Critical Reviews:
THE GREAT RIGHT HOPE (VOL I)
Amy Ramsey, MidWest Book Reviews (Reviewer’s Choice May 2010):
“The Great Right Hope is one of the best vampire stories I have read since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Great Right Hope was keenly devised with wittiness and excitement in a way that the reader can appreciatively observe the pleasure that Mark Jackman has displayed while creating his awe-inspiring world. Kudos to Mark Jackman for inventing an out-of-the-ordinary vampire tale and offering diversity within the realm of familiarity.”
Ben Larken, Award-winning horror author:
“You know what? I loved Sid. Every time the story came back to him I soon found myself laughing out loud. He and his motley crew of barflies not only make this great reading, they make you wish they’d show up in other notable vampire series (*cough-TWILIGHT-cough*). By the end you’re fully connected to these characters. The Great Right Hope is the start of a series, and I’m eager to see where it goes from here. As long as Jackman keeps Sid focused on drinking, pissing, and his constant homophobia, we’ll all be in for a comic treat.”
Bitten By Books, Horror Review Site
I never thought I could say I would be a fan of a character who is such a train wreck, but Sid is hilarious, entertaining and, strangely enough, charming. Maybe charming is too strong a word, but he certainly is the best part of the story. Overall, The Great Right Hope is a fun and silly book that also has some pretty gory and intense action scenes and would have been perfect if there was more Sid Tillsley.
Geoff Nelder, The Compulsive Reader:
“Sid’s alcohol and tobacco consumption should have killed him along with his frustration at gays, women and humour, yet his OTT persona seems endearing and believable because we’ve met parts of him in our own lives. If not Sid, then his mates. Why should such a misogynistic, homophobic moron be lovable too? That’s writerly skill for you. It is certainly the most unusual vampire book I’ve read and the most hilarious. Read it at your peril.”
Jude Stephens: Horror Author:
“The Great Right Hope is a hilarious book. It had me laughing out loud at times. Sid Tillsley is a character that will stay in your mind long after you’ve finished reading. Mark Jackman does an excellent job of making you like such an unlikable guy. Not many authors have that talent. I can’t wait to read the next book!”
Click the link to read them all, but here are a select few (the better ones from the people who can spell).
“THE GREAT RIGHT HOPE should come with a seat belt because it’s a fast-paced story with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the page, but you gotta hold on because you will be laughing out loud at how Sid copes with this vampire menace.”
“It is a MUST read for any vampire/horror/comedy lover. I have never laughed so much in my life at a novel.”
“It is quite refreshing to be able to read a book that contains some good British pub humour.”
“Laugh-out-loud funny moments abound to make this a wonderfully British antidote to Twilight fever!”
A FISTFUL OF RUBBERS (Vol II)
Bitten By Books, Horror Review Site:
Come along for the ride but be prepared to have your delicate sensibilities offended—oh hell, not offended, decimated. I have to say for good or ill, Sid Tillsley is fast approaching my top ten fictional characters. I am not sure why. Sid is repulsive, a homophobe, a misogynist and lays claim to every other offensive character trait known to man but he is fabulously entertaining and surprisingly loveable. When he and his friends get together, the hilarity ensues.
What I really liked about A Fistful of Rubbers is the interaction between Sid and the boys and the well crafted dialogue. I really have not read anything quite like it. It is so refreshing to read a quirky and original vampire story that does not regurgitate the same old plotlines and characters that are so common in this genre. What we get instead is a fresh perspective and characters who are seared into your brain, whether you want them there or not.
Mark Jackman has created a series filled with characters that make you feel as if you need to don a gas mask and a biohazard suit just to read the book, but I am more than willing to feel violated to share in the insanity that is Sid Tillsley.
If you want to laugh out loud and read with a smile on your face, you have to pick up this book. However, be prepared to be offended—but in a deliciously perverse way.
