Beyond that, how is Dave going to ask out the girl he really likes when she thinks he’s a dork? Well, it might help if he actually exploited the abilities he has as a vampire like his mate Jerome, but Dave has principles. That’s not going to be very likely the way things are going, and as far as Dave is concerned the book’s title more than applies. Radu put the bite on Dave, and Dave, under the laws applying to vampires, has to obey him unless Radu willingly grants him independence. In the case of Dave it’s a pretty mundane existence with little in the way of opportunity as he’s in effect enslaved by his Romanian vampire store owner. The gist of Life Sucks is that vampires exist, mingling with humans, although not during daylight of course. It’s necessary at the start, to reinforce the tedium of Dave’s life, but once that’s established a more compact and faster paced story would perk up Life Sucks immensely. It would be improved, however, if the pacing wasn’t so leisurely. There’s no glamour to it, and very little hope, and Pleece brings this through. In Dave they’ve created a likeable sad sack, and Warren Pleece’s disciplined storytelling sells Dave’s world. Jessica Abel and Gabe Soria have come up with the basis of a neat story twisting several preconceptions. Don’t want the surprise ruined, then don’t read beyond the next paragraph. Then, on page 25 everything changes, and a lot of what’s already been read takes on a new meaning. Their version of role playing would make Ann Rice cringe. Dave has his share of odd and ignorant customers, the owner checks up on him by phone, his mate comes by to check out the girls wandering past, and then the vampire wannabes come in. It takes a while of seeing Dave Miller go through the dull routine of his night job at the convenience store before some elements fall into place and the clever allusion of the title becomes apparent. Review by Karl Verhoven Spoilers in review

Life Sucks by Jessica Abel