Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Pg. 99: Eric Nuzum's "The Dead Travel Fast"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Eric Nuzum's The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula.

About the book, from the publisher:
The Dead Travel Fast is about vampires, death, chickens, fear, things that smell bad, the love of a good woman, and germs … but mostly it’s about vampires.

The undead are everywhere. They’re not just in movies and books, but in commercials, fetish clubs, and even in your breakfast cereal. If you look, you’ll discover that bloodsuckers have gone from guest spots in rural folk tales to becoming some of the most recognizable bad guys in the modern world. Eric Nuzum wanted to find out why and how this happened. And he found the answer in Goth clubs, darkened parks, haunted houses, and … chain restaurants.

Nuzum was willing to do whatever it took to better understand the vampire phenomenon. He traveled across Transylvania on a tour hosted by Butch Patrick (a.k.a. Eddie Munster), sat through Las Vegas’ only topless vampire revue, hung out with assorted shady characters, and spent hours in a coffin. He even drank his own blood -- just one more step in his quest to understand the weird, offbeat world of vampires and the people who love them.

The Dead Travel Fast is the hilarious result of this bloody, gory, and often foolhardy journey. With his unmatched firsthand experience, Eric Nuzum delivers a far-reaching look at vampires in pop culture, from Bram to Bela to Buffy, and at what vampires and vampirism have come to mean to us today.

And the blood? Let’s just say it doesn’t go with eggs.
Among the early praise for the book:
"Oozing with blood, intellect and unexpected sincerity, The Dead Travel Fast is the definitive look at why society loves the man who's not in the mirror. This is the best book on vampirism I've ever read."
--Chuck Klosterman, author of Killing Yourself to Live

"Eric Nuzum has written a first-class, if respectful, evisceration of contemporary vampire culture. It's also the funniest vampire comedy since Love at First Bite."
--Neal Pollack, author of Alternadad

"Eric Nuzum walks where few writers dare to tread in his quest to ferret out vampires, traveling from Las Vegas to Transylvania, and even drinking his own blood -with predictably disastrous results. An entertaining history packed with colorful characters, arcane trivia, and keen insight into our enduring fascination with these mythical creatures."
--Jennifer Ouellette, author of The Physics of the Buffyverse

"Infused with both wit and sensitivity, Nuzum's storytelling shifts effortlessly between history and anecdote without losing sight of its subject."
--Entertainment Weekly
Read an excerpt from The Dead Travel Fast and learn more about the book and author at Eric Nuzum's website.

The Page 99 Test: The Dead Travel Fast.

--Marshal Zeringue