Charles Boisvert is a priest struggling to overcome his "impure" homosexual tendencies. He has almost convinced himself that his desires are gone when an attractive young man named Kyle wanders into his confessional. Charles is immediately drawn to Kyle but convinces himself that he only wants to help the distraught man. Charles believes that Kyle is in an abusive relationship with his lover Victor. Then he learns the unbelievable truth that Kyle is a thrall of the vampire Victor and is desperate to escape his hellish life with his master. But Victor is a selfish, brutal, 2000 year old vampire who always gets what he wants, and what he wants right now is to make more vampires in order to gain power, starting with his thrall. Charles decides to do everything he can to save Kyle from becoming a monster, even if it means putting his own life and beliefs in danger.

VAMPIRE MAKER is the fourth book in Michael Schiefelbein's Vampire series. Although the series revolves around the life of the vampire Victor, this installment focus more on the human priest Charles and the thrall Kyle. As with the prior books, the story is filled with religious overtones and questions some of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Victor was in love with the mortal Jesus before he became a vampire and is haunted by the only man who refused him as a lover. Though he still desires him, he considers Jesus' heaven to be a static and sterile heaven and rejects it in favor of passion and vitality. This eternal conflict within Victor has driven much of the story since the first book and presents him to readers as more than a ruthless predator.

There are three main characters in the book, one who is a man of faith, one who believes he has lost his faith, and one who has never had faith. This brings unavoidable conflict and strife into the story, and the fact that all three are gay and attracted to each other also lends complexity to the plot. There are lots of steamy sex scenes in the book, so those who do not like same-sex encounters should skip it. Having read the prior three books, I believe this is a great addition to the series. Schiefelbein continues with his straightforward but clearly descriptive writing style, and pens an intense and riveting plot. His characters are still a bit schizophrenic, seeming to change their minds every couple of pages, but they are real and likeable despite their faults. Overall, I found VAMPIRE MAKER to be an intriguing blend of religion, horror, and gay romance. I hope Schiefelbein decides to continue Victor's journey in the future.

Book Summary

Victor Decimus has been a vampire for over 2,000 years. Once a Roman Legionnaire, for millennia Victor has remained a step or two ahead of rivals, would-be executioners, and the mysterious Dark Kingdom, which sets the rules for vampires' existence. Having left New York and his lover - the vampire he made then abandoned to escape the vengeance of the Dark Kingdom -Victor sets himself up again, with his thrall, in New Orleans.

But in New Orleans, his thrall becomes the point of a new, larger conflict. On the one hand, a local priest seeks to break Victor's hold over the thrall; on the other, the Dark Kingdom fears that Victor is going to become a Vampire Maker - one who continually creates new vampires, while refusing to take his place on the next plain of existence and thus creating an imbalance in the powers of the universe. And between both walks Victor, determined to have his own way, exerts control and remains defiant to the end.