Journal of an Undead: of gods and friends

Arabus Drake, Greek vampire for 500 years, shares tales of his adventures, but unlike in the first book, “Love Stories,” here all he seeks is to belong somewhere. The adventures begin in 1505, where Arabus befriends a thief in Italy in his desire to be destroyed, until he realizes that too much time has passed since Althea left him. In 1603, Arabus travels back to Greece to find what became of his family bloodline. He meets a wandering poet who becomes obsessed with this man he thinks is a god. Arabus learns how his family died after he became vampiric, and uncovers the truth of the boy’s obsession with him.

Along the way you will hear from three narrators who are transcribing these tales. Tim begins the narration but loses his sanity along the way (this is fully detailed in Book 3: Climax); Lou takes over, and realizes she should tell him the truth, and then finally, as she runs off, her brother takes over.

In 1718 Arabus travels to the new world to attempt to destroy his corpse by living on animal blood, but is left helplessly tied to a tree by a missionary who has vowed to return to save his soul. He is rescued by a tribe of Yankton Indians and his gratitude is just what they need to avoid conversion by those missionaries. In France 1769 he befriends Nicky, who is inventing a horseless carriage, and whose wife Arabus admires. She runs a home for orphans but her husband won’t let her have children. He gets involved in a cattle drive in 1879 as a gunslinger. He learns of the story of the haunted canyon pass, where an Indian village had been decimated in some prime country. He has to choose a side when they meet up with Indians demanding cattle.

In 1929 Arabus befriends a Hollywood ingenue, teasing her with his magic elixer for youth in order to get her cooperation on the film. In 1953 Arabus meets an alien he calls Nymph, who can make love to his demons. He tries to figure out her purpose, but she makes him feel mortal again, a feeling he has longed for since climbing undead out of the grave. In 1960, he tries to woo Eva’s daughter Joan when she brings two of her male friends to a haunted house to prove to her how fickle friends can be. In 1971, Arabus is a lieutenant in the army during the Vietnam war. He tries to adopt a Vietnamese boy, but turning anyone into what he is always has consequences.