Reviews of Feed

The vampire novel in extreme: "Feed" takes you on a journey with Ian as he goes from a quiet middle class life to the realization that he has been made into a vampire.

All Ian wanted was an evening with the lovely Penny. A woman who had caught his eye for weeks has noticed him and taken him to her home. Interrupted by her son Ian leaves, not suspecting that a simple evening will change his life permanently. As he becomes ill Penny comes to help him, to explain to him.

Finally realizing that life will never be the same Ian throws himself headfirst into his new lifestyle. He begins to like what he has become. Ian, however, is luckier than most. For some reason he has attracted a mentor. Someone who leaves offerings for him.

As the years wear on Ian begins to feel more remorse than he expected. He decided to leave the suburbs and move on to the country. But he just can't leave without visiting the city one more time. The city and the woman he has become enamored with. There, on his last night, he meets someone more devilish than he is, someone who will show him who the real monster is.

I found this to be a most unusual vampire short story with a very interesting plot and premise. The writing was very tight, crisp and full. No words were wasted but nothing was missing. Each character performed his part in the story to the fullest and moved the plot forward. The first person narrative was the correct form for the story and was done with style and aplomb. The ending was totally unexpected and fit so well.

This is one I would recommend to anyone who loves vampire stories, horror, the macabre or just a tight short with an interesting and well thought out twist.

The read time on this short story is about 20 to 30 minutes.

Really good! All of Jerry's stories are great, I can't stop reading until Ive finished the whole thing. You really feel for the characters. If you like gory, creepy stuff, this is a must read!

“Feed” by Jerry McKinney is a horror story with a twist. A well-crafted story line smoothly transitions to each new level. Characters are very well developed. The author has incorporated some of the traditional aspects of vampire lore and added his own impressively unique dimension to this vamp horror, a very difficult task when there are so many stories within this genre and topic.

The beginning captures your attention and keeps it throughout, which is exactly what the reader wants. You won’t be able to put this story down, and the ending has a twist that will shock you, very unique. Jerry McKinney constructed a fantastic story in “Feed.”

The more I read from Mr. McKinney, the more I WANT to read! In this, the second of his stories I have read, the author has found a new voice and (IMO) a new level of skill.

"In Extremis", the first McKinney book I read, was a great stand-alone novella. The detail was fantastic without being wordy, the characters were easy to understand without going very deep, and the story itself was quite creative - not easy in this day and age when we think we've seen all there is to see regarding zombie horror.

He's already proven he can capture our attention with a single page, that he knows how to be concise, and that he knows how to balance sentimentality with horror. Now he's shown that he also understands that most basic concept so many new authors don't grasp - human nature.

In "Feed", McKinney exposes an entirely new side of himself. We're more focused on the protagonist, digging much deeper into who he is than we did with the nun. The author is more open with emotion and vulnerability, providing a character we can all identify with on some level as opposed to a generic "good" person. Who among us has never felt lonely, out of place, or uncomfortable in our own skin?

Even the secondary characters were spot on. A struggling mother who loses control for just a moment. A macho man of mystery. A manipulative seductress with evil intentions. All are colorful and contribute to the story; none feel out of place.

I'm very impressed with what I've seen from McKinney, and the few faults I might otherwise mention are so insignificant when compared to the whole that they become irrelevant. I would love to see a full novel (or better yet, a series) from this author.

This was my first Jerry McKinney story and I LOVED IT!! It is a short read but kept me captivated from the first word to the last. The story moved quick and covered alot without being too rushed. I cant wait to read more by Jerry!

I was very impressed with this story. It was interesting, compelling and well written. The characters were well developed and interesting. Even Ian's maker, who only has a bit part in the story, was well defined using allusions to her motivations. The story was a quick, fascinating read, and has piqued my interest in reading more from this author. With somewhere around 7000 words, he has made a fan out of me. The ending was fantastic, by the way!

This is a truely amazing and passionate vampire story. For me this book touched emotions that I never thought I would have for vampires. From the beging you can feel the pain that the characters feel for what they have to do to survive and the hate that they feel for what they are.
I really enjoyed the way this story was written and the way you are able to get to know the characters in the book.

Very nice, mild vampire story until it rips your throat out with it's imagery. You do not want to miss this one, believe me. Jerry McKinney has created a masterpiece with Feed, an original take on the ever popular vampire mythos. Very nice Jerry.

"I just read a short story that restores my faith in horror’s potential when it comes to the subject of vampires.
The beauty of this tale is the fact that for the beginning I fancied it being the same old-same old. The only thing that made it different was the writing. I found myself walking beside the character as he struggled through his new existence. I could see the sights and smell the foul stench of not only his haunts but his actions. The pacing was also very well done.
The pay-off came with a twist, and man was it good! What we thought we knew was suddenly tossed out of a second-storey window where we, along with McKinney’s main character, had been peeking through. We were all duped, let me tell you.
With an unexpected twist and writing that reminded me of the best of Clive Barker, McKinney surprised me and made me an instant convert. Beware reader, Feed might mean more than you think it means."

How long should a person have to suffer for a bad first-date? This short read by Mr. McKinney was off and running on the first page and had me turning my Nook pages faster than I thought possible. Ian was only looking for a good time and throughout this story he had a good time, but that depends on whose definition you are using. I liked the adrenalin rush that I felt when I read this book and the emotions where all over the board with the characters. The ending was quite surprising and poor Ian, but again....he got what he wanted. I read this book at night which I realize was a mistake as I had dreams/nightmares of Ian and his affairs- great job for a short story!

"You can always die if you choose it. ....in the same way others chose by living mundane lives...never dreaming...never reaching..never feeding their hunger."