They Thirst

Last updated
They Thirst
TheyThirst.jpg
First edition
Author Robert R. McCammon
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Horror
Publisher Avon Books
Publication date
1981
Media typePrint (paperback, hardback), e-book
Pages554
ISBN 0380771802 (first edition paperback)

They Thirst is a horror novel by American writer Robert R. McCammon, first published in 1981 and republished in 1991 in hardback. [1] The book details the relentless possession of Los Angeles by vampires, who quickly transform the city into a necropolis with the intent to conquer the entire world. [2]

Contents

Plans to create a TV movie were announced in 1992, [3] but attempts to make the film were unsuccessful. [4]

They Thirst is one of the author's earlier novels and one that he intentionally kept out of print for many years. He stated that while he did not dislike the book itself he did not feel it was up to the standards of his later works. After years of unavailability it was released as an e-book in 2013, and it is set to be republished by Subterranean on August 30, 2015.

Plot

The prologue starts in Hungary as young Andy is waiting for his father to come home after a hunting trip. His father comes in late but is different. Andy comes to his father when told to and finds he is pale and cold. Andy's mother, suspecting that he is a creature he was hunting for, shoots him. His face is blown apart but continues to come after the two. They then run away into the cold blizzard. His father shouts "I'LL FIND YOU" as they run away. Andy and his mother finally go to a house away from their town.

Later, Andy, now a Los Angeles detective, is trying find the Roach, who rapes, murders, and then puts cockroaches in the mouth of his victims. Andy's work leaves him stressed from the relentless hours he must put in on the case. Meanwhile, an albino sociopath killer is making his way to Los Angeles by the calls of someone and visions. At a bar in Texas he kills everyone with a Mauser. Eventually he makes his way to Los Angeles. Gayle Clark is a reporter and while going to work with her boyfriend they find the Hollywood Cemetery is ransacked. The people who did this left the bodies in a road and stole the coffins. Andy is told of this and goes to the watchman to tell him what to do if it happens again; to just stay in the house and close the blinds. At the same time Rico, a Chicano gangster, finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant. The girl runs away after Rico inquires if the child is his. The girl continues on the lam while Rico tries to find her. Eventually she is overtaken by the vampires on a dark street. That same night Wes Richer is having a large party after his successful comedy show. His wife, who is a medium, attempts, at the urging of a non-believer, to have a vision using a Ouija board. She is told by a spirit that there's evil and when she asks "what is this evil," it replies, "THEY THIRST"

Before dawn the Prince Vampire is in Disneyland and sees the Headmaster. The Headmaster tells him that endless possibilities will be possible once he conquers Los Angeles. When seen after talking to him by a watchman he turns into a large bat and flies away.

Reception

Critical reception for the book was mixed to positive. [5] Publishers Weekly gave a positive review for They Thirst, praising McCammon's writing. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>I Am Legend</i> (novel) Science fiction horror novel by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend is a 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel by American writer Richard Matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It was also an inspiration for George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).

Robert Rick McCammon is an American novelist from Birmingham, Alabama. One of the influential names in the late 1970s–early 1990s American horror literature boom, by 1991 McCammon had three New York Times bestsellers and around 5 million books in print.

<i>Affliction</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Paul Schrader

Affliction is a 1997 American mystery thriller drama film directed and written by Paul Schrader, based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Russell Banks. The film stars Nick Nolte as a small-town sheriff who investigates a suspicious hunting accident while slowly having a mental breakdown. It also stars Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, and Willem Dafoe.

Harper Lee American novelist

Nelle Harper Lee was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numerous accolades and honorary degrees, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 which was awarded for her contribution to literature. She assisted her close friend Truman Capote in his research for the book In Cold Blood (1966). Capote was the basis for the character Dill Harris in To Kill a Mockingbird.

<i>The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla</i>

Wolves of the Calla is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the fifth book in his The Dark Tower series. The book continues the story of Roland Deschain, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Jake Chambers, and Oy as they make their way toward the Dark Tower. The subtitle of this novel is Resistance. Prior to the novel's publication, two excerpts were published: "Calla Bryn Sturgis" was published in 2001 on Stephen King's official site, and "The Tale of Gray Dick" was published in 2003 in McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales. Both excerpts were incorporated in revised form into the novel. Wolves of the Calla was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 2004.

Lestat de Lioncourt Fictional character created by Anne Rice

Lestat de Lioncourt[lɛ.stat də ljɔ̃.kuʁ] is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat (1985). He is a vampire and an antihero in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles.

<i>Vittorio the Vampire</i>

Vittorio the Vampire (1999) is the second novel in Anne Rice's New Tales of the Vampires series. It is the only vampire novel by Rice besides Pandora in which the lead character of her series The Vampire Chronicles, Lestat de Lioncourt, does not appear; although Vittorio references him briefly.

<i>The Batman vs. Dracula</i> 2005 animated superhero film

The Batman vs. Dracula is a 2005 American animated superhero film based on The Batman television series. The film was released to DVD on October 18, 2005, and made its television debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on October 22, 2005. In the film, Batman races to save Gotham City from his most challenging foe yet: the legendary vampire Dracula himself, who hatches a plot to enslave the city and create a race of vampires. It was released on DVD as a tie-in with the live action Batman Begins.

The Last Vampire series consists of books written by Christopher Pike and chronicles the life of the 5,000-year-old "last vampire", The titles were originally released under "The Last Vampire" series name, but when recently published was changed simply to "Thirst". Several previously released books were compiled together to make up earlier volumes of the "Thirst" series. The last book written in 2013 was called "Thirst no. 5: The Sacred Veil", although Christopher Pike has confirmed on his Facebook page that there will be a sixth book.

<i>Queen of the Damned</i> 2002 film by Michael Rymer

Queen of the Damned is a 2002 vampire film directed by Michael Rymer, loosely based on the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned (1988), although the film contains many plot elements from the novel's predecessor The Vampire Lestat. A stand-alone sequel to Interview with the Vampire (1994), the film stars Stuart Townsend, Aaliyah in her final film role, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Perez, and Lena Olin.

Mahmoud Dowlatabadi Iranian writer and actor

Mahmoud Dowlatabadi is an Iranian writer and actor, known for his promotion of social and artistic freedom in contemporary Iran and his realist depictions of rural life, drawn from personal experience. In 2020, he wrote and recited a work called Soldier for the Art of Peace global project, composed and arranged by Mehran Alirezaei. He has collaborated with this project.

<i>Thirst</i> (2009 film) 2009 South Korean film

Thirst is a 2009 horror film written, produced and directed by Park Chan-wook. Loosely based on the 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, the film stars Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire as a result of a failed medical experiment, and falls in love with Tae-ju, the wife of his childhood friend.

<i>The Mortal Instruments</i> Series of six young adult fantasy novels written by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by American author Cassandra Clare, the last of which was published on May 27, 2014. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a planned five in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but was the first one published. It follows Clarissa Fray, who interacts with a group of Nephilim known as Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The Shadowhunters protect the world of mundane/human people, who are also called mundanes or "mundies", from dark forces beyond their world.

<i>Dracula the Un-dead</i> 2009 novel by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt

Dracula the Un-dead is a 2009 sequel to Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel Dracula. The book was written by Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. Previously, Holt had been a direct-to-DVD horror screenwriter, and Stoker a track and field coach.

Robert T. Westbrook is an American writer. He was born to columnist Sheilah Graham five years after the death of her lover F. Scott Fitzgerald. Graham claimed Robert's biological father was Trevor Cresswell Lawrence Westbrook, a British businessman whom she divorced in 1946.

"The Book Job" is the sixth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 20, 2011. In the episode, Lisa is shocked to discover that all popular young-adult novels are not each written by a single author with any inspiration, but are conceived by book publishing executives through use of market research and ghostwriters to make money. When Homer hears this, he decides to get rich by starting work on a fantasy novel about trolls together with Bart, Principal Skinner, Patty, Moe, Professor Frink, and author Neil Gaiman. Lisa, who does not think writing should be about money, decides to write a novel on her own. However, she is constantly distracted by other things and fails to make any progress on it. After selling their novel to a book publishing executive, the group members later discover that the executive has replaced the trolls with vampires because vampires are more popular. In an attempt to replace this new version with the old before the novel goes into print, they break into the book publishing company's headquarters.

<i>The Fractal Prince</i>

The Fractal Prince is the second science fiction novel by Hannu Rajaniemi and the second novel to feature the post-human gentleman thief Jean le Flambeur. It was published in Britain by Gollancz in September 2012, and by Tor in the same year in the US. The novel is the second in the trilogy, following The Quantum Thief (2010) and preceding The Causal Angel (2014).

<i>Dracula Reborn</i> 2012 American film

Dracula Reborn is a 2012 vampire-themed direct-to-video horror film, directed and written by Patrick McManus, making his feature film directorial debut. Produced by Ray Haboush, the film stars Corey Landis, Victoria Summer, Krash Miller, Stuart Rigby and Keith Reay. It is a modernized, loosely based take on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, taking place in Los Angeles, California, where a wealthy Count Dracula looks to purchase an abandoned building and pursue the wife of his realtor, Jonathan Harker.

<i>Go Set a Watchman</i> 2015 novel by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman is a novel by Harper Lee written before the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird, her first and only other published novel (1960). Although it was initially promoted as a sequel by its publisher, it is now accepted that it was a first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird, with many passages being used again in that book.

<i>The Night Watchman</i> (novel) 2020 novel by American author Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman is a novel by Louise Erdrich first published on March 3, 2020 by HarperCollins. The novel is set in the 1950s. This is Erdrich's 6th standalone novel following Future Home of the Living God. The novel was inspired by the life of Erdrich's grandfather who motivated and inspired other members of the Turtle Mountain Reservation to resist the Indian termination policies of the 1940s-1960s. The Night Watchman is the first novel that Erdrich has written that is set on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.

References

  1. Joshi, S.T. (2010). Encyclopedia of the Vampire. Greenwood. pp. 323–325. ISBN   978-0313378331.
  2. Gottlieb, Sherry Gershon (Jun 30, 1991). "Review: They Thirst". LA Times. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  3. "Wanted: Actress For Turner Biopic". Orlando Sentinel. September 25, 1992. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  4. Turek, Ryan. "Five Robert McCammon Novels Hollywood Should Be Adapting". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  5. "Review: They Thirst". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  6. "Review: They Thirst". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2013.