Cassie McCullagh

For me, what was absolutely missing from this book is what I love about vampires and that is the whole metaphor of the eroticism and desire and sex and blood and this.

We're told they're charismatic and appealing, but we never actually feel it ourselves.

And I think perhaps Raymond A Villareal's background as a lawyer, you know, it does feel like... Oh, come on, I've got a background as a lawyer.

I haven't.

No, no, no.

Actually, what I think I was going to say is that it does feel like a brief of evidence in there.

Now, the title itself is interesting, A People's History of the Vampire Uprising, which is a hat tip to A People's History of the United States, which is a mega bestseller in 1980 by Howard Zinn.

And it told a kind of up from under version of history before that was cool, man.

So having said everything that we've said, what do you think Raymond's message is?

What's he actually saying?

Yeah, featuring this novel.

People will read this as a critique of Trump's America and also of the selfie generation and the rise of, you know, the consumer idols.

So, you know, maybe that's what he's trying to say, but, gee, could have been clearer.

All those years.

Let's start with you, Vicki Laveau-Harvey.

Now, you're a writer, a translator.

I guess that means that you read broadly.

What's something that's on your reading list?

Jam-packed today.

There's your blooming lot.