1. Everyone has been exposed to Vampire lore, either through books, movies, or television. How does Jody''s transformation into a vampire differ from how you always thought someone became a vampire? In what ways is it similar?
2. Jody and Tommy''s relationship moves at a rather alarming pace, and within a week of meeting each other, they are in love. Is love at first sight possible? Or in their case, at first bite? Why do they connect so instantly?
3. The book is filled with religious connotations, whether intentional or not -- from the mention of "the pyramid" (The TransAmerica Tower), to the use of crosses to ward off vampires, to the Animals being referred to as "Crusaders." How intentional do you think this was on the part of the author? What do these add to the story?
4. The book touches upon the idea of euthanasia -- the practice of ending the life of a terminally ill person in a painless or minimally painful way in order to limit suffering -- in that Elijah Ben Sapir, the vampire who creates Jody, only kills those who are about to die or whose lives are limited in some way. What are your feelings about "mercy killings"? Do vampires have an ethical standard?
5. When Simon threatens Jody after she refuses to turn him into a vampire, she ends up killing him in the front of his truck. Jody then blames the killing on Elijah, however, and never confesses it to Tommy. Why not admit to it when Elijah has been restrained?
6. Why are Jody and Tommy "set up" as the culprits in the recent crimes? What would it mean if they were caught? Why do these crimes need to be pinned on anyone? Couldn''t the criminals cover up the crimes in another way?
7. By the end of the novel, both detectives -- Cavuto and Rivera -- begin to believe in the supernatural and that vampires could exist. To what extent do you believe in the supernatural, either vampires, ghosts, or even just that some people may or may not have psychic ability?
8. Tommy uses Anne Rice''s The Vampire Lestat, which of course is fiction, as his "Owner''s Manual" for learning about Jody and her new powers. Discuss the author''s use of fiction within fiction in order to tell a story. Have any members of your group read The Vampire Lestat? How do the two books compare?
9. Once Jody becomes a vampire, she finds that she has many new and different abilities, including superstrength, heightened senses, and superspeed. Which do you think is her most needed new superability?
10. Though Jody finds herself immortal, she also retains many of her normal human characteristics and failings, including vanity, fear, anger, and disgust. Discuss how even though she has become immortal, and can protect herself from many of the regular dangers of everyday life, she is still unable to disassociate herself from normal human emotion.
11. At the end of the book, the reader is left with the impression that Jody is about to turn Tommy into a vampire. If she does change him into a vampire, how do you imagine their story continues? How would it continue if she does not?
Enhancing Your Bookclub
1. Would you be willing to give up your normal life -- being able to go out in the daylight, not being immortal -- in order to become a vampire? You''d be able to live forever, have superstrength and -speed, among many other different gifts. Would it be worth it? Why? Why not?
2. To read more about vampires, take a look at the following titles: The Society of S by Susan Hubbard, Vamped by David Sosnowski, The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula by Tim Lucas, and Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Costa.
3. Learn more about vampires: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires.
18 comments:
1. Jody's transformation seems to follow a similar course to the versions I've heard before, however there are aspects about hers that are quite different. For example, I always thought that once you were bitten by a vampire, you were automatically transformed. However, Jody wasn't automatically changed. She had to drink blood and rest for over a day before she came to consciousness as a vampire. Her transformation was also very similar to different versions. She felt her fangs growing out of the roof of her mouth, she was burned in the sunlight, all of her human flaws melted away, and she had supernatural powers. All of these things seem to carry over in different versions of vampire stories.
--Hayley
1. Jody's transformation to a vampire seems a lot like other vampire transformations I've seen/read about. Supernatural powers and burning in the sunlight is a lot like the Underworld movies and I think that being able to feel fangs growing out of the top of your mouth makes sense. In addition, the process in which she turned into a vampire was a lot like Michael in the Lost Boys. Like Michael, Jody had to drink blood before she was turned into a vampire. The difference between Michael and Jody is that Jody got bitten before she drank blood whereas Michael just drank blood and transformed. Bloodsucking Fiends is a little bit different than how I would imagine a transformation only because I would expect a victim to know that they were being bitten.
(expect the victim to know that were being bitten by a vampire)
1. I think my reaction to waking up one day having been changed into a vampire would be frightened, excited, confused and shocked all mixed together. I would be afraid that I would be a completely different person, someone that is nothing like the real me. I would be excited because it’s not everyday someone wakes up a vampire. I would be confused because I would most likely think I am stuck in some sort of dream. I’d be shocked because I wouldn’t know how and why something as absurd as becoming a vampire would happen to me. Yes I would try to love a normal life, but thinking seriously I don’t think it would be possible due to the fact that there is nothing normal about becoming or being a vampire in general. Once I’ve adjusted to being a vampire, I do strongly believe that I would want to change back into a human being if the chance was offered to me. This is because I would hate having to spend the rest of my like living as a vampire that lives off of the blood of people or animals. It is a sad thing and I would rather perish than to become a vampire and feed off blood every time I lack energy and/or strength.
1. Almost everything that I have seen about vampires has been from movies and television. Jodi's transformation differs from how I always thought someone became a vampire in that becoming a vampire in her case was a more gradual process. I always thought that once a person was bitten by some else who was already a vampire they turn into a vampire all at once. However, Jodi changed little by little into a vampire. Jodi's transformation into a vampire is similar to that of the transformations that occur in movies in that she felt her fangs growing from her mouth and her skin burned when it came into contact with the sun. The whole heat vision thing seems to occur in most vampire transformations and the growth in the thirst for human blood.
Jody's transformation, to me, seemed typical, no real twists or surprises during her morphing into a vampire. There are many different takes, the more outlandish concepts and the ones that our culture has accepted and deemed okay; on the same topic: a human turning into a vampire. Jody wakes up in an alley, having no idea what has happened to her, with a severely burned hand. Her physical human flaws have virtually vanished and she has gained superhuman powers. Yet, when she wakes up she remembers nothing of her transformation; she is initially clueless to what she has become. That I think is the main difference to me, I would think you would remember transforming into something more than you already were. I'm guessing it would be painful and something that you would never forget. Other than not immediately knowing what had past, I think her transformation is similar to what I expect when I read about the metamorphosis of becoming vampire.
1. Well, at this point there’s not a lot of information about how Jody became a vampire, but usually in movies or what have you, the person is at least somewhat aware of what powers they have or don’t have; however, it is similar in that she was incredibly confused by this transformation, and somewhat reluctant—that seems a bit counterintuitive, but usually people, no matter how bewildered, don’t have to create “tests” as to their abilities or immortality. Of course, I don't have that much knowledge of what "usually" happens when a character becomes a vampire, since I don't really read that many books about vampires, or watch a lot of vampire movies.
Zoe J.
2. Yes, in this case I would say that love at first sight is possible because there is another element to Jody and Tommy's relationship. They need each other. Tommy has just moved to San Francisco, and needs to find somewhere to stay and help him adjust to his new environment. Jody has just been transformed to a vampire, has left her boyfriend, and needs to feed on human blood. So, together, all of their needs fall into place and they both have a place to stay, Tommy provides blood for Jody, and Tommy does things Jody needs done during the day when she can't go out. All of this life dependence on each other only fueled the passion and love between them.
3. I think the religious connotations were highly intentional on Moore's part. His reasons for including them are relatively in question, but could be interpreted as appropriate to the story line. Vampires are folk-lore, and they generally are thought of as anti-Christ, anti-life creatures. Therefore, by making the feel of the good guys (the emperor with his "crusader" dogs, the "pyramid" in friendly downtown, the people using crosses to ward off vampires)anti-Vampire, Jody's situation is heightened in severity and made more interesting to the reader.
4. My opinion on "mercy killings" is that if the victim wants death, it's fine. However while I say that, the reality could take on many different forms. The idea of people begin able to be killed "mercifully" is a little frightening because a lot of people would go for it. It's like legal suicide, but only if you're already dying. I dunno, it just sounds a little creepy. However in terms of vampires, I would definitely say that since their purpose is to suck human blood, they might as well put their need to work in a good way and practice euthanasia. Seems fair to me.
--Hayley
William Keller
1. Judging by the given information in BSF, i woul guess that the vampires here are members of the Red Court. They gain umbers by converting others, and they're not fully converted until their first taste of blood, which is why Jody turned from tasting Ben's blood after being bitten, and the ones Jody has bitten haven't turned.
2. Jody and Tommy's relationship advances so quickly partly because of their freshness. Tommy is new to the area so he is lost and confused and doesn't know much. Jody is new to... well beign a vampire. She has to adjust to all of her changes and rely on Tommy to work for her during the day. It's a mutually beneficial relationship which is why they connect so well. Jody needs things done during the day, which Tommy can do, and Tommy gets what any desperate 19 year old guy wants.
3. Moore's use of all of these religious symbols might simply be to normalize them. There's nothign special about them really, they're tangible items just like everythign else, there's nothing special about them.
4. A vampire's ethics are all based upon what kind of person they are. Granted most would view them as bloodthirsty zombifiers/killers, they can have standards if they so choose. The only reason Ben would be viewed as a killer and not a "mercy murderer" is because there was no form of consent, to our knowledge at least. However, I feel that euthanasia is an acceptable process, as I can relate with it directly. My parents were almost arrested for murder in Mexico when they, along with my grandmother, agreed to take my grandfather off life support. It's a very touchy subject but I think it's a practice that should be more open, as you don't hear too much about it. We do it with animals, so why isn't it reasonable to do it with humans? A dog can be loved as much as a human, and if it is better in the end then why do the narrow-minded people disagree with it? Some people just don't think as much as they claim to.
1. Jody's transformation into a vampire is much less graphic than other transformations that I have encountered. In movies, the vampire transformation is usually accompanied by eerie music and often preceeded by the victim fleeing his or her fate. Jody's transformation is relatively short and appears as a random attack from a man on the street as walks in the city street at night. In this respect, the gloom and dark aura of Jody's transformation matches the mood of other transformations I have encountered. The aftermath of Jody's transformation is much different from the aftermath in other vampire lore. Instead of becoming a mindless monster who appears to have no memory for his or her previous human life and only a thirst for blood, Jody does not even realize at first what she has been changed into.
2. Honestly, on this one I’m not sure; it's not very clear. It could be that they just connect naturally, or there could be some sort of supernatural implications in the relationship. At the time, Tommy was looking for an unusual woman who would break his heart, and Jody, as a vampire, was about as unusual as you can get. Or you could argue, that by coming into contact with Jody by being bitten, or having her heal his blisters, or having sex with her, there was a supernatural connection created.
3. I definitely think it was intentional, and it was probably put in because there is such a tie between vampires and other “evil beings” and religion—especially Judaism and Christianity, and most especially Catholicism. Demons and other supernatural creatures that were said to be working for Satan were a major part of those religions when they were first founded, and there are usually religious connotations in “real” vampire novels—vampires are supposed to be negatively effected by crucifixes, for example.
4. Well, it might have something to do with the “human” part of vampires, since vampires aren’t supposed to be born, they’re made. This is just speculation, obviously, but if a person were suddenly put in a situation where they had to kill (though in this book they don’t necessarily have to kill to live) to set some sort of standard for who they killed. It would be hard for someone to kill, say, a small child, if there were still human parts to them—but if you kill someone who is dying or limited, it’s easier to stomach, because it’s more like you’re helping them in some situations.
Zoe J.
2. Tommy and Jody connect so rapidly because Jody needs Tommy so desperately. Tommy is the only one who Jody has entrusted her secret with and thus is the only one who fully understands her condition and the only one that Jody can rely on to help her. Tommy is desperate for love and new to the city and so he goes along with whatever Jody tells him to do because he is glad to have found a woman and does not know if he and Jody's relationship is normal for the city. The connection grows stranger and deeper as Jody feasts on Tommy's blood. I do not think that it was love at first sight for Jody and Tommy. I think that they are slowly easing into love because theyrely so heavily on each other to survive.
3.The religious references add humor and additional absurdity to the story. These serious religious references taken in the context of Moore's strange humorous novel, adds hilarityto the situation. The parallels drawn between religion and the books characters (i.e. crusaders in pursuit of the holy land and a group of ragged guys who work the night shift at a grocery store) are stretched to the breaking point and thus make the reader laugh that too such opposite things can be compared. I think that Moore realized what he was doing, simply because these references are so consistently spread throughout the novel.
4.From the context of the novel, it appears that vampires may not have a built in sense of morals and ethics, but they do remember the existence of those morals from their human lives. The vampire killings are unsettling no matter what the cicrumstances, but the effort of vampires to kill those who are near death anyway makes the reader sympathetic to the vampire's plight.
1). Jodie's transformation into a vampire is pretty cool. When I first thought about vampires, I didn't think of them as sexy or with super-human strength. All I thought of was avoiding sunlight (although I didn't know that it could burn them to a crisp, the way Jodie's hands did), and drinking blood at night. Those are pretty creepy, but I never would have thought that Jodie's face would become un-freckled and her scars would all dissapear, or her legs would straighten out or she would have super-human running/ throwing abilities. And her teeth grow super fast, too. That was interesting. I always thought that when someone was bit by a vampire, they like fell asleep or something and then they woke up with teeth already, and everything changed. Jodie's transformation was a little slower than that.
2). I think that Jodie and Tommy's relationship goes so well because they both need each other so much. Jodie uses Tommy to help her with the things she can no longer do, like pick up her car during the day. He also gives her blood that she needs to survive, while she helps him settle into San Francisco. They're relationship is very lusty, too, which also helps.
3). Religion has always played a major part in the telling of monster stories and such. I think that because he is trying to paint a picture of a modern-day vampire, Moore includes several aspects of traditional story-telling. His inclusions of religious symbols make reference to the old ways of telling stories, and add conflict and juxtoposition to the idea of a vampire, which is traditionally a bad thing.
4). I think that if we are going to look at vampires this closely, with the lense of relating ourselves to them (Jodie is just an average modern woman who is suddenly a vampire), we have to think of thier "ethical standards" the way we would. If I were a vampire, I would definetely try to do what Sapir does -- I would try to shed as little blood or life as possible. I think that mercy killings, however hard, should be allowed, because sometimes it can be very painful for a person to live, and to put them out of thier missery can be a great relief and gift to them.
insp1r
Es2. Jody and Tommy have an instent connection; for her it is purly for his blood and for him it is the physical connection that he came to the city for, along wiht becoming a writer. Jodi is an attractive woman and is fascinated once he learns her secret. I do not think it was love at first sight; attraction, yes love, no. Love is more than what it seems they felt. they seem to give one another what they both need and that is the connection that bonds them so strongly.
3. Since the religious references aren't 100% obivious it doesn't add a strong element but it was intentional on Christopher Moore part. It is a sort of irony vampires are one of the most unholy creatures in most religions so that Jodi's existence is so intertwined with subtle refrences to traditionial religious objects.
4. "Mercy killings" are all individually judged based on the situation. There are some that are out of avengence and the killer picks the less painful of the two but it is still going to hurt the victim; to me, that is not a "mervy killing." If someone is termially ill and they wish to die peacefully and painlessly; if a doctor were to help them, like an assisted sucide, it would be more like a "mercy killing" thanm most situations. Most vampires have moral standards, they want to be a humane as possibile in their inhuman state. Some vampires find a way out of killing people and use animals to feed their need. In this book the vampire chooses people that are dying and giving them a realtivly painless death. In context that is pretty moral cinsidereing what other vampires around them would be doing to their victims.
William Keller
5. Jody doesn't want to admit to killing Simon because not only would it hurt Tommy to know that his girlfriend killed his best friend, but there's always the possibility he could turn her in.
6. Jody and Tommy are set up as the murderers so Ben doesn't have to deal with their trouble anymore. After all, Ben's only purpose for creating Jody was for his own entertainment. The crimes need to be pinned so reporters will stop bothering the police, specifically Cavuto and Rivera.
7. Cavuto and Rivera only admit it to a small extent. They acknowledge the existence of the supernatural, but don't really advertise it, and at times still mock it.
8. Nobody I know has read that book, to my knowledge at least. Except one... kind of annoying vampire-obsessed person.
9. Super senses for sure. It doesn't matter how fast you are or how strong you are, if you're not aware of your surroundings you're screwed. Speaking from virtual personal experience here.
10. Some things you just can't help, and despite how inhuman something may be they still have human emotions. If they were changed into something who they were before stays with them, hence Jody's vanity and the rest of the slew of emotions. She's always going to want to lose those "five pounds" but she's never going to, and will probably never accept those "five pounds" in her upcoming cneturies of life.
2.)In their case there is a such thing as love at first sight, but mainly because they both haven't found someone as in a girlfriend or boyfriend so when they met they jumped full in to the relationship.
3.)??
4.)Im not partically a fan of euthanasia. I don't think vampires have a ethical standard. I dont know i reall y don't believe in vampires.
4. My feeling on "mercy killings" is really simple i dont like it. sometimes in books mercy killings are funny, but in real life its really sad. mercy killing is like someone having no way out in a situation and there's nothing they can do about it. Vampire kinda have a ethical standard in their own kind of way. I dont think they do, but other people might think so.
2. In Jody and Tommy’s case, yes; I do believe that love at first sight was possible. I think they connected so instantly because they were both desperate for someone in different ways. For example: Tommy was desperate for some sex and Jody was desperate for someone to live with. It turned out that their needs intertwined and everything worked out perfectly for them, like the pieces of a puzzle.
3. I do think that Christopher Moore intended to fill the book with religious connotations. Maybe he added the religious connotations to give a different perspective of things or maybe because religion tends to be delightful and peaceful and vampires tend to be scary and evil. So it combines opposites in a cool and interesting way.
4. Hmmm. My feelings about “Mercy Killings,” this is a tough one. Well I believe that no one should ever be killed. I think that when it is a person’s time to go they will die. I don’t think it is right to kill someone that is already dieing; it may sound tempting if they are in pain and they are suffering but I think that no one has the right to just end their life. I think that only god has the right to take a life. I don’t really believe that vampires exist but in the case of Blood Sucking Fiends, yes; I do think that vampires had an ethical standard. Jody actually cared about everything that she did and she thought about every little thing. She even thought about her thoughts. So yeah, I guess they do have an ethical standard.
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