Book Review: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I'm a big fan of traditional vampires.

Book Description

It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last---revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. . . .

There were times while reading this I thought "This is so good!" and there were times I thought "Not more of this...".  Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable read.  I love a good vampire tale, and it's been a while since I've read a really good "traditional" vampire book.  By traditional I mean the kind where vampires can't go out in the sun (for fear of pain - not for fear of sparkling), sleep during the day, have to be invited in, etc.  John Ajvide Lindqvist did manage to bring some new things to the vampire genre, but he did so without compromising the basics of the vampire mythos.

Despite how much I really did enjoy Let the Right One In, there were a couple of things that bothered me.  First, I'm not a big fan of sexual perversity.  I love horror - and I understand why sex and horror go hand in hand - but there are sexual horrors that I could do without.  This list includes anything related to children (even if they have been a child for over 200 years).

There were also some "picky reader" things that pulled me right out of the story like the graffiti on the walls would pop up in the story or something weird would get repeated and my mind would wonder back to where I read it last instead of paying attention to what I was reading.

I do recommend this book to those who like creepy stories.  Lindqvist's vampires are kind of zombie-like.  They should appeal to anyone who enjoys creaturey types of horror.

Do you enjoy the creatures of the night?  Have you read (or seen the movie adaptation of) Let the Right One In?  I haven't seen the movie yet.  I'm excited to sit down and watch it.  It's in my Netflix queue. :)