The Reluctant Vampire

This is a really funny story that will certainly appeal to children who are independent readers. It is written in chapters, each with a rhyming couplet as the chapter’s title. The story concerns our the vampires King Victor and Queen Valeeta and the royal princes – their son Prince Vernon and their adopted son, Prince Valentine. From the very first chapter the scenes and characters are portrayed with great descriptions and plenty of humour. It is also likely to appeal to any adults who enjoyed the work of this comedy legend turned author. This is a great book that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Eric Morecambe died in 1984 at the relatively youthful age of 58 - that's what a lifetime smoking habit will do to you. Paired with Ernie Wise, the twosome formed the most popular pair of entertainers in Britain in the 1970s. Their annual Xmas TV show was always brilliant and hilarious and had a huge following. It held very much the same place that the Doctor Who Xmas specials do now, although even Doctor Who doesn't pull in anywhere near as big an audience as Morecambe and Wise drew.

I got this book thinking it was a graphic novel, paying no attention to the author's name and not even realizing it was by the Eric Morecambe. When I saw the name on the cover, I thought it was maybe his son, or just someone who shared the name. Even wikipedia doesn't mention it, so I was really thrilled that I’d stumbled into a chance to read it.

The story is of a doctor who is called in to cure the son, Valentine, of the ruling vampire of Ketchem, or he will be completely liquidized and sent home in a children's beach bucket. The story has overtones of Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein, as you'll note as soon as you meet Igon, the vampire's assistant, who has only one eye. It's also a bit reminiscent of Spike Milligan's writing. The way it’s written will work for grown-ups or for children.

The castle servant's name is Des O'Connor backwards. Des O'Connor is an English singer and comedian who has pretty much retired now (and earned it!), but who appeared on the Morecambe and Wise show many times. The story begins with the doctor being called to the castle to fix Valentine's attack of the 'vampire vapors', but after a lot of farce, the Doctor learns that Valentine isn’t actually a vampire! Mystery and intrigue - but it all turns out well in the end!

I loved this story because the humor was completely off-the-wall, yet the story still hung together comfortably. There was a plot, and a beginning, a middle, and an end. I laughed a lot and enjoyed reading it. The fact that this story has to be at the very least thirty years old isn't apparent from the writing. It could have been written yesterday. I recommend it, and if you like it, there's a sequel: The Vampire's Revenge.