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Running Dry: A Novel
Ernst Doud is a middle-aged 154-year-old nonhuman painter living quietly in Los Angeles when he receives a cryptic letter from a lover he last saw in 1913, precisely at the moment he killed him-or so he had always thought. So begins M. Christian's debut novel, as unlike any book you have read as Doud is unlike any hero who has ever graced the pages of a novel. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, with excursions into the surreal outback of Southern California's high desert, Running Dry is a stunningly realized story of vengeance, loyalty, and the inescapable humanity of the inhuman. M. Christian 's short stories have been collected in the books Dirty Words , Speaking Parts , and The Bachelor Machine .
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
M. Christian
131Ìýbooks79ÌýfollowersM.Christian is - among many things - an acknowledged master of erotica with more than 400 stories in such anthologies as Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Bisexual Erotica, Best Fetish Erotica, and many, many other anthologies, magazines, and Web sites.
He is the editor of 25 anthologies including the Best S/M Erotica series, The Burning Pen, Guilty Pleasures, The Mammoth Book of Future Cops and The Mammoth Book of Tales of the Road (with Maxim Jakubowksi) and Confessions, Garden of Perverse, and Amazons (with Sage Vivant) as well as many others.
He is the author of the collections Dirty Words, Speaking Parts, The Bachelor Machine, Licks & Promises, Filthy, Love Without Gun Control, Rude Mechanicals, and Coming Together Presents M.Christian, Pornotopia, How To Write And Sell Erotica; and the novels Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Me2, Brushes, Fingers Breadth, and Painted Doll.
He is the editor of 25 anthologies including the Best S/M Erotica series, The Burning Pen, Guilty Pleasures, The Mammoth Book of Future Cops and The Mammoth Book of Tales of the Road (with Maxim Jakubowksi) and Confessions, Garden of Perverse, and Amazons (with Sage Vivant) as well as many others.
He is the author of the collections Dirty Words, Speaking Parts, The Bachelor Machine, Licks & Promises, Filthy, Love Without Gun Control, Rude Mechanicals, and Coming Together Presents M.Christian, Pornotopia, How To Write And Sell Erotica; and the novels Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Me2, Brushes, Fingers Breadth, and Painted Doll.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 2, 2013
read in Dec. 2006
This book belongs to my very personal shelf of books I absolutely do not like without being able to point out what exactly is wrong in them.
The plot is simple and straightforward, characterization consistent and writing more than average. As one page followed the other, though, I could never get involved, I could not relate with the characters, I never suspended disbelief.
Reading it was like listening the stories of an old neighbour, not necessarily dull but somewhat flat because they do not really concern you.
The story entirely lacks not only eroticism but even sensuality (do not be fooled by the nice cover, it has nothing to do with the content), which is quite rare in this subgenre. This is not damning in itself but those thrills are replace only by constant musings about being forced to kill to survive.
All in all, this story is as unappealing as the biological kind of vampirism described.
This book belongs to my very personal shelf of books I absolutely do not like without being able to point out what exactly is wrong in them.
The plot is simple and straightforward, characterization consistent and writing more than average. As one page followed the other, though, I could never get involved, I could not relate with the characters, I never suspended disbelief.
Reading it was like listening the stories of an old neighbour, not necessarily dull but somewhat flat because they do not really concern you.
The story entirely lacks not only eroticism but even sensuality (do not be fooled by the nice cover, it has nothing to do with the content), which is quite rare in this subgenre. This is not damning in itself but those thrills are replace only by constant musings about being forced to kill to survive.
All in all, this story is as unappealing as the biological kind of vampirism described.
February 28, 2016
This is not your average gay vampire novel. If you are looking to break away from torn love and the explicit sex that comes with a vampire novel, this is your book. This book is action packed and moves along very quickly. I like that the action keeps going and building. The vampires in this book are not "romantic" like in other books I've read either. They are more horrific. I liked this book, and will read others that M. Christian writes. However, I like the smut that I get from the other gay vampires.
September 15, 2011
Honestly, I avoid vampire books. I avoid them like vampires are supposed to avoid garlic and holy water. I hate them. Really. I bought a copy of Running Dry based on a review, just because. Because I could, because I was working on a book, and I needed a break, because I needed something different to read, because I am tired of reading the same old shit, because sometimes I buy a new book and I swear I’ve already read it. Too much sameness. I really liked Running Dry, it's not the same old same old romatical vampires tale.
December 29, 2016
This is not your average gay vampire novel. If you are looking to break away from torn love and the explicit sex that comes with a vampire novel, this is your book. This book is action packed and moves along very quickly. I like that the action keeps going and building. The vampires in this book are not "romantic" like in other books I've read either. They are more horrific. I liked this book, and will read others that M. Christian writes. However, I like the smut that I get from the other gay vampires.
December 1, 2010
Honestly, I'm sick to death of tragic gay vampire stories. There are so few with a remotely happy ending, perhaps due to the parallels between vampirism and the AIDS crisis. They so often end with the smashing of hopes, and you find that the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be an oncoming train. This novel is well-written, but far too bleak for me to feel good at the end of it.
Want to read
November 10, 2013I prefer this cover
...than this one...
August 11, 2013
For months this kept getting pushed down into the bottom of my to read pile but I decided to move it to the top today. Well, I tried. I don't usually get confused by books but this started with a choppy back and forth and it never swung back around for me.
September 27, 2012
On the heels of Twilight another gay vampire novel but actually a good read because of the characters. I wish there was more character development but this is a short good read.
February 10, 2013
Very different and engaging take on vampires.
April 14, 2013
Less imagery and more story please. This was a VERY painful read for me.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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