Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D, Book 1

By: Hideyuki Kikuchi, Yoshitaka Amano - illustrator, Kevin Leahy - translator

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

The year 12,090 AD. It is a dark time for the world. Humanity is just crawling out from under 300 years of domination by the race of vampires known as the Nobility. The war against the vampires has taken its toll; cities lie in ruin, the countryside is fragmented into small villages and fiefdoms that still struggle against nightly raids by the fallen vampires - and the remnants of their genetically manufactured demons and werewolves.

Every village wants a Hunter - one of the warriors who have pledged their laser guns and their swords to the eradication of the Nobility. But some Hunters are better than others, and some bring their own kind of danger with them....

©1983 Hideyuki Kikuchi; English translation copyright 2005 by DH Press and Digital Manga Publishing (P)2022 Tantor

Never seen the movie, super can wait for it.

The less you know about this if you have next to no knowledge about this classic, the better. Let your mind play the movie. Expect the cross between genres this novel took. Also a great performance delivery.

Vampire Hunter D

Fun story. it's good to go back to the beginning. The narrator did a good job as well, albeit a little slow. Sped it up to 1.15 and it worked out great. will get the next one at some point.

I like it overall

I saw the anime movie and I was thrilled to know about this story, however my only comment I have is in some parts there are unnecessary details regarding weapons or side characters, history.

A Dramatic Reading for a Dramatic Story

Cons: None of the Vampire Hunter D stories are realistic. They are overly dramatic, like reading an anime. The physics just don't work. This used to irritate me sometimes until...

Pros: I found this novel on audio, read by a professional dramatic reader. The story should not be read like a normal novel. The dramatic writing needs a dramatic reading. Suddenly, with the right pauses and tones, the story turned into a delightful romp through futuristic horror. The plot itself is fun and the main character will always be my favorite, but this particular novel has the added bonus of attaching an adoring child to D and giving him a very brief interest in a girl. Very highly recommend this reading and the story itself to anyone who enjoys vampire books.

you have to apply context

early 80s throwaway horror / sci fi with just 3nough big ideas that it has endured. the gothic touch is the best part, but it's stuck in so many 80s manga/anime/comic tropes it's ludicrous at times. very tell don't show. however, it's a fantastic world, sort of a Castlevania meets Elric situation. no complaints about the audiobook, but know that going in that this piece is as much 80s B movie as it is brooding gothic horror.