Blood of the Impaler

The Harker family is unlike any other. Fortune may pervade their most recent descendants, but it’s their misfortune — a hereditary illness — that sets them apart from the rest. For as long as the surviving clan wishes to procreate, no single cure can absolve them or their offspring from this bloodborne affliction. Their only option is therapy, and it only comes in one form: religion.

Enter twenty-seven-year-old bartender, Malcolm Harker. As someone who works late-night shifts, Malcolm never has the energy to attend Sunday services — a fact his family is none too pleased with. Nor are they happy with Malcolm’s coworker and cohort, Jerry, or girlfriend, Holly, whom they perceive as bad influences. But when he faces a bloody one-night stand that lands him in the hospital, he falls in line and finds his way back into the pews of his local church. That’s where the revelations begin.

With the body and blood of Christ leading to a stomach-churning episode, Malcolm’s sister, Rachel, and grandfather, Quincy, finally reveal the dark secret they’ve been hiding from him his entire life. Dracula’s blood runs through the Harker family veins, and devotion to God is the only method by which they can thwart a vampiric transformation.

Shocked but intrigued by this admission, Malcolm enlists Jerry and Holly in his quest to verify his family’s account. The only problem is that to unearth the truth, he must also unearth something else dangerous long-buried. Connecting his bloodline to that of the infamous voivode is only half the battle. The other half rests in Malcolm’s own hands with the fate of his family and even humanity hanging in the balance.

Pulsating throughout with the sweet nectar of a midnight snack, Blood of the Impaler finds Jeffrey Sackett drawing upon the romantic mysticism of Bram Stoker’s Dracula to create a sequel unparalleled in the world of vampire mania. It’s a novel truly committed to the lore set forth by the grandmaster himself. There’s no shortage of wooden stakes, crucifixes, garlic cloves, or puncture wounds. And of course, it features the man thought to have inspired it all: Vlad the Impaler. However, his inclusion means this story isn’t for the faint of heart.

And though it may be based more on fiction than fact, Sackett’s novel still serves as a prime example of evil’s tenacity even beyond the grave. Which is all the more reason to take his words seriously. Skipping your house of worship the next Sabbath may cost you more than just a few points with the Lord up above.

The Centipede Press edition of Jeffrey Sackett’s Blood of the Impaler has the following features:

Five interior illustrations, dustjacket, book cover, and endpaper artwork by Francois Vaillancourt; reverse dustjacket art, top-edge stain, and ribbon marker. Each copy is signed by Jeffrey Sackett and Francois Vaillancourt.

EDITION INFORMATION

• Limited to 500 copies, signed by Jeffrey Sackett and Francois Vaillancourt.
• Book size is 5¼ × 8¾ inches.
• Introduction by Jeffrey Sackett.
• Interview with Jeffrey Sackett.
• Full color wraparound dustjacket by Franois Vaillancourt.
• Flipside dustjacket artwork.
• Five full page interior illustrations.
• Fully illustrated wraparound printed cloth binding.
• Illustrated endpapers.
• Top-edge stain.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands.
• Published September 2023.
• Number of pages: 494.
• ISBN 978-1-61347-313-9.