Mad Dog Moon
A Love at First Bite Story
Declan Finn
ASIN B06XKG7JSQ
Wow! This is the third short story in the Love at First Bite Series I have read. And I believe it is the final story chronologically across the 4 novels and three short stories. It is an excellent short story! It has been a while since I read a book or watched a movie with a lycanthrope as a main character, and this one is a very different story. This is the last of the stories I had held off on reading them because of the series name, that was a mistake, a huge mistake. I should have known better based on how much I have loved Finn’s other series. The 4 novels in this series are currently out of print, but I have been informed they are releasing again soon. And the three short stories that are available are set before the novels, in the middle and this one after the novels.
Over the last 10 months I have read 44 stories by Declan. I have greatly enjoyed books in several other series. There are three short stories and 4 novels in the Love at First Bite series to date. This series was originally published a few years ago, after reading the three short stories I am glad that Finn is working at getting the series back in print. This story first appeared in an anthology in 2019, the anthology was called: MAGA 2020 & Beyond. I have loved the Saint Tommy and the White Ops, and I cannot wait for the Pius trilogy of 5 books to be back in print. It has been a few years since a vampire book or even movie really caught my attention. But these stories have really grabbed my attention and I am looking forward to the other 5 pieces set in this world. I am currently working through Finn’s back catalogue. Short stories are a very different art form than the novel, even than the novella. To read a short story set in a world I had only visited twice and to have it completely capture my attention shows Finn’s masterful craftsmanship.
The description of this story is:
“In the year 2017, ISIS ran rampant over Syria. The solution? General George Mattis, the Secretary of Defense, will personally handle the situation. It's one man against an army of terrorists. But they don't call him Mad Dog for nothing.”
This story is listed as 34 pages, but it felt like a lot more, and in a good way. I have now both listened to it using adaptive technology and read it. This story and the other two in the series I have read set up so many possibilities I have been thinking about it since I finished it. It has a bit of a feel of the Underworld Movies or Blade and John Carpenter’s Vampires. The Three stories so far are very different and terribly intriguing. Wonderfully written, masterfully executed.
The novels in this series are:
1.0 Honor at Stake
Formerly Murphy's Law of Vampires
The Short Stories are:
01 Blood Stained Cliffs of Dover (Prequel)
02 Bad Date (During the main story arc)
03 Mad Dog Moon (An Epilogue Story)
I highlighted two passages while reading this story which is unusual for me when reading fiction, they are:
““Are you sure you want to do this?” President Trump asked from behind his desk, looking his Secretary of Defense right in the eye.”
And
“Mattis smiled and shook his head, giving a gruff sigh. How had he managed to stay undercover so long? His personal kill counts spiked three days every month, like clockwork. Once in a blue moon, it was six days a month. How had so few people ever put two and two together? Only one came to mind, and she was a CIA vampire with a Russian accent and attended daily confession.”
Declan has created another incredibly interesting world. I am hooked and I have only read the short stories twice each. (I have now read the first novel and love the series even more!) The novels have recently come back in print. I hope that at some point this universe might be expanded. But be warned once you sink your teeth into this story you will be hooked. A story with real tooth and claw. I encourage you to pick it up and give it a read before diving into the 4 novels in the series. A fantastic short story.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Declan Finn:
Love At First Bite Series:
Short Stories:
…
Novels:
The Last Survivors Series:
…
Convention Killings Series:
…
Pius Series:
A Pius Legacy
A Pius Stand
Pius History
Pius Tales (Anthology)
St. Tommy Series:
…
Top Secret Service Series:
Dances with Werewolves Series:
…
…
White Ops Series:
…
Other books:
Clerical Error: The Death of Fr Timothy A. Lessner (with John Konecsni)
...
Anthologies contributed to:
Luna: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 2
Supernatural Streets
Starflight: Tales From The Starport Lounge
Mercury: Planetary Anthology Series Book 4
Venus: Planetary Anthology Series Book 5
Mars: Planetary Anthology Series Book 7
Places Beyond the Wild: A Z-Day Anthology
Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic
Fantastic Schools, Volume 6
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