#BlogTour ‘Stoker’s Wilde West’ by Steve Hopstaken and Melissa Prussi

About the book…

The sequel to Stoker’s Wilde, praised by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal and more!

Thinking they have put their monster-hunting days behind them, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker return to their normal lives. But when their old ally Robert Roosevelt and his nephew Teddy find a new nest of vampires, they are once again pulled into the world of the supernatural, this time in the American West. A train robbery by a band of vampire gunslingers sets off a series of events that puts Bram on the run, Oscar leading a rescue party and our heroes being pursued by an unstoppable vampire bounty hunter who rides a dead, reanimated horse.

Hugest of thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and FlameTree Press for the blogtour invite and my gifted review copy of ‘Stoker’s Wilde West’, where Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker reunite and head out for the wild frontier!

This fun and gore filled sequel to ‘Stoker’s Wilde‘, once more reunites uneasy literary bedfellows, Oscar and Bram as they head out West to tour , Bram with Henry Irving(here a vampire) and Oscar with new play ‘Vera’.

Again told in an epistolary format, a neat nod back to ‘Dracula’, this sees literary heavyweights of Victiorian society heading for the fertile new frontiers of America, still searching for a cure for Oscar’s brother’s lycanthropy, and a reason why Bram’s blood is such that no vampire can turn him.

In the background lurks the White Worm Society, a Victorian version of ‘Buffy, The Vampire Slayer’s’ Watchers, keepers of the transcripts on which these books are based. The short chapters keep the plot coming thick and fast as Bram’s family is attacked at home, his son and wife, Florence, in danger of vampire attack by Carolyn Le Fey,still angry that her sire has been killed by our erstwhile authors.

Heading West whilst getting used to their new places in society, aware they have supernatural threats as well as allies around them, seems like a good idea, however, on arrival, Robert Rossevelt and his nephew Teddy bring them news of vampire nests who also see the New World as a fertile breeding ground…

The authors play fast and loose with historical and literary figures, bringing them into a western adventure, with gothic sensibilities underpinning the story. The sense of individuality versus societal obligations is explored within the context of the relationships between them all, especially Florence and Bram who are adjusting to being new parents, as well as recovering from Bram’s indiscretion with an actress who he happens to be taking with them on tour. Florence is possibly my favourite character of the book, she is a firm, no nonsense woman who is steadily getting to know who she is besides being a wife and mother.

There is a wicked sense of humour at play, and the sense of the vernacular is so well captured, the clash of British versus American cultures is delightful, especially given Oscar’s rapier wit, with Bram often playing the straight man to his shenanigans. How can you not love a book which shoehorns in Mark Twain, Calamity Jane, the Roosevelts and Jeremiah Johnson, alongside historical details of the Native Americans, the clash of cultures between so-called ‘civililized’ society and ‘savages’?

You don’t need to have read ‘Stoker’s Wilde’ to enjoy this one, but I would recommend it because it just a great read. It’s the kind of book you can settle down with, and dive into and feel satisfied when finished. And this is more of the same, it is a great stand alone story but has left me eager for more-whether the authors have more up their sleeves for Stoker and Wilde to get involved in is not known but I sincerely hope there will be other adventures for this pair!

About the author…

Steven Hopstaken was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spent his formative years watching and reading science fiction and horror. He has a degree in journalism from Northern Michigan Universityand spends his free time
traveling; writing screenplays, short stories and novels;and practicing photography.

Melissa Prusi was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
(often mistaken for Canada),and studied video and film production at
Northern Michigan Universityand the University of Michigan. She’s been a video editor,asemi-professional film reviewer,athree-time champion on the quiz show Jeopardy!,and a Guinness world record holder (1990 edition,for directing the longest live television show).

They met in acollege screenwriting class and married three years later. They spent a brief time in Los Angeles, where they both worked for Warner Bros.television. They eventually ended up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they love the arts scene but dread the winters. While they both currently make a living as website content managers, they have sold two screenplays, which have been lost to development hell (let’s hope they can be resurrected!)
They’ve indulged their fascination with Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde through trips to Dublin and London to research their lives and visit sites mentioned in Stoker’s Wilde.
They live in St.Louis Park, Minnesota with their two cats. If they’re not writing,you can usually find them at a movie, local theater production, improv show or pub quiz.

Links-https://www.flametreepress.com/

Twitter @RandomTTours

@flametreepress

@StokersWild