Mandy Reviews: The Eyes of the Dead (A Vetala Cycle Novel) by G. R. Yeates

ASIN #: B0052BPGTM

File Size: 241 KB

Page Count: 166

Format: Kindle

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Vampires are loose in the trenches of the First World War.

Passchendaele, 1917. Private Reg Wilson is a man with a name but no memories. A soldier who remembers nothing of life before the fighting began. Until he comes to Black Wood, a tainted place that knows him intimately. There, he will discover a darkness buried long ago by time and dust. An appetite that has been awoken by war. A hunger that will feed upon his blood, his regrets and his worst fears. It will show him what he has forgotten. It will show him nightmare made flesh. And, before he dies, it will make him look deep into the eyes of the dead.

Mandy's Review:

This novel made me sick. Literally. There were a few times I had to stop reading it because of the graphic verbiage during certain scenes in this book. That has not happened to me before that I recall.

Despite the queasiness I felt, I could not completely stop reading The Eyes of the Dead. It was like a horrible train wreck that you felt compelled to keep looking at. Reginald Wilson believes he has the 'horrors.' The term 'horrors' is another way of saying a soldier has PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) where the soldier still 'hears' and 'sees' all of the gruesome events during the war. I always knew that PTSD was a serious condition, but reading Yeates' book has brought this tragic symptom to life for me. I cannot imagine going through life distortedly remembering all of the terrible badness that happened to fallen comrades, villages, in the trenches, etc. And having to deal with all of those remembrances once our military returns home gives me a whole new respect for what they do.

I noticed the book summary states that 'Vampires are loose in the trenches of the First World War.' I can tell you that, after reading this book, I really didn't get a sense of vampirism. The way it reads feels as if Wilson is in the throes of PTSD, rather than the events being conspired by a vampire. Yes, there were references to throats being torn out, but it felt as if they were part of Wilson's crazy visions and that they didn't really happen at all.

Please don't think that my queasiness and comments about vampires mean I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. I appreciated the fact that Yeates could make me queasy. I don't think even Stephen King has done that and I absolutely adore King! To find an author that can cause me to experience something I have not experienced before is rare. So, props to G. R. Yeates for being extremely descriptive and well-written.

The ending had a surprising twist, which I appreciated. I don't want to say too much about it because it would ruin your experience of reading the book. Just know that if you like a gruesome period read with mind-boggling twists and turns, then you need to read The Eyes of the Dead.


*An ecopy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.