It’s not exactly an ideal situation for a vampire. To make matters worse, he has no idea what he is doing. There’s no manual, he has no mentor, and everything that Bram Stoker wrote in Dracula seems to be wrong. He is afraid of turning other people into vampires, so he feeds on cows and other unsuspecting animals. When he and his best friend Jay attend Comic-Con in San Diego, Doug attempts to feed on a panda in the San Diego zoo. Unbeknownst to him, there is a live panda cam recording his attempt. Soon, the video is on YouTube and the people behind a fake reality series titled “Vampire Hunters” get ahold of the footage in hopes of finding their first real vampire and upping their ratings.When Doug returns to school he is immediately smitten with Sejal, the foreign exchange student from India. Sejal has been sent to America by her parents who hope to cure her of “The Google” (an internet afflicted disease). He also runs into his maker and eventually they are introduced to a group of older vampires who agree to mentor them. As the reality TV hounds begin honing in on Doug’s location, Doug begins to wonder if he can maybe be cured of his vampirism. He remembers a movie where the newly created vamps were able to kill their maker and return themselves to true human form. But is he ready to go back to being a regular, dorky dude and lose these cool new powers? If he does, will he stand any kind of chance with Sejal?For the most part I really enjoyed Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story. The premise is genius. Doug is the anti-Edward. He and his friend Jay are funny and lovable. Adam Rex’s writing is wicked and clever and the characters are all engaging. My only problem with this one was that the storyline seemed to be too big for the length of the book. I felt a lot of plot lines fell flat, some of my favorite characters just disappeared, and some of the scenes felt rushed. Had this book been longer the multiple plots would have had more room to breathe and these characters could have grown more. Still, the book is worth reading, especially if you want a fresh, funny new take on vampires.One last thing – try googling uncombable hair syndrome and check out the images it brings up. If you read the book, you’ll get it immediately.

Doug Lee is a teenage boy like any other, until he isn't. I felt him so human even being a vampire, being smart enough to know hipnotizing someone is like drugging them to get what you want, but not so smart to realize he is kinder to those he doesn't know than to his friends.

3.5 out of 5 stars (yes, I round up)I'll be honest, I loved the cover. I craved a cherry ICEE (yes, I realize that's not a cherry flavor pictured) the entire time I read the book. I also laughed, smirked and chuckled way more than I ever thought I would because of the writing style and the predicaments of the main character.Adam does a fantastic job at capturing outcast Doug's voice and personality. As an overweight, geeky kid who attends Comic-Con with his human best friend, Jay, Doug's character is so very believable that I even relished the moments where he was not always likeable. I did love how one mishap led to another until Doug was being featured on the cable TV show, "Vampire Hunters". I really don't want to spoil this book for you so I'll refrain from talking about the plot points. But, I will say that if you have a reluctant teen reader, this would be a great book for them. It's also a great book if you're looking for a moment of escape from the endless amount of summer chores. It's a quick read with lots of funny scenes. I will point out a brief warning to some of our Mundie Moms who may be cautious about language. There are curse words throughout the book and they're used casually and conjugated in a witty manner. They didn't bother me at all but if you're looking at it as a possible book for your teen to read, I wanted to issue that caution.Adam uses multiple POVs which switch from Doug, to the TV show to Sejal, an internet addicted, exchange student from India. I liked seeing the story develop through the different POVs, although at times, I wished there was a marker warning me that the POV had switched. I encourage you grab a cherry ICEE, pick up Fat Vampire and spend a few hours reading Doug's story. It's an engaging twist on geek life, high school and vampire lore.

"Fat Vampire by Adam Rex is not a perfect book. But, then, I don't read a lot of those.Fat Vampire is an ambitious book. It starts out as a novel version of one of those unpopular/outsider teen boy movies, complete with a trip to Comic-Con. Doug, our main character, is a recently turned vampire trying to stay under the radar. Becoming a vampire was a major surprise for old Doug, and when our story starts, he's really just trying to function. That's all a lot of fun because Doug is no Edward Whatshisname from Twilight. He's no sparkly beauty, he's not rich, and he doesn't even have his driver's license at the beginning of the story so forget about a hot car. Oh, and yes, he's pudgy. (Though we're not talking anything like Jules Duchon in Fat White Vampire Blues.) So the clash between vampire story and outcast teen boy story generates laughs.The problem is that Rex wants to do more than just be funny. He wants to do some deep, thinking stuff here, and I give him credit for that."Excerpt from Original Content

Fat Vampire by Adam RexThe main character of the the story is Doug, a short, doughy, not your average 14 year old boy. He is a vampire. Although he said that the transition of becoming vampire was like entering “Bonernova”. I really enjoyed this book, it is one of my all time favorites in it’s genre.

A super fun book. Might interest YA boys more than girls but I really liked it. The main character is very empathetic and the storyline is fast and fun!