Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 1

I'm an older gent. I cut my teeth on the anime version long before I knew of the novels. I recently bought a kindle (extremely pleased with the latest model... I don't normally plug products in reviews unrelated but I got the epub version of this book and it looks fantastic on my reader... okay...moving on) and I was able to rediscover this book in the electronic format. I'd like to say I'm a writer or something with a little ethos to validate my opinion, but I am just a dude, so consider the review source... that said... I really enjoyed the heck out of this story. I also wasn't aware that it was a series and so, I look forward to continued reading. If I cast a critical eye on the novel, I'd say that it is appropriate for the time in which it was written (and bear in mind, this is a translation and I'm literally learning Japanese so I can read the original sans interpretation... langage makes the culture in many ways) but may strike some as being the opposite. D is a fun fellow to follow and having some insight into his backstory (no spoilers here) prompts one for a second read with a slightly adjusted perspective of the story. I am a gigantic fan of Yoshitaka Amano (I even own some of his work) and the occasional ink plate of his art adds a nice touch. Does the structure follow the standard hero's journey? Not exactly, but the difference is what makes the story unique. D is something of a 'hold over' static character with some of the hero/anti-hero tropes of pulp fiction story telling (extremely gifted/powerful... but still tragically flawed in many story creating ways). He is a hero (of sorts) that is basically going to work (like a daily grind job)... except that work involves pest control of the vampire type. The world building lends to some interesting visualizations of a future where the highest of tech meets the lowest of human living conditions (typified by a medieval living standards for the 'lowly Humans' and what I would describe as "star trek post scarcity/galactic level 2 society"... but with way more violence... for the 'High/Nobel Vampires'). It is a clashing world of the future that is nothing but a leftover from some greater civilization founded by... vampires. So, what you get with this world is a bit of a neogothic-cyberpunk-vampire science fiction/fantasy setting... that's a lot to wrap up into a single story but it is actually an easy and entertaining read (with 20+ more books in the series... so I expect to learn more about this world of complete opposites). It seems paced well (to an amateur) and given the number of sequels... it clearly stood the test of time. I highly recommend this book in any format you can get it in. So go get some!

I became interested in this series after watching "Bloodlust" and was hoping to get more info on D, his background and his talking left hand. While I liked how the book was fast paced and descriptive, I got more background information from Wikipedia than from the novel. Though to be fair, it is the first in a series of seventeen. Hopefully D's mysterious background will be revealed in later volumes.The story was fun and delightfully harrowing though the writing itself could be choppy and a bit confusing. At times I felt I was either spoon fed the plot line or like I was watching an episode of the 1960s "Batman". The author would insert inane questions into the narration as if the reader was too dense to figure the plot out for his or herself. But, I suppose that might be due to alterations from Japanese translation as they have a different writing style than what most Westerners are used to. Also these books were written in the 1980s and writing styles may have changed somewhat.Nevertheless, once I got passed the erratic narration, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was dark, erotic and had great battle and character descriptions. The author did a wonderful job of conveying emotions as well.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has watched the Vampire Hunter D movies or is just a fan of vampire stories.

I'm not a vampire novel fan, but I am a big fan of anime. Nope, I don't watch anime for the graphics, or the voice acting, I watch it for the different storylines and methods of approaching a story. Their stories are different to Western mainstream stories.This is why I love this novel, despite (let's face it!) the fact it's terribly written. I'm putting that down largely to quirks in translation.Firstly, the negatives:> While dialogue is serviceable, it's by no means outstanding (though I should note it's WAY better than the anime of the 80's).> You are constantly reminded of how gorgeous the characters are, and they are repeatedly described in detail (while characters who I guess are "ordinary" are described hardly at all).> The word "countenance". Seriously, count how many times it was used.> You are frequently given the result of an action, only to have the narrative backpedal to explain how such a result came about. I found this had a jarring effect on the flow of the story, until I started to get used to it by about half way through.> The omniscient narrator often addresses the reader directly (a personal dislike).> A bit of head-hopping, particularly in the beginning.> For folk who haven't seen the anime, I imagine there's a bunch of things that won't make sense until late in the novel.Now for the positives:> Characters were likable- a huge plus with me.> The enemies were so epically powerful that it was hard not to root for them, just to see them show off their stuff.> The story is very action-driven. There are no boring bits. Even the (few) lulls are filled with tension.> The story is set in a unique world in a distant post-apocalyptic future where there's a strong gothic/medieval influence (from the vampires and how they've shaped the world), but also very high-tech as far as cyborgs and weaponry goes. The creatures of myth and fairy tales are the result of vampiric influence and genetic modification.> Things continue to get worse for the main characters, and the flow of events weren't terribly predictable.> From someone who hasn't read (or enjoyed) very much vampire fiction, this was enjoyable and unique.For me, the pros outweighed the cons. The story moves at a fast pace and therefore you don't pay as much attention to the truly awful writing. I'll definitely be reading volume two. If the writing improves, I'll be a happy girl.

Este é o livro que inspirou a primeira animação dos anos 80. Aquela até que é bem fiel a este. Este é, pra mim, o melhor dos quatro primeiros livros e traz toda a atmosfera que os fãs que vieram das animações esperam deste universo. Este conto também traz excelentes personagens e passagens. Acho uma pena que a única conexão narrativa dos quatro primeiros livros é uma citação no fim do quarto livro da "irmã e do irmão que viviam em um rancho"...Mas isso é uma questão de gosto e opinião pessoal e não estraga as histórias em nada.Este aqui é bem legal e um excelente começo. E a arte do mestre Amano é um deleite como sempre.Entretanto, apesar da riqueza do cenário único, dos personagens e da história em si (história boa, narrativa ruim) as duas reviews que deram 1 estrela tem razão nos argumentos apontados. O livro é mal escrito (embora muitas das coisas que o primeiro avaliador critique sejam mais uma questão de estilo do autor e não necessariamente o que torne a forma de contar a história ruim - ex: As Mil e Uma noites traduzidas pelo Mamede Mustafa Jarouche tem metade de alguns livros sendo de notas e é absurdamente sensacional) e as obras do Vampire Hunter D (até o quarto livro) são de fato sexistas, genéricas e até infantis em muitos momentos.

This is a mash-up of genres, pulp western, sci-fi and horror with a new take on vampires. The author's imagination knows no bounds and he uses all of these elements to put together an engaging and unique tale. This fun read that will leave to wanting more. Fortunately there are many more books in the series.

Esta es la primera aventura de D, y resulta exótica y exhuberante a pesar de tratarse de una obra post-postapocalipsis. Aquí todos son misterios de un mundo hostil que sabemos que se van resolviendo en posteriores volúmenes, pero que aquí no entendemos y eso, justamente eso, hace genial este volumen. ¿Alguien ha dicho que Sandman, D y Alucard se parecen mucho? Seguro que si, pero al escribir esto se me ocurrió.

Bin gerade auf einem vampir trip mit dem release des castlevania animes und so und ich muss sagen dieses buch ist genau das nachdem ich gesucht habe

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 is considered a must-read for fans of dark fantasy, action-adventure and sci-fi. The Kindle edition of the book, written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, features several stunning illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano, which help to bring the world and characters to life in a unique and captivating way.The story follows the adventures of the mysterious and powerful vampire hunter, D, as he travels through a post-apocalyptic world, set in the distant future, filled with danger and supernatural creatures.Definitely one of the strengths of this book is its imaginative world-building. Kikuchi has created a rich, complex world filled with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and desires. There are some surprising phenomena, for example the Nobility castle on a small hill that is defended by bending time and space such that it takes hours to climb a few metres.Another standout aspect of the book is the character of D himself. He is a fascinating protagonist, who is both mysterious and powerful. The reader is drawn to his enigmatic nature and is eager to learn more about his past and what drives him. However this strength is also one of the book's weaknesses because the omnipotence of D results in you never really believing that he is ever in any danger.In terms of action and adventure, Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 did not disappoint, though some of the scenes and scenarios started to feel a little reiterative with predictable plot twists. It also suffers from being a little dated now.Overall, I rated Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 an OK read. It does feature a rich world, some interesting characters, and plenty of action especially for fans of dark fantasy in a science fiction setting.