Let's Talk About Books

I found this at a used bookstore and immediately decided to buy it. I've seen bits and pieces of the movie and the concept has always fascinated me. I love monsters and while vampires aren't my favorite, I liked the portrayal of them as more animalistic and less romantic, as most try to portray them these days.

30 Days of Night takes place in the town of Barrow, Alaska where, as the title suggests, for a month the sun does not rise. As you can expect, it is the ideal situation for vampires and a pack of them comes to the town  looking for a feast. The married sheriffs of the town do their best to keep their townspeople safe and fight the supernatural menace. 

As a first volume, the graphic novel did a good job of piquing my interest. The vampire social hierarchy is very interesting, especially with Vicente and his methods of handling the others. I was shocked by his killing Marlowe simply because I usually see vampires as being protective of their own. So it was a nice change. Basically it's a completely different concept than I've ever seen in vampire fiction. And the idea of vampires using natural phenomenons like the sun not rising again was just brilliant. 

Overall though I didn't find the plot very compelling though. Like, it was interesting but it wasn't hard to put down. It lacked a bit of depth. Like, it was all action, not as much substance. I would have liked to have seen more of the survivor's ordeal, what they had to do to survive. I also would have liked to have known more about the characters. We didn't really get to know them very well, their likes and dislikes, etc. I was not a fan of the art style either. It worked for the story and the genre, I just wasn't a big fan.

I did really like the main characters, the Egan, Sarah, and Vicente. They were developed enough for me to feel like they were individuals. Perhaps I'm just not used to graphic novels, but it felt like they didn't put in as much substance as the others I've read. 

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was all right and I don't regret buying it. I'll probably read it again and read others in the series. I just wasn't wowed by it. 

Final thought: First book of the bingo. Woo!