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Vampire: The Masquerade #1
Walk Among Us: Three Novellas of the World of Darkness
One of the most popular role-playing properties in the world gets new life with this trio of horror novellas set in Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness by three brilliant talents: Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling
The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you've never seen them before.
In Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness...
In Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality...
And in Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm.
Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain.
The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you've never seen them before.
In Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness...
In Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality...
And in Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm.
Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2021
89 people are currently reading
954 people want to read
About the author
Genevieve Gornichec
9听books2,593听followersGenevieve Gornichec very occasionally logs on here to rate a book or two. She lives in northeast Ohio, where she has been known to haunt local coffee shops and also pretend to be a tenth-century Scandinavian weaver on the weekends.
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January 16, 2022
鈥淲hat does it mean?鈥� Clea asked.
鈥淭here have been people coming to town lately that have been threatening everything we鈥檙e trying to build here,鈥� Finn said, running a hand through his shoulder-length blond hair, unbound for once. 鈥淧eople who didn鈥檛 care about this city before I got here. I鈥檇 like to remind them whose domain this is.鈥�
Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES 鈽嗏槅
The ending was more than ok for me and I've not seen that twist arriving at all, sadly it took nearly 90 pages of teenage depression and angst before things got interesting for me.
To say nothing about this story essentially lacking everything about the World of Darkness besides just a couple of casually added short references to the setting like Anarchs and Camarilla, or the main character's addiction to Netflix nearly bordering on covert advertising... Oh, good grief.
鈥淣o answer? That鈥檚 all right. We have eternity, Marmalade, for you to learn how to bend and scrape and lick my boots. You鈥檒l wish you had asked.鈥�
Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT 鈽嗏槅鈽嗏槅
A nasty and entertaining little tale about a neonate Ventrue learning to respect his elders the hardest way, nailing for good the gothic-punk dirty atmosphere and mood of the World of Darkness setting and its trademark elements.
And in the end I was visualizing in my mind poor Duke as Dev/Null, the Malkavian hacker from the Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption (2000) video-game.
鈥淭here are rumors,鈥� I whisper to the empty hallways of my house, 鈥渢hat it was Caine who spread agriculture across the early human world. He planted his crop then, a growing swell of humanity to feed upon, and we have harvested it for millennia since. Perhaps I am only implementing it in a more focused manner.鈥�
Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY 鈽嗏槅鈽�
An interesting take about a Kindred managing a blood farming community while trying to stick to his ideals and ethics without succumbing to hunger or Camarilla鈥檚 machinations.
I enjoyed the storyline a lot, the author's knowledge about the World of Darkness setting was outstanding, and references to new powers and traits of thin-blooded 鈥渄uskborns鈥� left me craving for reading more about the fifth edition of the Vampire: The Masquerade RPG.
Sadly I鈥檓 not much a fan of first person narrative and characters just left me cold for good.
Vampire:The Masquerade rocked the world of pen-and-paper roleplaying games in 1991 and inspired a generation of fans the likes of which the games and hobbies industries had never seen before.
The World of Darkness setting introduced by VtM, is a darker, more devious and more conspiratorial 鈥淕othic-Punk鈥� version of our world where decadence, cynicism, and corruption are common. Humans are unwitting victims or pawns of vast secret organizations of supernatural creatures: vampires, werewolves, mages, and much more struggle with internal factionalism and against other species in secret wars of intrigue for control.
Vampire:The Masquerade reached hundreds of millions of people through thousands of books published in a wide variety of languages, a television show, video games, comics, and even World of Darkness-focused conventions throughout the world.
In addition to Vampire:The Masquerade, the other popular settings within the World of Darkness include: 鈥� Werewolf: the Apocalypse 鈥� Mage: the Ascension 鈥� Wraith: the Oblivion 鈥� Changeling: the Dreaming.
This book was a mostly decent anthology for me, but being a long time fan of Vampire: The Masquerade and the World of Darkness since second edition of the pen and paper roleplaying game was released in 1992, and having read a lot of books from the previously released fiction about the franchise, I was so excited from reading a new VtM paperback after years that I was expecting much more.
Besides that, if you never played the tabletop RPG or any related videogame, or ever read any previously released franchise related novel, I highly recommend you trying the two mind blowing Clan Novel sagas, this book is a good starting point to step into the amazing grim setting of the World of Darkness.
Enjoy.
February 6, 2021
A Sheep Among Wolves - 1/5
Fine Print - 5/5
Land of Milk and Honey - 5/5
You see the trouble I have rating this book. It averages out to 3.6 and somehow it feels wrong to give a 4 to a book that contains one of the worst pieces of fiction I read. But also it also contains some of the best? I hope the print version of these are separate so I can rate them accordingly.
I highly recommend the 2nd and 3rd story they were both excellent and everything I wanted this to be.
my original review for first novella below.
----
First novella was a complete disaster on every level I'm shocked this got approved for the collection. I don't think I read something quite so bad in a while.
-every two sentences there is a thinly veiled psa about mental health, chronic pain, weight, sexuality etc etc inserted very unnaturally. I agree with everything in it technically and generally am weary of people complaining about such topics being shown down their throat but in this case it really was. If this was a YA Issue book that'd be fine but it isn't? I'm not here to be educated about this shit. It wasn't even particularly insightful or new it felt like seeing cold twitter takes inbetween the story. Yes I get it mental health is important. Can we move on.
- and while doing all the above it still managed to fall into classic sexist tropes more at home in a early 2000s teen drama. The most unlikeable characters in this story are beautiful women. In one case the only reason the mc feels disdain for her its that she's hot. In the other case while the chracter is a bully but not in any believable way and the way the story justifies treating her is laughable
-it..completely ignores vtm setting rules. vampires just prancing around during daytime as long as they dont go into the sun? okay. I get the impression this story was written for another setting but the author changed it for this collection. There is nothing tonally or even story wise that ties this to the vtm setting beyond some name drops like saying camarilla once.
-this story had the most obnoxious characters i ever encountered. This is partly because the author uses them to give (unnecessary, unnatural) lessons about mental health but also they're just annoying fucking people who talk in weird unnatural ways. The whole time I was thinking, you guys don't have any friends because you are impossible to converse with.
-the stupid nonsensical twist that makes the whole story laughable if you think about it for two seconds. honestly looking back at some scenes is a comedy and I'm sure this wasn't intended from the start. It was just a twist for twists sake. Nothing in the plot made sense in general and the ending instead of contextualizing it just adds another layer of stupid to it.
-mental health is important <3 unless you're blonde and got big tiddies then well obviously that means you're evil and deserve to die
I think that this is an official part of vtm now is frankly, embarrassing. I hope the other two are better.
Fine Print - 5/5
Land of Milk and Honey - 5/5
You see the trouble I have rating this book. It averages out to 3.6 and somehow it feels wrong to give a 4 to a book that contains one of the worst pieces of fiction I read. But also it also contains some of the best? I hope the print version of these are separate so I can rate them accordingly.
I highly recommend the 2nd and 3rd story they were both excellent and everything I wanted this to be.
my original review for first novella below.
----
First novella was a complete disaster on every level I'm shocked this got approved for the collection. I don't think I read something quite so bad in a while.
-every two sentences there is a thinly veiled psa about mental health, chronic pain, weight, sexuality etc etc inserted very unnaturally. I agree with everything in it technically and generally am weary of people complaining about such topics being shown down their throat but in this case it really was. If this was a YA Issue book that'd be fine but it isn't? I'm not here to be educated about this shit. It wasn't even particularly insightful or new it felt like seeing cold twitter takes inbetween the story. Yes I get it mental health is important. Can we move on.
- and while doing all the above it still managed to fall into classic sexist tropes more at home in a early 2000s teen drama. The most unlikeable characters in this story are beautiful women. In one case the only reason the mc feels disdain for her its that she's hot. In the other case while the chracter is a bully but not in any believable way and the way the story justifies treating her is laughable
-it..completely ignores vtm setting rules. vampires just prancing around during daytime as long as they dont go into the sun? okay. I get the impression this story was written for another setting but the author changed it for this collection. There is nothing tonally or even story wise that ties this to the vtm setting beyond some name drops like saying camarilla once.
-this story had the most obnoxious characters i ever encountered. This is partly because the author uses them to give (unnecessary, unnatural) lessons about mental health but also they're just annoying fucking people who talk in weird unnatural ways. The whole time I was thinking, you guys don't have any friends because you are impossible to converse with.
-the stupid nonsensical twist that makes the whole story laughable if you think about it for two seconds. honestly looking back at some scenes is a comedy and I'm sure this wasn't intended from the start. It was just a twist for twists sake. Nothing in the plot made sense in general and the ending instead of contextualizing it just adds another layer of stupid to it.
-mental health is important <3 unless you're blonde and got big tiddies then well obviously that means you're evil and deserve to die
I think that this is an official part of vtm now is frankly, embarrassing. I hope the other two are better.
December 14, 2021
I am a huge vampire fan. The White Wolf, now World of Darkness, series is up there with my favorites genres of vampire world building. The company has had a makeover and is now writing stories again. I was rather excited to pick up this collection of three novellas. The stories are, unfortunately, merely ok. The strength of this series is best highlighted when the various clans and their coflicts are explored in depth. The three authors, instead, spent far too much time on the development of the human characters and as they are all some variant of woke fucktard I had issues caring or liking them.
"A Sheep mong Wolves" was amusingly set in the World of Darkness version of Columbus, Ohio and Ohio State University. Since I live in Columbus and work at OSU this drew some chuckles. It's the story of a lonely girl who finds "friends" among a strange meeting group. It had potential but the majority of the story is far too focused on the human side of it and suffers accordingly.
"Fine Print" is better in that it has more of a focus on the vampire clan of Ventrue. But, the main character- a hipster, tech guru is not really what the Venture are about. They are the Blue Bloods of the Camarilla (the governing body for vampires that maintain the Masquerade) and prefer people with a good family background and wealth. The hipster d-bag doesn't fit in with this crowd as wealth can be acquired, but breeding and blood can not. Glad he got his comeuppance as he was an annoying character. Still out of place with the Ventrue clan.
"Milk and Honey" is far too focused on the main vampire's "feelings" and , again, suffers for it. A vampire is seeking to farm humans in a more humane fashion (heh pun) and finds her project in jeopardy from the rulings powers that be.
All the stories were ok, though some had the potential for greatness they were all befouled by the focus on humans and their stupid feelings/hopes/desires...next time? Stick to the vampires, they are far more interesting.
"A Sheep mong Wolves" was amusingly set in the World of Darkness version of Columbus, Ohio and Ohio State University. Since I live in Columbus and work at OSU this drew some chuckles. It's the story of a lonely girl who finds "friends" among a strange meeting group. It had potential but the majority of the story is far too focused on the human side of it and suffers accordingly.
"Fine Print" is better in that it has more of a focus on the vampire clan of Ventrue. But, the main character- a hipster, tech guru is not really what the Venture are about. They are the Blue Bloods of the Camarilla (the governing body for vampires that maintain the Masquerade) and prefer people with a good family background and wealth. The hipster d-bag doesn't fit in with this crowd as wealth can be acquired, but breeding and blood can not. Glad he got his comeuppance as he was an annoying character. Still out of place with the Ventrue clan.
"Milk and Honey" is far too focused on the main vampire's "feelings" and , again, suffers for it. A vampire is seeking to farm humans in a more humane fashion (heh pun) and finds her project in jeopardy from the rulings powers that be.
All the stories were ok, though some had the potential for greatness they were all befouled by the focus on humans and their stupid feelings/hopes/desires...next time? Stick to the vampires, they are far more interesting.
October 9, 2021
Rating 4 stars because Fine Print (Cassandra Khaw) and In the Land of Milk and Honey (Caitlin Starling) were both phenomenal stories that felt true to the current lore/vibe of Vampire the Masquerade, but A Sheep Among Wolves (Genevieve Gornichec) fell super flat for me.
Interesting choice to lead with the weakest story instead of sandwiching it between the two stronger tales. I did the audio version of this collection and while I鈥檓 generally pretty easy to please when it comes to books, my love for Erika Ishii + my own neurotic completionist tendencies were the only things that kept me from DNF鈥檌ng the first story and skipping to the second.
I was hyperfixated on Vampire the Masquerade v5 in 2019 but then had to step back from the chronicles I was involved in because I was so busy, and then my attention moved on to books, so this was a nice intersection of both of those interests. Definitely made me miss playing.
Love queer books, too? Let's be friends! | | |
Interesting choice to lead with the weakest story instead of sandwiching it between the two stronger tales. I did the audio version of this collection and while I鈥檓 generally pretty easy to please when it comes to books, my love for Erika Ishii + my own neurotic completionist tendencies were the only things that kept me from DNF鈥檌ng the first story and skipping to the second.
I was hyperfixated on Vampire the Masquerade v5 in 2019 but then had to step back from the chronicles I was involved in because I was so busy, and then my attention moved on to books, so this was a nice intersection of both of those interests. Definitely made me miss playing.
Love queer books, too? Let's be friends! | | |
June 19, 2020
Content warning for suicide ideation, blood consumption, gore, violence, manipulation
Genevieve Gornichec's "A Sheep Among Wolves" performed by Erika Ishii
A college student looks for companionship and finds it in the unlikeliest of places. I really appreciate how Gornichec approached the recruitment strategy, and laid out a solid framework for that final reveal. The mental health aspect of it was also relatable, plus the general loneliness that comes with being in college. Very atmospheric.
Cassandra Khaw's "Fine Print" performed by Neil Kaplan
Of the three, I think this one might have been the grossest. Khaw takes the approach of food insensitivities and the paperwork that goes into听 becoming a vampire. It also tackles individual interpretations of privilege that are both incisive and has you rooting for the antagonists in the best way. Sometimes the vampires are the good guys.
Caitlin Starling's "Land of Milk and Honey" performed by Xe Sands
The setpiece of a verfiable blood farm was exquisite in this work. Leigh just wants to have an ethical source of vampire food, and nearly compromises the Masquerade in the process. If you're looking for some sapphic pining, this novellas also has plenty of that to go around. The women are complex, and the attention to detail regarding animal husbandry is particularly good.
A must-listen for people needing more vampire stories in their life.
Genevieve Gornichec's "A Sheep Among Wolves" performed by Erika Ishii
A college student looks for companionship and finds it in the unlikeliest of places. I really appreciate how Gornichec approached the recruitment strategy, and laid out a solid framework for that final reveal. The mental health aspect of it was also relatable, plus the general loneliness that comes with being in college. Very atmospheric.
Cassandra Khaw's "Fine Print" performed by Neil Kaplan
Of the three, I think this one might have been the grossest. Khaw takes the approach of food insensitivities and the paperwork that goes into听 becoming a vampire. It also tackles individual interpretations of privilege that are both incisive and has you rooting for the antagonists in the best way. Sometimes the vampires are the good guys.
Caitlin Starling's "Land of Milk and Honey" performed by Xe Sands
The setpiece of a verfiable blood farm was exquisite in this work. Leigh just wants to have an ethical source of vampire food, and nearly compromises the Masquerade in the process. If you're looking for some sapphic pining, this novellas also has plenty of that to go around. The women are complex, and the attention to detail regarding animal husbandry is particularly good.
A must-listen for people needing more vampire stories in their life.
Read
July 2, 2020-Updated with the review for the second story -
I finished the first story yesterday. Honestly shocked how it managed to get editorial approval.
As someone who has been battling with bipolar disorder for years, and also a queer person, all of the so-called "woke" undertones felt like I was reading a Twitter activist's hot takes. Defining the main character by their mental condition, revolving their every action around depression is counter-productive. Non-neurotypical people are so much more their condition. Wish the protagonist had an identity beyond being depressed. Yes, mental illness and the societal pressure to fit into norms are both awful things. While having meaningful messages about these issues, sprinkled into the plot organically can add rich layers to a story, Sheep Among Wolves just screams in your ear how it has the right, "good" idea about every sensitive discussion from body image issues to social relations. So much virtue signalling that after a while I forgot it was a Vampire: the Masquerade story.
Characters were shallow and had no meaningful character building/arcs - including the protagonist. I understand novellas' genre limitations but using mean girls vs. nerdy "i'm not like other girls" girl stereotype is out of date and tasteless. They felt like cardboard cutouts, not actually characters with their own personalities and ideas. Side characters, being already "side" as they are, quickly fell into irrelevance. I have noticed that none of the women who were described as beautiful were likable by the protagonist's standards - yet, the only "hot guy" in the story got her unconditional loyalty for some reason. For a story that goads in its wokeness for almost 4 hours, it falls into years-old sexist tropes very quickly.
Plot-twists are tricky narrative tools: if they don't serve to enhance your narrative depth, they can turn the story you have tried to build meaningless - just as it was for this story. After The Big Twist happens, half the story loses any meaning (without any plausible explanations/theories either). The twist in question ends up causing so many plotholes that a friend of mine spent hours trying to come up with logical explanations for some semblance of redemption for the story - to no avail.
For a story titled "Sheep Among Wolves" I never felt like the protagonist was truly among predators. All of the themes which makes Vampire: the Masquerade what it is were glossed over. Oh yeah, the story has vampires, I think the commonalities end there. The dark wickedness and the corrupt nature of VtM as a setting were lost on the author. I saw no real darkness, no terror of being the prey among alien hunters - our protagonist quickly came over what illogical, supernatural aspect of vampirism they've encountered and at the end become The Cool Misunderstood Girl (tm). They wore *skinny jeans* at the end instead of a tracksuit so you know they've become cool and rad!
Also, I wonder if the author has any familiarity with Vampire: the Masquerade as a setting. Not only there are mechanical errors (vampires being able to hang around during sunrise in shades etc.) and inconsistencies with the current lore of VtM, not once I got the feeling of "personal horror" which is the central theme of Vampire: the Masquerade. This story felt like someone heard about VtM's general idea and decided to write a loosely-based fanficton. Wish someone who has in-depth knowledge of the setting (both thematically and mechanically) gave this story a final reading because it is obvious the author's knowledge in terms of VtM's vampire politics and cosmology does not go beyond knowing a couple of important names such as "Camarila" and "Anarchs"
More than anything, this story felt like a self insert revenge fantasy fanfiction - nothing wrong with them, I used to think they're cool when I was 12 too. Not every story has to tackle legitimately serious topics such as mental illnesses, sexuality etc. and if your ideas on these topics don't go beyond social media takes, please don't do so. As a long time fan of Vampire: the Masquerade, it makes me sad the first story is a failure. Hope the other two will redeem this one's shortcomings.
-FINE PRINT-
Very good, almost perfect atmosphere - Neil Kaplan's voice contributes to this as well. The author clearly had a good grasp of what it means to be a fresh vampire in Vampire: the Masquerade. Gritty, down-to-earth, realistic. Keeps you on your toes and truly draws you into this world of horror and isolation where you can't trust anyone. Removes the romanticized veil of vampires and reveals them for what they are: immortal puppeteers who hunt mortals for blood. Twists and questions presented in this story are actually smart, compliment the plot, and make the listener *think.* I truly got the experience a devious Ventrue schemery through and through. A modern, fresh take on VtM which carries its urban horror to our day.
I finished the first story yesterday. Honestly shocked how it managed to get editorial approval.
As someone who has been battling with bipolar disorder for years, and also a queer person, all of the so-called "woke" undertones felt like I was reading a Twitter activist's hot takes. Defining the main character by their mental condition, revolving their every action around depression is counter-productive. Non-neurotypical people are so much more their condition. Wish the protagonist had an identity beyond being depressed. Yes, mental illness and the societal pressure to fit into norms are both awful things. While having meaningful messages about these issues, sprinkled into the plot organically can add rich layers to a story, Sheep Among Wolves just screams in your ear how it has the right, "good" idea about every sensitive discussion from body image issues to social relations. So much virtue signalling that after a while I forgot it was a Vampire: the Masquerade story.
Characters were shallow and had no meaningful character building/arcs - including the protagonist. I understand novellas' genre limitations but using mean girls vs. nerdy "i'm not like other girls" girl stereotype is out of date and tasteless. They felt like cardboard cutouts, not actually characters with their own personalities and ideas. Side characters, being already "side" as they are, quickly fell into irrelevance. I have noticed that none of the women who were described as beautiful were likable by the protagonist's standards - yet, the only "hot guy" in the story got her unconditional loyalty for some reason. For a story that goads in its wokeness for almost 4 hours, it falls into years-old sexist tropes very quickly.
Plot-twists are tricky narrative tools: if they don't serve to enhance your narrative depth, they can turn the story you have tried to build meaningless - just as it was for this story. After The Big Twist happens, half the story loses any meaning (without any plausible explanations/theories either). The twist in question ends up causing so many plotholes that a friend of mine spent hours trying to come up with logical explanations for some semblance of redemption for the story - to no avail.
For a story titled "Sheep Among Wolves" I never felt like the protagonist was truly among predators. All of the themes which makes Vampire: the Masquerade what it is were glossed over. Oh yeah, the story has vampires, I think the commonalities end there. The dark wickedness and the corrupt nature of VtM as a setting were lost on the author. I saw no real darkness, no terror of being the prey among alien hunters - our protagonist quickly came over what illogical, supernatural aspect of vampirism they've encountered and at the end become The Cool Misunderstood Girl (tm). They wore *skinny jeans* at the end instead of a tracksuit so you know they've become cool and rad!
Also, I wonder if the author has any familiarity with Vampire: the Masquerade as a setting. Not only there are mechanical errors (vampires being able to hang around during sunrise in shades etc.) and inconsistencies with the current lore of VtM, not once I got the feeling of "personal horror" which is the central theme of Vampire: the Masquerade. This story felt like someone heard about VtM's general idea and decided to write a loosely-based fanficton. Wish someone who has in-depth knowledge of the setting (both thematically and mechanically) gave this story a final reading because it is obvious the author's knowledge in terms of VtM's vampire politics and cosmology does not go beyond knowing a couple of important names such as "Camarila" and "Anarchs"
More than anything, this story felt like a self insert revenge fantasy fanfiction - nothing wrong with them, I used to think they're cool when I was 12 too. Not every story has to tackle legitimately serious topics such as mental illnesses, sexuality etc. and if your ideas on these topics don't go beyond social media takes, please don't do so. As a long time fan of Vampire: the Masquerade, it makes me sad the first story is a failure. Hope the other two will redeem this one's shortcomings.
-FINE PRINT-
Very good, almost perfect atmosphere - Neil Kaplan's voice contributes to this as well. The author clearly had a good grasp of what it means to be a fresh vampire in Vampire: the Masquerade. Gritty, down-to-earth, realistic. Keeps you on your toes and truly draws you into this world of horror and isolation where you can't trust anyone. Removes the romanticized veil of vampires and reveals them for what they are: immortal puppeteers who hunt mortals for blood. Twists and questions presented in this story are actually smart, compliment the plot, and make the listener *think.* I truly got the experience a devious Ventrue schemery through and through. A modern, fresh take on VtM which carries its urban horror to our day.
July 6, 2020
Walk Among Us is a collection of three short stories based in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade. Since that is a roleplaying game I love/d, I'm thrilled to see the world being brought back to life here.
These are three dark tales about the deadly and political nature of vampires. These are not the pretty or friendly vampires found in romance novels. No, these are the sort that are more likely to get you running, if you had the bad fortune to come across them.
To my knowledge, this collection is an audible exclusive, at least for the moment. That means it'll only be available as an audiobook for now, but it's still absolutely worth the listen to. Especially if you're an avid fan of the franchise.
Included in this collection are three tales. The first is titled A Sheep Among Wolves. Written by Genevieve Gornichec and narrated by Erika Ishii, it follows a young woman who found herself in a world beyond her imagination.
Cassandra Khaw's Fine Print is next. Narrated by Neil Kaplan, this is a political story through and through, but not for the reasons you might imagine. It shows the darker side of making a deal.
Last, there's The Land of Milk and Honey. Written by Caitlin Starling and narrated by Xe Sands, it follows a totally different perspective on vampire life 鈥� the concept of sustainable farming and everything it entails. All three shorts will be reviewed in further depth down below.
A Sheep Among Wolves by Genevieve Gornichec and Erika Ishii
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Depression, anxiety
A Sheep Among Wolves is an absolutely fascinating tale, especially as you try and sort out what is truly happening. It is a tale of depression, radicalization, and the tending to of humans with high potential.
This is one of those stories that doesn't go at all how one might expect. It gets dark, naturally, yet the twists are truly surprising. Likewise, it is a story full of suspense. All the more so thanks to the main perspective, who shows what it must be like to be a human going through the grooming process.
Fine Print by Cassandra Khaw and Neil Kaplan
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Gore, graphic depictions, torture, imprisonment
Fine Print was a shocking read/listen, especially following the events of A Sheep Among Wolves. If any of the stories can be taken as a cautionary tale, let it be this one. Read the fine print. Treat others with basic respect. Use common decency. All that, and more.
This is the darker side of making a pact. You can think you're making the best deal in the world until you get to that fine print. Even then, the fine print can seem drastically different, depending on the context.
This one really did do an excellent job of portraying the darker sides of White Wolf. Not just of vampires in general, but of humanity as well. There really are no punches pulled in this story, but that is fitting.
The Land of Milk and Honey by Caitlin Starling and Xe Sands
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Gore, animal death
The last story in this collection is titled The Land of Milk and Honey. It follows a different side of living as a vampire. Actually, that's not quite accurate. It shows one vampire's way of coping and feeding 鈥� a way that is different from what is normally depicted.
Out of all the stories in this collection, this is the one that's going to get you thinking. It raises questions of ethics, morality, and the differences between humans and animals. This is a world where humans are the renewable resource, and sustainable farming allows for a specific cultivation of traits.
Understandably, it gets dark 鈥� though perhaps not for the reasons you might assume and expect. That it comes with several points to be made makes the story all the more chilling and impactful.
Check out more reviews over at
These are three dark tales about the deadly and political nature of vampires. These are not the pretty or friendly vampires found in romance novels. No, these are the sort that are more likely to get you running, if you had the bad fortune to come across them.
To my knowledge, this collection is an audible exclusive, at least for the moment. That means it'll only be available as an audiobook for now, but it's still absolutely worth the listen to. Especially if you're an avid fan of the franchise.
Included in this collection are three tales. The first is titled A Sheep Among Wolves. Written by Genevieve Gornichec and narrated by Erika Ishii, it follows a young woman who found herself in a world beyond her imagination.
Cassandra Khaw's Fine Print is next. Narrated by Neil Kaplan, this is a political story through and through, but not for the reasons you might imagine. It shows the darker side of making a deal.
Last, there's The Land of Milk and Honey. Written by Caitlin Starling and narrated by Xe Sands, it follows a totally different perspective on vampire life 鈥� the concept of sustainable farming and everything it entails. All three shorts will be reviewed in further depth down below.
A Sheep Among Wolves by Genevieve Gornichec and Erika Ishii
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Depression, anxiety
A Sheep Among Wolves is an absolutely fascinating tale, especially as you try and sort out what is truly happening. It is a tale of depression, radicalization, and the tending to of humans with high potential.
This is one of those stories that doesn't go at all how one might expect. It gets dark, naturally, yet the twists are truly surprising. Likewise, it is a story full of suspense. All the more so thanks to the main perspective, who shows what it must be like to be a human going through the grooming process.
Fine Print by Cassandra Khaw and Neil Kaplan
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Gore, graphic depictions, torture, imprisonment
Fine Print was a shocking read/listen, especially following the events of A Sheep Among Wolves. If any of the stories can be taken as a cautionary tale, let it be this one. Read the fine print. Treat others with basic respect. Use common decency. All that, and more.
This is the darker side of making a pact. You can think you're making the best deal in the world until you get to that fine print. Even then, the fine print can seem drastically different, depending on the context.
This one really did do an excellent job of portraying the darker sides of White Wolf. Not just of vampires in general, but of humanity as well. There really are no punches pulled in this story, but that is fitting.
The Land of Milk and Honey by Caitlin Starling and Xe Sands
Rating: 鈰� 鈰� 鈰� 鈰�
Warnings: Gore, animal death
The last story in this collection is titled The Land of Milk and Honey. It follows a different side of living as a vampire. Actually, that's not quite accurate. It shows one vampire's way of coping and feeding 鈥� a way that is different from what is normally depicted.
Out of all the stories in this collection, this is the one that's going to get you thinking. It raises questions of ethics, morality, and the differences between humans and animals. This is a world where humans are the renewable resource, and sustainable farming allows for a specific cultivation of traits.
Understandably, it gets dark 鈥� though perhaps not for the reasons you might assume and expect. That it comes with several points to be made makes the story all the more chilling and impactful.
Check out more reviews over at
March 30, 2021
I think my rating on this one is completely down to me not being the right kind of reader for this book. The stories seemed well enough written and I enjoyed most of each story. However, each had a core piece that just felt... gross... to me, leading me to be quite unhappy with the way things turn out. I should clarify that it's more an emotionally gross feeling rather than gore or some such.
August 5, 2023
1. Sheep among wolves: 3,5
It was okay, though the glaringly obvious attempts at foreshadowing put me off a bit. My issues with it this one piece of foreshadowing: "... One day, karma is gonna come and bite you in the throat..."
2. Fine Print: 1,5
I had high hopes for this one. I love a couple other novellas by the same author, but this one was just painful. A straight up annoying poorly written, shallow MC, with a weak, utterly predictable and dissapointing story, that even the comeuppance at the end don't do much to help.
3. The land of Milk and Honey: 3,5
My favourite among these three, with a fairly satisfying ending that leaves a want for more.
It was okay, though the glaringly obvious attempts at foreshadowing put me off a bit. My issues with it this one piece of foreshadowing: "... One day, karma is gonna come and bite you in the throat..."
2. Fine Print: 1,5
I had high hopes for this one. I love a couple other novellas by the same author, but this one was just painful. A straight up annoying poorly written, shallow MC, with a weak, utterly predictable and dissapointing story, that even the comeuppance at the end don't do much to help.
3. The land of Milk and Honey: 3,5
My favourite among these three, with a fairly satisfying ending that leaves a want for more.
July 20, 2021
Review in the the April 2021 issue of Library Journal:
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]:
Three Words That Describe This Book: atmospheric, close narration, new voices for an old trope
Draft Review:
Set within the popular Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game world and originally published as audio only, Walk Among Us brings three exciting, new female horror authors together in one volume. While these novellas are not connected to each other in any way besides their vampire frame, they do all share an oppressive atmosphere and close narration which immediately draw readers into their unsettling worlds. 鈥淎 Sheep Among Wolves鈥� uses a horror lens to look at depression and grooming, appealing to readers of The Drowning Girl by Kiernan. 鈥淔ine Print鈥� takes a detailed look at the consequences of making a dark deal much like the classic King novella 鈥淔air Extensions鈥� [Stephanie-- in Full Dark, No Stars]. And the final story, 鈥淭he Land of Milk and Honey鈥� contemplates vampire sustainable farming, reminiscent of Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica. Each author has her own style, but all are immersive and terrifying.
Verdict: There is no need to know anything about the RPG in order to enjoy these modern, original, female focused novellas of vampire menace that take the old trope into exciting new directions. Just make sure you have the latest works by these authors in your collections as readers will be clamoring for more upon completion.
Extra notes:
Set in a world of a RPG [role playing game], but you do NOT have to know the world of the game to enjoy this collection of novellas. Originally in Audio only.
Three female horror authors to watch!
Obviously for fans of new tales of vampire menace, but each author has a different storytelling style and the frame of the vampire story is unique. So specific readalikes for each story and its main Frame:
A Sheep Among Wolves: Mental Health/Depressing and Grooming: The Drowning Girl by Kiernan
Fine Print: Consequences of a Dark Deal: "Fair Extensions" by King from FULL DARK NO STARS
The Land of Milk and Honey: Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
I don't expect every reader to like every story equally. But, each will have a reader who LOVES one of the stories and will seek out more by the author. Let patrons know that going in. The stories are not connected for those not aware of the RPG. They do not have to read it cover to cover.
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]:
Three Words That Describe This Book: atmospheric, close narration, new voices for an old trope
Draft Review:
Set within the popular Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game world and originally published as audio only, Walk Among Us brings three exciting, new female horror authors together in one volume. While these novellas are not connected to each other in any way besides their vampire frame, they do all share an oppressive atmosphere and close narration which immediately draw readers into their unsettling worlds. 鈥淎 Sheep Among Wolves鈥� uses a horror lens to look at depression and grooming, appealing to readers of The Drowning Girl by Kiernan. 鈥淔ine Print鈥� takes a detailed look at the consequences of making a dark deal much like the classic King novella 鈥淔air Extensions鈥� [Stephanie-- in Full Dark, No Stars]. And the final story, 鈥淭he Land of Milk and Honey鈥� contemplates vampire sustainable farming, reminiscent of Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica. Each author has her own style, but all are immersive and terrifying.
Verdict: There is no need to know anything about the RPG in order to enjoy these modern, original, female focused novellas of vampire menace that take the old trope into exciting new directions. Just make sure you have the latest works by these authors in your collections as readers will be clamoring for more upon completion.
Extra notes:
Set in a world of a RPG [role playing game], but you do NOT have to know the world of the game to enjoy this collection of novellas. Originally in Audio only.
Three female horror authors to watch!
Obviously for fans of new tales of vampire menace, but each author has a different storytelling style and the frame of the vampire story is unique. So specific readalikes for each story and its main Frame:
A Sheep Among Wolves: Mental Health/Depressing and Grooming: The Drowning Girl by Kiernan
Fine Print: Consequences of a Dark Deal: "Fair Extensions" by King from FULL DARK NO STARS
The Land of Milk and Honey: Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
I don't expect every reader to like every story equally. But, each will have a reader who LOVES one of the stories and will seek out more by the author. Let patrons know that going in. The stories are not connected for those not aware of the RPG. They do not have to read it cover to cover.
July 11, 2020
The collection as a whole really didn't do it for me. Read on to get my reviews on each novella individually.
A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES: I was warned in advance that this was not particularly great novella, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. I was bored almost immediately by Clia's passivity, her meekness, and the stereotypical bullying. Plus, it took a loooong time for anything of note to really happen. I actually DNF'd this story, skipping ahead in the hopes that Khaw's would be better (since I've lived Khaw's evocative descriptions and lyrical style in the past). Which brings me to...
FINE PRINT: Between a character we don't like, a severely isolated setting with few characters (and none but Duke with anything resembling depth), and little to no action/movement, this novella was dry. Khaw usually thrives on the super descriptive and a kind of dry, off-kilter tone. But honestly, Duke could burn and I found the antagonists to not be threatening/looming enough. The ending didn't shock me as I'm sure it was supposed to. It all just felt inevitable. Indeed, the editors of this collection absolutely believed in saving the best for last...
THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY: Leigh (Lee?) was such a fun take on the "ethical" vampire. Plus, the hierarchical structure to the area's mythical underbelly, the different castes of vampires (all inspired by different traditions) made for a fascinating backdrop. Add in gay ladies and a touch of obsession and I'm here for it. The story was clever and fascinating - by and large the best of the bunch. But making a listener slog through those first two in order to get to this one... It would have made anyone impatient.
A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES: I was warned in advance that this was not particularly great novella, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. I was bored almost immediately by Clia's passivity, her meekness, and the stereotypical bullying. Plus, it took a loooong time for anything of note to really happen. I actually DNF'd this story, skipping ahead in the hopes that Khaw's would be better (since I've lived Khaw's evocative descriptions and lyrical style in the past). Which brings me to...
FINE PRINT: Between a character we don't like, a severely isolated setting with few characters (and none but Duke with anything resembling depth), and little to no action/movement, this novella was dry. Khaw usually thrives on the super descriptive and a kind of dry, off-kilter tone. But honestly, Duke could burn and I found the antagonists to not be threatening/looming enough. The ending didn't shock me as I'm sure it was supposed to. It all just felt inevitable. Indeed, the editors of this collection absolutely believed in saving the best for last...
THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY: Leigh (Lee?) was such a fun take on the "ethical" vampire. Plus, the hierarchical structure to the area's mythical underbelly, the different castes of vampires (all inspired by different traditions) made for a fascinating backdrop. Add in gay ladies and a touch of obsession and I'm here for it. The story was clever and fascinating - by and large the best of the bunch. But making a listener slog through those first two in order to get to this one... It would have made anyone impatient.
September 8, 2021
Let me start by saying I read almost all of the original World of Darkness fiction, for most of the lines they produced. And the one thing they all had in common was 1. Melodrama, and 2. Metaplot. Those staples served that line well, and made the books inherently readable, though only a few of the titles REALLY stood out.
This compilation is the first fiction for the new (5th) edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, and, (keeping in mind I've only read the first story thus far) this is QUITE a difference from the previous lines.
Full review to come when complete.
Post-Read:
3.5 stars.
Well, I have mixed thoughts on this.
This trio of short novels is all about neonate vampires trying to find their way in the "Updated" World of Darkness; this is both a boon and a hinderance to the line. It's a subject that is great for the RPG, but hasn't really been a focus of the WoD fiction to date, which has been focused on established characters, action, and the previous metaplot. (I imagine that's actually the point.)
With the three entries in this compilation, I enjoyed meeting these new characters, though I'm not sure I'd follow any of their exploits on a continuing basis as I did in the previous incarnation.
This compilation is the first fiction for the new (5th) edition of Vampire: The Masquerade, and, (keeping in mind I've only read the first story thus far) this is QUITE a difference from the previous lines.
Full review to come when complete.
Post-Read:
3.5 stars.
Well, I have mixed thoughts on this.
This trio of short novels is all about neonate vampires trying to find their way in the "Updated" World of Darkness; this is both a boon and a hinderance to the line. It's a subject that is great for the RPG, but hasn't really been a focus of the WoD fiction to date, which has been focused on established characters, action, and the previous metaplot. (I imagine that's actually the point.)
With the three entries in this compilation, I enjoyed meeting these new characters, though I'm not sure I'd follow any of their exploits on a continuing basis as I did in the previous incarnation.
June 25, 2020
4.5 stars
"A Sheep Among Wolves" written by Genevieve Gornichec and performed by Erika Ishii 5 stars
I related so much to the main character of this story. While I've never been depressed, I have a lot of social anxiety and I've definitely felt some of what Clea did ( I hope this is how her name is spelled ). And I enjoyed the mystery and the twists at the end very much.
"Fine Print" written by Cassandra Khaw and performed by Neil Kaplan 3.5 stars
This is a well written story, but the pacing was kind of slow and Duke was too annoying. But the last chapter and the ending got really interesting.
"Land of Milk and Honey" written by Caitlin Starling and performed by Xe Sands 5 stars
I thought this was the best story of the three. The way Caitlin Starling made Leigh's thinking so inhuman and monstrous, while still making her a likeable character is phenomenal. And the ending was so awesome! I definitely hadn't seen that coming.
P.S. I thought all three narrators did an excellent job.
"A Sheep Among Wolves" written by Genevieve Gornichec and performed by Erika Ishii 5 stars
I related so much to the main character of this story. While I've never been depressed, I have a lot of social anxiety and I've definitely felt some of what Clea did ( I hope this is how her name is spelled ). And I enjoyed the mystery and the twists at the end very much.
"Fine Print" written by Cassandra Khaw and performed by Neil Kaplan 3.5 stars
This is a well written story, but the pacing was kind of slow and Duke was too annoying. But the last chapter and the ending got really interesting.
"Land of Milk and Honey" written by Caitlin Starling and performed by Xe Sands 5 stars
I thought this was the best story of the three. The way Caitlin Starling made Leigh's thinking so inhuman and monstrous, while still making her a likeable character is phenomenal. And the ending was so awesome! I definitely hadn't seen that coming.
P.S. I thought all three narrators did an excellent job.
Want to read
April 27, 2021why am I only finding out about this now?!
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August 4, 2021
This short story collection just wasn鈥檛 it, team. The first story was dreadful and that was a tone I had a hard time getting out of for the next two pieces, even though they did get a little bit better. But not enough for me to feel like reading this was worth it. Such a bummer.
July 4, 2020
Not to my taste. Slow and overwritten. What is it about V:tM that turns anyone who writes stories about it into a purveyor of purple prose?
The voice actor for the first novella was good.
The voice actor for the first novella was good.
July 19, 2020
- A Sheep Among Wolfs: * (did not like it)
- Fine Print: ** (it was ok)
- Land of Milk and Honey: **** (really liked it)
I round it up to *** because the voice actors are amazing.
- Fine Print: ** (it was ok)
- Land of Milk and Honey: **** (really liked it)
I round it up to *** because the voice actors are amazing.
May 20, 2023
This is tough, because it's a collection of three stories.
The first story, A Sheep Among Wolves, fantastic.
The second story, Fine Print, horrible. Like, really really bad. A young adult novel written by a high schooler.
The third, Land of Milk and Honey, very good, but not as good as the first, but still well written.
Honestly I'd be close to giving this 5 stars but the second story was just so very bad. But worth the pickup for the other two for sure.
The first story, A Sheep Among Wolves, fantastic.
The second story, Fine Print, horrible. Like, really really bad. A young adult novel written by a high schooler.
The third, Land of Milk and Honey, very good, but not as good as the first, but still well written.
Honestly I'd be close to giving this 5 stars but the second story was just so very bad. But worth the pickup for the other two for sure.
December 14, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and am happy I ignored the negative reviews and sampled them. The world of the Masquerade entices me, and these 3 stories each present a different perspective. Very cool.
January 3, 2024
I really enjoyed all 3 of the stories, the first one though I think you have to be patient and push through all the edgy teen stuff but other than that all 3 had great twists that actually had me gasping once you finally put things together.
The second story was pretty satisfying to read and probably my favorite one.
The second story was pretty satisfying to read and probably my favorite one.
Read
December 24, 2023Read WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw & Caitlin Starling if you love the RPG Vampire: The Masquerade, novellas, uncertainty, isolation, starting college, twists, Iceland, fraternity, contracts, sustainable farming, overwhelming passions & blood.
Read
October 21, 2024pierwsza nowelka mi sie w ogole nie podobala, druga przeleciala mi nad glowa, a trzecia byla fajna, wiec zostawiam bez oceny bo nwm jak ocenic 馃槶
May 21, 2025
Being of an age where I have been largely unaware of the Masquerade rpg I entered this space sans expectation. I finished this book intrigued, wanting more information regarding the clans and hierarchy encapsulated here in fragmentats. An entertaining, quick read read that has fulfilled its purpose as I consider my interest piqued!
February 29, 2024
I enjoyed these short stories from the wod universe. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.
May 30, 2021
孬賱丕孬 賯氐氐 賯氐賷乇丞 毓夭 賲氐丕氐賷 丕賱丿賲丕亍
丕賱賯氐丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賰丕賳鬲 賲賯亘賵賱丞
丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賰丕賳鬲 丿賲賵賷丞 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賵賱賶.
丕賱孬丕賱孬丞 賰丕賳鬲 賲乇毓亘丞 賵丨夭賷賳丞 ... 賲夭乇毓丞 丕賱賲賵丕卮賷 鬲賯賵賲 丕賱賲爻卅賵賱丞 毓賳 丕賱賲夭乇毓丞 亘乇毓丕賷丞 丕賱賯胤賷毓 丕賱賲賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱丨賲賱丕賳 賵丕賱禺乇丕賮 賵丕賱賳丨賱 賵丕賱亘卮乇 ..
毓賳丿賲丕 賱丕 鬲鬲氐丿乇 賯賲丞 丕賱賴乇賲 丕賱睾匕丕卅賷 賵賷毓賱賵賰 賳賵毓 兀禺乇 賲賳 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 鬲鬲睾匕賶 毓賱賷賰.
賲卮 毓丕乇賮丞 丕賯賷賲 丕賱賯氐氐 賰賰賱 丕夭丕賷 賱兀賳 賰賱 賵丕丨丿丞 賮賷賴賲 賱賴丕 鬲兀孬賷乇 毓賱賷丕 睾賷乇 丕賱鬲丕賳賷丞 賵禺氐賵氐丕 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞 亘乇睾賲 丕賳 賰賱 賳賴丕賷鬲賴賲 睾賷乇 爻毓賷丿丞 廿賱丕 丕賳 丕賱鬲丕賱鬲丞 夭毓賱鬲賳賷.
丕賱賯氐丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賰丕賳鬲 賲賯亘賵賱丞
丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賰丕賳鬲 丿賲賵賷丞 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賵賱賶.
丕賱孬丕賱孬丞 賰丕賳鬲 賲乇毓亘丞 賵丨夭賷賳丞 ... 賲夭乇毓丞 丕賱賲賵丕卮賷 鬲賯賵賲 丕賱賲爻卅賵賱丞 毓賳 丕賱賲夭乇毓丞 亘乇毓丕賷丞 丕賱賯胤賷毓 丕賱賲賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱丨賲賱丕賳 賵丕賱禺乇丕賮 賵丕賱賳丨賱 賵丕賱亘卮乇 ..
毓賳丿賲丕 賱丕 鬲鬲氐丿乇 賯賲丞 丕賱賴乇賲 丕賱睾匕丕卅賷 賵賷毓賱賵賰 賳賵毓 兀禺乇 賲賳 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 鬲鬲睾匕賶 毓賱賷賰.
賲卮 毓丕乇賮丞 丕賯賷賲 丕賱賯氐氐 賰賰賱 丕夭丕賷 賱兀賳 賰賱 賵丕丨丿丞 賮賷賴賲 賱賴丕 鬲兀孬賷乇 毓賱賷丕 睾賷乇 丕賱鬲丕賳賷丞 賵禺氐賵氐丕 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞 亘乇睾賲 丕賳 賰賱 賳賴丕賷鬲賴賲 睾賷乇 爻毓賷丿丞 廿賱丕 丕賳 丕賱鬲丕賱鬲丞 夭毓賱鬲賳賷.
July 22, 2024
VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE: WALK AMONG US is the first and possibly last World of Darkness novel we鈥檙e likely to see since the end of the Old World of Darkness in 2004. The premise for Vampire: The Masquerade is that the world is secretly ruled from the shadows by a variety of supernatural beings (chiefly vampires) and they are constantly feuding for power like mafia bosses. It was an immensely fun premise if you were a counterculture Goth kid or just a guy who enjoyed playing edgy antiheroes, both of which described me. In 2018, the Old World of Darkness was revived with Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition and the results have been controversial ever since.
Walk Among Us, in it鈥檚 own way, is the perfect encapsulation of why the design philosophy of 5th Edition has been hit or miss. The book is three novellas by Genevieve Gornichec, Caitlin Starling, and Cassandra Khaw (the latter of mine is a personal favorite). The authors are each incredibly talented, create a believable World of Darkness, and write stories that are excellent pieces of horror each. This out of the way, no shade upon their writing abilities, I kind of hate this book. Walk Among Us is something that represents pretty much everything I don鈥檛 want out of the New-New World of Darkness.
The Old World of Darkness was, in simple, a comic book. Specifically, it was a very Nineties comic book. You were a dark and brooding antihero who sat on rooftops next to gargoyles and surveyed the corrupt city full of rival supernaturals as you pondered your lost humanity. There鈥檚 a reason that Underworld is a guilty pleasure and Blade is probably closer to Vampire: The Masquerade than it ever was the character from Tomb of Dracula. Yes, you feasted upon blood, but the power fantasy was also present as was the romance.
Walk Among Us reflects the 5th Edition mindset that being a vampire is not just awful. You aren鈥檛 just tormented with generic angst and tragic backstory. No, worse, being a vampire is not cool. The protagonists of these three stories are some of the whiniest most unlikable vampires in fiction. So much so that Louis of Interview with a Vampire would say they鈥檙e a bunch of losers. This is perhaps the ultimate in unforgivable sins and why I cannot endorse these three disgraces to Caine.
It鈥檇 be alright if these vampires whined because they didn鈥檛 want to be murderers, they lost their families, or even mourned the loss of the Sun in some tragic Gothic way. No, they鈥檙e all scumbags with no morality to offend against. It鈥檚 the fact that being a vampire doesn鈥檛 make them any less annoying than the kind of jerks they were in life.
鈥淎 Sheep Among Wolves鈥� protagonist, Clea, starts sympathetically enough but her primary concern once she鈥檚 joined a radical student activist group is to make sure the leader continues to like her even when she鈥檚 committing arson/murder for no apparent reward. She doesn鈥檛 even have any politics, she just feels really lonely on campus. Being a vampire just is another label to her and not one that invokes any curiosity. My wife shares some of Clea鈥檚 issues but found her equally frustrating.
鈥淔ine Print鈥� follows the world鈥檚 dumbest Ventrue. Duke negotiates a contract with his sire before his Embrace, apparently assuming this is legally enforceable, and is obnoxious the entire way through. He also doesn鈥檛 bother to learn that he can鈥檛 eat food beforehand, that sunlight forces him to sleep, or that vampires like him need special kinds of blood to drink. This probably my favorite of the stories and Duke really should have been staked for the Sun on his first night.
鈥淭he Land of Milk and Honey鈥� follows a Toreador Anarch who runs a commune of blood harvesters that raise their own food as well as animals. Leigh is among the absolute worst kind of lifestyle advocates who basically keeps her subordinates as animals to harvest but insists on it being the more humane alternative. Its blackly funny that other Kindred seem to think of her as an extreme pro-vegan type in-universe but listening to her ramble on about her ideology the entire time just makes me want to see the Sabbat arrive.
This is the heart of perhaps 5th Edition鈥檚 biggest flaw as there鈥檚 nothing particularly fun about being a vampire. Walk Among Us鈥� vampires are not sexy, cool, or particularly powerful. They have no torment from the fact they鈥檙e good people forced to be evil by hunger or circumstance. Christof may have been a somewhat cliche example of a reluctant vampire, but he was interesting as a Crusader turned monster. Lucita may be evil, but she had tragedy, pathos, and sex appeal. These guys are like the obnoxious lady at the supermarket being turned into Kindred.
Walk Among Us, in it鈥檚 own way, is the perfect encapsulation of why the design philosophy of 5th Edition has been hit or miss. The book is three novellas by Genevieve Gornichec, Caitlin Starling, and Cassandra Khaw (the latter of mine is a personal favorite). The authors are each incredibly talented, create a believable World of Darkness, and write stories that are excellent pieces of horror each. This out of the way, no shade upon their writing abilities, I kind of hate this book. Walk Among Us is something that represents pretty much everything I don鈥檛 want out of the New-New World of Darkness.
The Old World of Darkness was, in simple, a comic book. Specifically, it was a very Nineties comic book. You were a dark and brooding antihero who sat on rooftops next to gargoyles and surveyed the corrupt city full of rival supernaturals as you pondered your lost humanity. There鈥檚 a reason that Underworld is a guilty pleasure and Blade is probably closer to Vampire: The Masquerade than it ever was the character from Tomb of Dracula. Yes, you feasted upon blood, but the power fantasy was also present as was the romance.
Walk Among Us reflects the 5th Edition mindset that being a vampire is not just awful. You aren鈥檛 just tormented with generic angst and tragic backstory. No, worse, being a vampire is not cool. The protagonists of these three stories are some of the whiniest most unlikable vampires in fiction. So much so that Louis of Interview with a Vampire would say they鈥檙e a bunch of losers. This is perhaps the ultimate in unforgivable sins and why I cannot endorse these three disgraces to Caine.
It鈥檇 be alright if these vampires whined because they didn鈥檛 want to be murderers, they lost their families, or even mourned the loss of the Sun in some tragic Gothic way. No, they鈥檙e all scumbags with no morality to offend against. It鈥檚 the fact that being a vampire doesn鈥檛 make them any less annoying than the kind of jerks they were in life.
鈥淎 Sheep Among Wolves鈥� protagonist, Clea, starts sympathetically enough but her primary concern once she鈥檚 joined a radical student activist group is to make sure the leader continues to like her even when she鈥檚 committing arson/murder for no apparent reward. She doesn鈥檛 even have any politics, she just feels really lonely on campus. Being a vampire just is another label to her and not one that invokes any curiosity. My wife shares some of Clea鈥檚 issues but found her equally frustrating.
鈥淔ine Print鈥� follows the world鈥檚 dumbest Ventrue. Duke negotiates a contract with his sire before his Embrace, apparently assuming this is legally enforceable, and is obnoxious the entire way through. He also doesn鈥檛 bother to learn that he can鈥檛 eat food beforehand, that sunlight forces him to sleep, or that vampires like him need special kinds of blood to drink. This probably my favorite of the stories and Duke really should have been staked for the Sun on his first night.
鈥淭he Land of Milk and Honey鈥� follows a Toreador Anarch who runs a commune of blood harvesters that raise their own food as well as animals. Leigh is among the absolute worst kind of lifestyle advocates who basically keeps her subordinates as animals to harvest but insists on it being the more humane alternative. Its blackly funny that other Kindred seem to think of her as an extreme pro-vegan type in-universe but listening to her ramble on about her ideology the entire time just makes me want to see the Sabbat arrive.
This is the heart of perhaps 5th Edition鈥檚 biggest flaw as there鈥檚 nothing particularly fun about being a vampire. Walk Among Us鈥� vampires are not sexy, cool, or particularly powerful. They have no torment from the fact they鈥檙e good people forced to be evil by hunger or circumstance. Christof may have been a somewhat cliche example of a reluctant vampire, but he was interesting as a Crusader turned monster. Lucita may be evil, but she had tragedy, pathos, and sex appeal. These guys are like the obnoxious lady at the supermarket being turned into Kindred.
May 21, 2021
I had never heard of World of Darkness/Vampire: The Masquerade until I purchased this compilation. I am also not a big fan of vampires. I purchased Walk Among Us due to my love of two of the authors' works. Therefore, I cannot comment on any lore, Easter eggs, or potential consistency errors. Given this is a compilation of three novellas, I will break down this review as such, rating each on a 5-point scale.
A Sheep Among Wolves - 4/5
It will be nearly impossible for me to "objectively" review this novella because of how unexpectedly close it hit to home. I have read several reviews that have criticized the novella's protagonist, Clea, as being a one-note character defined by her depression. A part of me feels that many of those reviews came from readers who themselves do not have depression, anxiety, or chronically low self-esteem, because as many people with mental illness know, on your worst days/weeks/months/years, you can very easily be defined by your mental illness. This is precisely what made Clea so relatable to me, as reading about her was like reading about myself in my teens through mid-twenties.
A Sheep Among Wolves tells the story of a freshman college student who is on a downswing of what she calls depression but very well may be Bipolar Disorder. She cannot make friends, she has no drive or ambition, and her routine mostly consists of fast food/takeout, doing everything she can to avoid socializing, sleeping way too much, and frequently skipping classes (presumably because of the two former "activities"). This being a vampire novella, Clea finds herself caught up in an increasingly bizarre situation that, if she does have Bipolar Disorder, pushes her into a manic episode. (The novella certainly fits a metaphor about living with Bipolar Disorder, anyway.)
This story will certainly not be for everyone. Readers who do not live with depression or depression-adjacent mental illnesses may find Clea unrelatable, frustrating, or even a bit boring. For someone like me who lives with depression, has severe social anxiety, and struggled for over a decade with extreme low self-esteem, I was so shook that I literally had to put off doing anything for an entire night and just watch comedy shows to decompress. Just like with her debut novel, The Witch's Heart, Genevieve Gornichec found a way to drill down to the core of my soul and leave me a bit of a mess. Only this time I was not prepared for it.
All that being said, the novella is not perfect. Like many, I found the antagonist (of sorts), a bully whose constant target for abuse is Clea, a bit too exaggerated, and the actual vampiric elements almost feel like an afterthought. I could not help but feel like this story would have been better served in its own universe, unbeholden to the lore of its source material. However, I appreciated the ending for the questionable note it ends on, offering a tantalizing topic of discussions for readers willing to dissect Gornichec's intent. To avoid spoilers, I will refrain from sharing my interpretation.
Fine Print - N/A
Loathe as I am to abandon a story mid-way through, I will be honest and admit that I did not read this novella all the way through. Cassandra Khaw's prose is elegant and provocative, but due to my general indifference toward vampires, and because I could not personally connect with the protagonist or sympathize with his motives, I found myself unable to stick with it. Therefore, it will not be considered in my overall rating. However, if vampires are your thing or you appreciate highly-driven but morally bankrupt protagonists, I would still recommend this novella.
The Land of Milk and Honey - 4/5
Caitlin Starling has proven herself among my favorite horror authors, and The Land of Milk and Honey only further solidifies her as an author consistently on my radar. This novella tells the story of a vampire running a farm that harvests blood from humans in an effort to feed vampires without having to actually kill humans. It is a welcome twist on the age-old vampire mythos and challenges the reader with ethical quandaries.
While I did at times struggle with this story due to what I felt was missing context (being unfamiliar with the source material, as I am), Starling's signature development of the novella's core characters, Leigh and Robin, kept me engaged enough until the final third of the novella, where the intrigue significantly ramps up. Despite those contextual issues early on, by the end, it is the characters that matter, and Leigh's struggle with her own emotions and desires鈥攅lements not too often explored among vampires鈥攊s deliciously captivating. Like A Sheep Among Wolves, it ends on a high note, though for entirely different reasons that, again, I will not spoil here.
If you are a fan of WoD/VtM, I honestly do not know if this compilation is worth checking out. If you are a fan of stories that explore depression/Bipolar Disorder, loneliness, self-doubt, the manner in which our emotions can impede our personal goals, highly ambitious characters, and deep character relationships, there is plenty to enjoy here.
A Sheep Among Wolves - 4/5
It will be nearly impossible for me to "objectively" review this novella because of how unexpectedly close it hit to home. I have read several reviews that have criticized the novella's protagonist, Clea, as being a one-note character defined by her depression. A part of me feels that many of those reviews came from readers who themselves do not have depression, anxiety, or chronically low self-esteem, because as many people with mental illness know, on your worst days/weeks/months/years, you can very easily be defined by your mental illness. This is precisely what made Clea so relatable to me, as reading about her was like reading about myself in my teens through mid-twenties.
A Sheep Among Wolves tells the story of a freshman college student who is on a downswing of what she calls depression but very well may be Bipolar Disorder. She cannot make friends, she has no drive or ambition, and her routine mostly consists of fast food/takeout, doing everything she can to avoid socializing, sleeping way too much, and frequently skipping classes (presumably because of the two former "activities"). This being a vampire novella, Clea finds herself caught up in an increasingly bizarre situation that, if she does have Bipolar Disorder, pushes her into a manic episode. (The novella certainly fits a metaphor about living with Bipolar Disorder, anyway.)
This story will certainly not be for everyone. Readers who do not live with depression or depression-adjacent mental illnesses may find Clea unrelatable, frustrating, or even a bit boring. For someone like me who lives with depression, has severe social anxiety, and struggled for over a decade with extreme low self-esteem, I was so shook that I literally had to put off doing anything for an entire night and just watch comedy shows to decompress. Just like with her debut novel, The Witch's Heart, Genevieve Gornichec found a way to drill down to the core of my soul and leave me a bit of a mess. Only this time I was not prepared for it.
All that being said, the novella is not perfect. Like many, I found the antagonist (of sorts), a bully whose constant target for abuse is Clea, a bit too exaggerated, and the actual vampiric elements almost feel like an afterthought. I could not help but feel like this story would have been better served in its own universe, unbeholden to the lore of its source material. However, I appreciated the ending for the questionable note it ends on, offering a tantalizing topic of discussions for readers willing to dissect Gornichec's intent. To avoid spoilers, I will refrain from sharing my interpretation.
Fine Print - N/A
Loathe as I am to abandon a story mid-way through, I will be honest and admit that I did not read this novella all the way through. Cassandra Khaw's prose is elegant and provocative, but due to my general indifference toward vampires, and because I could not personally connect with the protagonist or sympathize with his motives, I found myself unable to stick with it. Therefore, it will not be considered in my overall rating. However, if vampires are your thing or you appreciate highly-driven but morally bankrupt protagonists, I would still recommend this novella.
The Land of Milk and Honey - 4/5
Caitlin Starling has proven herself among my favorite horror authors, and The Land of Milk and Honey only further solidifies her as an author consistently on my radar. This novella tells the story of a vampire running a farm that harvests blood from humans in an effort to feed vampires without having to actually kill humans. It is a welcome twist on the age-old vampire mythos and challenges the reader with ethical quandaries.
While I did at times struggle with this story due to what I felt was missing context (being unfamiliar with the source material, as I am), Starling's signature development of the novella's core characters, Leigh and Robin, kept me engaged enough until the final third of the novella, where the intrigue significantly ramps up. Despite those contextual issues early on, by the end, it is the characters that matter, and Leigh's struggle with her own emotions and desires鈥攅lements not too often explored among vampires鈥攊s deliciously captivating. Like A Sheep Among Wolves, it ends on a high note, though for entirely different reasons that, again, I will not spoil here.
If you are a fan of WoD/VtM, I honestly do not know if this compilation is worth checking out. If you are a fan of stories that explore depression/Bipolar Disorder, loneliness, self-doubt, the manner in which our emotions can impede our personal goals, highly ambitious characters, and deep character relationships, there is plenty to enjoy here.
March 26, 2025
**This review and rating only apply to Caitlin Starling's superbly original, intoxicating novella, "The Land of Milk and Honey," performed with aplomb by the always-affecting vocal artist, Xe Sands.
Before I get into it, I must declare that I highly recommend listening to Starling's story brought to life by Xe Sands with humanising vigour. Unfortunately, Starling never released "The Land of Milk and Honey" separately from the Walk Among Us collection. For me, I'd say it's bloody worth getting the entire collection just to experience Starling/Xe Sands' work.
I'm a big fan of vampire stories, especially female-oriented ones. But Starling's, along with its fab title (you'll find out why she called it that when it's revealed), is truly an original one. At least I never came across anything quite like it. Not just the farming concept but the rest of it... There were a couple of surprises. The 1st one was something that I knew would happen except...well, not like THAT! I was stunned! But mentally gave Starling a well-deserved slow-clap.
But the ending, though..! You simply must listen to Sands play up all the emotions, nuances, with so much conviction that you get sucked into everything that was happening, you're not thinking and before you know it, BAM! Starling's bombshell at the end had me like, "What just happened?!" "What happened??" repeatedly! Just like Leigh's utter bewilderment when she realised that they had the wool pulled over her eyes! It was bloody marvellous!! I LOVED the ending!! Now, I'm gonna go back to the beginning of the story to re-listen, retrace all the steps leading up to the ending, see if I could spot it.
BTW, this story is written in a first-person narrative, which I thought was a deliberate decision, a genius move, tbh, because there were a lot of pondering thoughts, monologues, from Leigh. So when Sands, as Leigh, vocalised all the emotions bottled up in her mind, the result was a viscerally personal and intimate listening experience. You could feel what Leigh was feeling at all times.
All in all, "The Land of Milk and Honey," is a fun, punk-goth, at times grotesque, dark humour of a ride into the vampire's world of "farming" and all the "eccentricities" that comes with this black comedy-esque concept but thought-provoking, nonetheless. Think about it. What is the difference between a human cultivating the practice of ethical animal farming for slaughter and vampires doing the same thing but with humans? That's the crux of being an apex predator, innit? Vampires are on top of the food chain lauding over humans. Humans are on top of the food chain over most animals. So, if humans can decide to be humane to their animal food source, why can't vampires? Food for thought, eh? Pun intended, obvs!
Everything, including the essence of The Masquerade itself, ROLE-PLAY, is narrative-driven. Is there more than one narrative in Leigh's story? Who controls her narrative? Or the story's narrative(s), for that matter? Who pulls the strings? THAT, fellow listeners, is the question.
LISTEN and decide for yourselves.
p.s. I will READ the other two novellas instead of listening to them due to my hypersensitive auditory sensory perception toward certain sound/vocal frequency vibrations (hence, my audiobook experience is highly selective, limited to only a few voice actors that I could tolerate audibly! Soz!)! So if I have something to say about either or both of them after reading them, I'll be sure to leave a comment or two. Regardless, I will be rating them as long as I read and finish reading them, that is!
Before I get into it, I must declare that I highly recommend listening to Starling's story brought to life by Xe Sands with humanising vigour. Unfortunately, Starling never released "The Land of Milk and Honey" separately from the Walk Among Us collection. For me, I'd say it's bloody worth getting the entire collection just to experience Starling/Xe Sands' work.
I'm a big fan of vampire stories, especially female-oriented ones. But Starling's, along with its fab title (you'll find out why she called it that when it's revealed), is truly an original one. At least I never came across anything quite like it. Not just the farming concept but the rest of it... There were a couple of surprises. The 1st one was something that I knew would happen except...well, not like THAT! I was stunned! But mentally gave Starling a well-deserved slow-clap.
But the ending, though..! You simply must listen to Sands play up all the emotions, nuances, with so much conviction that you get sucked into everything that was happening, you're not thinking and before you know it, BAM! Starling's bombshell at the end had me like, "What just happened?!" "What happened??" repeatedly! Just like Leigh's utter bewilderment when she realised that they had the wool pulled over her eyes! It was bloody marvellous!! I LOVED the ending!! Now, I'm gonna go back to the beginning of the story to re-listen, retrace all the steps leading up to the ending, see if I could spot it.
BTW, this story is written in a first-person narrative, which I thought was a deliberate decision, a genius move, tbh, because there were a lot of pondering thoughts, monologues, from Leigh. So when Sands, as Leigh, vocalised all the emotions bottled up in her mind, the result was a viscerally personal and intimate listening experience. You could feel what Leigh was feeling at all times.
All in all, "The Land of Milk and Honey," is a fun, punk-goth, at times grotesque, dark humour of a ride into the vampire's world of "farming" and all the "eccentricities" that comes with this black comedy-esque concept but thought-provoking, nonetheless. Think about it. What is the difference between a human cultivating the practice of ethical animal farming for slaughter and vampires doing the same thing but with humans? That's the crux of being an apex predator, innit? Vampires are on top of the food chain lauding over humans. Humans are on top of the food chain over most animals. So, if humans can decide to be humane to their animal food source, why can't vampires? Food for thought, eh? Pun intended, obvs!
Everything, including the essence of The Masquerade itself, ROLE-PLAY, is narrative-driven. Is there more than one narrative in Leigh's story? Who controls her narrative? Or the story's narrative(s), for that matter? Who pulls the strings? THAT, fellow listeners, is the question.
LISTEN and decide for yourselves.
p.s. I will READ the other two novellas instead of listening to them due to my hypersensitive auditory sensory perception toward certain sound/vocal frequency vibrations (hence, my audiobook experience is highly selective, limited to only a few voice actors that I could tolerate audibly! Soz!)! So if I have something to say about either or both of them after reading them, I'll be sure to leave a comment or two. Regardless, I will be rating them as long as I read and finish reading them, that is!
March 21, 2021
The voice actors for the audiobook of this were all amazing. The three novellas got better as they went on.
Genevieve Gornichec's "A Sheep Among Wolves", performed by Erika Ishii
1/5
Unfortunately, this story reads like a bad fanfic, which is a real waste of Erika Ishii鈥檚 voice. The story has a main character defined only by her depression. Most of the side characters were also awful caricatures, like the Mean Girls roommate squad and Jade, the Cardboard Cutout of an SJW. The integration of vampires felt tacked-on, as the plot would have worked equally well with human radicals, and the personal horror themes of WOD are ignored. Worst, the story鈥檚 attempt at its themes was limp and unimpressive. The story tried to deal with the question of radicalization of mentally-ill or vulnerable youth. To address these themes, the story could use a more complicated main character with more factors leading into their radicalization. The main character here has no legitimate reason to personally hate the power structures of the world, to give up her humanity, or to resort to violence 鈥� she just has a mental illness and a bad roommate, neither of which can be cured by vampire powers. Worse, the main character is never proactive and is led around by the other characters. The ending seemed to portray her brutal revenge against her bullies as a triumphant moment, and not the psychopathic loss of humanity that it actually was. 鈥淚s it bad if I lead my roommate and her friend to believe they were sexually assaulted because they put a messy burrito on my pillow?鈥� is not a viable moral question.
Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, performed by Neil Kaplan
4/5
The author has a real eye for detail which shows in her use of description, and a great authorial voice. She presents a main character so realistic I could run into him on Bay Street. And Kaplan鈥檚 performance takes this story from great to stunning. We get an idea from the start that the character is dealing with things way beyond his ken and, worse, navigating the situation with hubris and ignorance. There鈥檚 a bitter humour to watching him blunder around Reykjavik hurting himself in order to figure out things that the usual VTM character figures out in the first game session. All simply because he failed to ask any questions about what being a vampire actually involves before signing on the dotted line. The main character鈥檚 unsympathetic nature immediately places this story in the World of Darkness, and the portrayal of Clan Ventrue鈥檚 drive towards dominance is spot-on. Unfortunately, the pacing is a bit off 鈥� it gets slow in the middle, especially the excruciatingly long first encounter with the Icelanders and the interminable visit to the grocery store.
Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, performed by Xe Sands
5/5
The twist ending here works so ideally. I didn鈥檛 see any of it coming, yet it made perfect sense all along. It adds a delicious irony as a character who is constantly thinking in terms of business and dominance was so blindsided by the one real threat. Additionally, the idea of a blood farm is a great twist 鈥� dealing with feeding is one of the prime problems of vampire existence, and making that central to the story makes great use of the concepts of VTM. The possessive, obsessive feelings Leigh had towards Robin gave the sense of a realistic monster 鈥� every element of their interactions shows Leigh鈥檚 desire for control and possessiveness of the beautiful things that she wants. Even her Toreador compulsions towards art and beauty are integrated in a way that complements the action and plot.
Genevieve Gornichec's "A Sheep Among Wolves", performed by Erika Ishii
1/5
Unfortunately, this story reads like a bad fanfic, which is a real waste of Erika Ishii鈥檚 voice. The story has a main character defined only by her depression. Most of the side characters were also awful caricatures, like the Mean Girls roommate squad and Jade, the Cardboard Cutout of an SJW. The integration of vampires felt tacked-on, as the plot would have worked equally well with human radicals, and the personal horror themes of WOD are ignored. Worst, the story鈥檚 attempt at its themes was limp and unimpressive. The story tried to deal with the question of radicalization of mentally-ill or vulnerable youth. To address these themes, the story could use a more complicated main character with more factors leading into their radicalization. The main character here has no legitimate reason to personally hate the power structures of the world, to give up her humanity, or to resort to violence 鈥� she just has a mental illness and a bad roommate, neither of which can be cured by vampire powers. Worse, the main character is never proactive and is led around by the other characters. The ending seemed to portray her brutal revenge against her bullies as a triumphant moment, and not the psychopathic loss of humanity that it actually was. 鈥淚s it bad if I lead my roommate and her friend to believe they were sexually assaulted because they put a messy burrito on my pillow?鈥� is not a viable moral question.
Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, performed by Neil Kaplan
4/5
The author has a real eye for detail which shows in her use of description, and a great authorial voice. She presents a main character so realistic I could run into him on Bay Street. And Kaplan鈥檚 performance takes this story from great to stunning. We get an idea from the start that the character is dealing with things way beyond his ken and, worse, navigating the situation with hubris and ignorance. There鈥檚 a bitter humour to watching him blunder around Reykjavik hurting himself in order to figure out things that the usual VTM character figures out in the first game session. All simply because he failed to ask any questions about what being a vampire actually involves before signing on the dotted line. The main character鈥檚 unsympathetic nature immediately places this story in the World of Darkness, and the portrayal of Clan Ventrue鈥檚 drive towards dominance is spot-on. Unfortunately, the pacing is a bit off 鈥� it gets slow in the middle, especially the excruciatingly long first encounter with the Icelanders and the interminable visit to the grocery store.
Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, performed by Xe Sands
5/5
The twist ending here works so ideally. I didn鈥檛 see any of it coming, yet it made perfect sense all along. It adds a delicious irony as a character who is constantly thinking in terms of business and dominance was so blindsided by the one real threat. Additionally, the idea of a blood farm is a great twist 鈥� dealing with feeding is one of the prime problems of vampire existence, and making that central to the story makes great use of the concepts of VTM. The possessive, obsessive feelings Leigh had towards Robin gave the sense of a realistic monster 鈥� every element of their interactions shows Leigh鈥檚 desire for control and possessiveness of the beautiful things that she wants. Even her Toreador compulsions towards art and beauty are integrated in a way that complements the action and plot.
September 26, 2024
Given that this is a compilation of three separate short stories, each featuring different characters and settings within the VTM world, rating the total experience a 3/5 is more of an average when combining my rating thoughts on each story individually.
For starters, I love the world of the Vampire the Masquerade universe, even lucky enough to play a character in a game. Putting it simply, the world is dark, messy, and complex in a way that can be used as an amazing template for telling stories about the struggles of holding onto humanity. Blood will be spilt, the beast demands it. Because of this whenever I hear about a new published story, I immediately put it on my TBR list. After finally having a chance to listen to the audiobook, which is performed very well overall, in my opinion the stories vary in quality. Don't worry no spoilers.
Story #1: A Sheep Among Wolves
Starting off is a story about a new college human student named Clea, who struggles with severe depression, trying to find meaning and connections to those around her.
Out of the three stories, and given this is the starting one, I found this one to be the weakest unfortunately. Clea is a difficult character to empathize with as there doesn't seem much to her outside of her mental illness struggles and on occasion she draws well. I bring this up because despite how short the story is, it is constantly brought up as her main reason for doing the things she does when everything goes from 0 to 1,000. I think the story could have benefited more if we were able to see more layers fleshed out or peeled away so when changes happen, they make more sense. A nitpick but outside of two name drops connecting the setting to the VTM world, there really isn't anything unique or familiar to make the story feel connected to this universe.
Overall the concept is there however it was poorly executed. (1.5/5)
Story #2: Fine Print
This story is about Duke, a human tech bro turned kindred as he struggles with his new in life in a way he didn't think possible. Despite the limited story description, this is a much stronger story that feels like it is set in the VTM world. Not just with terms but with setting and new kindred discoveries. Duke is not a likeable person and is not meant to be. After he is embraced, and things start ramping up, he discovers what the kindred and the darkness are truly about. I love this idea and at the end I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.
Overall this story demonstrates one of the lowest points of the life of a kindred and showcases that being an immortal is not as great as one think it could be. (3/5)
Story #3 : A Land of Milk and Honey
The final story focuses on Leigh, a kindred of the Camarilla who runs a human commune in order to figure out a new way of ethically sourcing blood supply. Out of the three stories, this is the best one comparatively. Leigh speaks so elegantly and effortlessly spins lies into truths in a way that keeps you on your toes. She demonstrates the balance between maintaining a "normal" existence and the cravings of the inner beast. With the setting we see a little piece of kindred society and how the cogs in the wheel function so it keeps spinning, so to say.
Overall this is my favorite one, though at times it tends to drag a little bit when it came to the farming information. (4/5)
In the end this was decent book that I would recommend to anyone interested in the VTM setting. Just know that some stories are better then others.
For starters, I love the world of the Vampire the Masquerade universe, even lucky enough to play a character in a game. Putting it simply, the world is dark, messy, and complex in a way that can be used as an amazing template for telling stories about the struggles of holding onto humanity. Blood will be spilt, the beast demands it. Because of this whenever I hear about a new published story, I immediately put it on my TBR list. After finally having a chance to listen to the audiobook, which is performed very well overall, in my opinion the stories vary in quality. Don't worry no spoilers.
Story #1: A Sheep Among Wolves
Starting off is a story about a new college human student named Clea, who struggles with severe depression, trying to find meaning and connections to those around her.
Out of the three stories, and given this is the starting one, I found this one to be the weakest unfortunately. Clea is a difficult character to empathize with as there doesn't seem much to her outside of her mental illness struggles and on occasion she draws well. I bring this up because despite how short the story is, it is constantly brought up as her main reason for doing the things she does when everything goes from 0 to 1,000. I think the story could have benefited more if we were able to see more layers fleshed out or peeled away so when changes happen, they make more sense. A nitpick but outside of two name drops connecting the setting to the VTM world, there really isn't anything unique or familiar to make the story feel connected to this universe.
Overall the concept is there however it was poorly executed. (1.5/5)
Story #2: Fine Print
This story is about Duke, a human tech bro turned kindred as he struggles with his new in life in a way he didn't think possible. Despite the limited story description, this is a much stronger story that feels like it is set in the VTM world. Not just with terms but with setting and new kindred discoveries. Duke is not a likeable person and is not meant to be. After he is embraced, and things start ramping up, he discovers what the kindred and the darkness are truly about. I love this idea and at the end I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.
Overall this story demonstrates one of the lowest points of the life of a kindred and showcases that being an immortal is not as great as one think it could be. (3/5)
Story #3 : A Land of Milk and Honey
The final story focuses on Leigh, a kindred of the Camarilla who runs a human commune in order to figure out a new way of ethically sourcing blood supply. Out of the three stories, this is the best one comparatively. Leigh speaks so elegantly and effortlessly spins lies into truths in a way that keeps you on your toes. She demonstrates the balance between maintaining a "normal" existence and the cravings of the inner beast. With the setting we see a little piece of kindred society and how the cogs in the wheel function so it keeps spinning, so to say.
Overall this is my favorite one, though at times it tends to drag a little bit when it came to the farming information. (4/5)
In the end this was decent book that I would recommend to anyone interested in the VTM setting. Just know that some stories are better then others.
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