Reviewing Bent Steeple, by G. Wells Taylor

I struggled to write this review for a long time; for one thing, the novel slid between my bed and the wall for a while, making it that much more difficult to motivate myself to write the review for a novel I admit, I find completely unforgettable. Bent Steeple is probably one of the most disturbing, and mind-bending vampire novels I’ve read since I first opened Stephen King’s ‘ ‘Salem’s Lot.’ That’s not me blowing smoke up the general audience’s ass, for the sake of promoting an unknown author, which sadly, Wells Taylor almost is. Though he has a string of novels behind him, the major publishers have kept their distance.

I can’t help but wonder if it’s not because the man knows exactly how to push his audience’s buttons. I fully admit that Bent Steeple was a gripping page turner, as the cliche reviews go, but there were also several times when I just had to close the book, and digest the last couple of chapters. Some of the content will absolutely disgust you; some will leave you a blubbering little crybaby. By the way, the mention of ‘Salem’s Lot wasn’t accidental, the novel is almost alarmingly similar to King’s vampire tale.

A town is invaded by a vampire and his human familiar, children start disappearing, after they become ill. The similarities end there; the vampire in Bent Steeple is more horrifying and disgusting than King’s creation, because of his pedophilic appetites, and shocking cruelty. The vampire’s past victims rally to fight him, and new warriors enter the scene to fight the old evil, the nefarious, disgusting creature seems to be two steps ahead. Trust me, this horrifying vampire story is enough to cure any fascination with sparkly vampires, for a very long time. By the way, this book is definitely not for anyone under the age of 18.

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