Thank you to Richard Gadz, Deixis Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Eater of Flies seemed to have everything working in its favour for me to like it; 19th century London, vampires, a connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula, one of my favourite novels. The title The Eater of Flies is a reference to Renfield, the zoophagous madman from Dracula so I thought maybe it was about him.

Unfortunately, trying to shoehorn in a connection to Dracula devalued what could have otherwise been a really good vampire story which I enjoyed a lot. Stylistically, it was very much gothic and it wasn't too far removed from actual 19th century novels. It didn't feel like a book that was written recently.

The vampyrs themselves were really interesting. Instead of them being corporeal beings who reproduce through the exchange of blood with a human, the vampyr in this book was a mist that possessed people who then thirsted for blood. They were almost like zombies and they were much harder to fight. I've read a lot of vampire fiction and it's not often that you find something new and interesting in what is a very old genre.

If you go into this book expecting a Dracula retelling, then you will be disappointed. Go into this book expecting a thrilling vampire story that even manages to do something new with the monster and try your best to ignore the not-so-subtle Stoker influences.

If the title was different and the character names were changed then this book would have gotten a much higher rating.

I give The Eater of Flies 3 stars.

This review will be posted on clearlyreads on 1st December

I didn't really care for the writing here. It left me feeling unsatisfied and was nowhere near the rich, dark story that Dracula, which this is based on, is. Starts pretty slow too. Not a bad read, just not for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

4.25 stars

London's West End, 1868 - an obscure box hidden away in a remote Eastern European village has been brought back to England and opened without regard for the dire warning scratched on its surface, unleashing a monstrous creature upon the city. The weakened vampyr-wraith descends upon an unsuspecting populace, jumping from body to body, wreaking havoc and leaving a torrent of bodies in its bloody wake. As it gains in power and tries to call more of its kind to London to feed, it's up to a handful of plucky Brits to capture and destroy the deadly vampyr before the entire city falls to its overwhelming power.

Readers familiar with Bram Stoker's "Dracula" may recognise certain elements, certain names, etc., but this is absolutely a different, terrifying take on the vampyr lore of old. I really enjoyed the read, although honestly I wish it could have been a bit longer to cover some more background and flesh out a few more aspects of the storyline. It's also written in the old Victorian style which gives it a spookier, Gothic authenticity. If you like stories with twists on the traditional vampire/vampyr lore then you'll probably really enjoy this book!

Thanks to NetGalley, author Richard Gadz, and Deixis Press for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided voluntarily.

The Eater of Flies is a dark and twisted romp through Victorian London that delivers a fresh, creepy twist on vampire lore. The gritty setting of Holmwood’s music hall, with its mix of high society glamour and seedy underworld vibes, is vividly brought to life. The vampyr isn’t your typical cape-wearing bloodsucker—it’s something far more unsettling, and I loved the eerie originality.

The mix of gothic horror, crime, and sharp humor kept me hooked, even when the story’s pace slowed a bit. If you’re into atmospheric tales with morally questionable characters and a touch of the macabre, this is a must-read. London has never felt so deliciously sinister!

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was quite well written, I was gripped from the prologue and enjoyed the writing style which was very reminiscent of classics from the time. The reason for my 3 star rating is that the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations (which is my own fault) - I was looking forward to a spooky, haunting, thrilling and even scary retelling of Dracula. While we did get vampires and a whole lot of blood, I cannot say I felt any suspense or fear whilst reading. Instead, this book felt like it drew a lot of influence from Sherlock Holmes, in that we had a mystery to solve and followed both the protagonists and the villain. Again, this is not a criticism, but it impacted my enjoyment as it felt more like a detective story than a horror.

I always love a good retelling, and this one of Bram Stoker's Dracula is no different! The plot mirrors Dracula in some sense, but with the twists the author has created, The Eater of Flies can truly stand it's own ground without needed to be officially labeled as a retelling. The gothic style truly was captivating throughout the entire read. Seriously a great read any time of year, but fit perfectly into my reading theme for October. Well done, Gadz!!

This book is a loose Dracula retelling where vampyrs are non corporeal and have to inhabit human hosts in order to feed. Dracul arrives from Transylvania to Victorian London in a sealed box and is accidentally let loose on the people of the West End. Our intrepid heroes have to battle not only the vampire but also human greed in order to save England.

I have to say that this was a nice throw back to more traditional vampire tales while also putting a unique twist on it. Did I need a break from vampires just being leads in paranormal romances? Yes, yes I did and 'the Eater of Flies' definitely hit the mark. The story was well paced and well written. The writing style was reminiscent of the Victorian era while still being easy to read. Our cast of characters didn't get the most detailed development but it was enough for us to care about them. (Or not care about them if they were, in fact, the worst.)

I really liked this book and thought it was a great read for spooky season.

Reviews went live on 10/27 on Fable and Tik tok, will be going live on Goodreads and Storygraph on 10/28.

This book was a wonderful lyrical retelling of Dracula. I love descriptive and atmospheric books and I think that this one did that really well. I also think it was the perfect length, because sometimes books like this can drag in parts, but it was brief enough to set up an atmosphere and a feeling of dread while still moving the story along. This is probably one of the better vampire books that I have read in awhile.

very interesting rewriting style of Dracula. the entire vibe is completely shifted by the change from the much more courtly/traditional classic Dracula to this vibe, as well as the idea of instead of the vampire (a singular entity) the vampyre (a parasite that hijacks the mind of its host), which causes a lot stronger a moral dilemna in this one, as well as a lot cooler scenes. i still prefer the original, but this one is nice. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

It is the summer of 1868 in London, and the West End buzzes with a chaotic blend of affluence and moral decay. A tightly sealed box from Transylvania, falls into unscrupulous hands. & a vampyr a wraith-like parasite that hides inside a host, is released. This book was a fun, quick read., with a fun fresh take on Bram Stoker's Dracula. If you love retellings of classics then you will love this one. I highly recommend it!

I enjoyed this suspenseful and atmospheric vampire novel. It plunges into nineteenth-century London down to the textures, sensations, and smells. It's one hell of an immersive read.

A few pages into it, I sat there in shock at what was happening. The strong pacing and suspense never lagged. We get intriguing characters, creepiness, dread, gore, and dash of sex appeal. Gadz gives us an inventive take on the vampire / Vampyr. His novel relates to Dracula, complete with a connection to Transylvania, yet he goes into a fresh imagining that recognizes vampire lore from many parts of the world. I thrive on intelligent, entertaining books.

To me, the ending was marred by too much summary and bits that strained credibility. I still cared about the fates of the main characters, and the conclusion wraps up the storylines.

Overall, it's an entertaining and worthwhile read withgreat historical details and a refreshing vampire variation. If you've been in a reading slump and you're not squeamish, this is a great jumpstart. This is also a good pick to save for when you can read for hours--it goes fast. I needed this escape to Victorian London, complete with a dashing Harker and blood-sucking monsters.

Highly recommended to readers who enjoy horror, Gothics, and supernatural thrillers.

My thanks to Deixis Press for the eARC via NetGalley for consideration.

The Eater of Flies by Richard Gadz is an eerily atmospheric and gripping novel that expertly weaves horror, historical fiction, and science. Set in Victorian London, the story delves into dark, morally ambiguous territory, exploring themes of obsession, scientific experimentation, and the boundaries of human curiosity.

Gadz does an incredible job of crafting a bleak, almost claustrophobic atmosphere that keeps you on edge throughout the book. The protagonist’s descent into madness, fueled by his twisted experiments, is both chilling and fascinating. The horror isn't just in the grotesque details but also in the psychological unraveling of the characters.

While the pacing slows down in some sections, particularly during the more scientific discussions, it ultimately serves to deepen the unsettling mood of the novel. The characters are well-developed, particularly the protagonist, whose internal conflict adds layers to the narrative.

The blend of historical setting and body horror will appeal to fans of gothic fiction and dark, cerebral storytelling. If you enjoy books that push the boundaries of morality and sanity, The Eater of Flies is definitely worth the read.

A thrilling and unsettling tale that lingers with you long after the final page!

This was an interesting book. Not so much a retelling of 'Dracula' as a riff on its characters and setting.

As someone who lived in London for many years, it was fun to walk familiar streets with what I thought were familiar characters - until the author reminded me that these were THEIRS, actually! There's differences that make the story unique, and that kept me turning the pages.

My main thought when I'd done, though, was why this needed to do that. This book could have easily been its own thing, with a new roster of original people. This would give more scope for world-building in future, and make some changes a little less jarring.

I enjoyed it, but admit to being a bit confused by what seemed a bit of a forced connection.

Such an interesting, spooky, and intriguing read!! Kept me on my toes! Perfect for spooky season!
Would recommend for anyone who wants a supernatural story!

"Your blood will gush and flow, your bones will dry. You are lost amid the teeming millions, lost in the ticking clock. You are swarming maggots in the flesh, poison droplets in the foaming oceans. You are a helpless seethe of flies. You are meat and gristle. You are sustenance, and nothing more. Look upon me and know the sorrow of your mortality!"

A vampyr is loose in London, and you may just be his next victim. The Eater of Flies in clearly largely inspired by Dracula and pays homage to its ancestor proudly and abundantly. Instead of simply sucking his victims dry, however, this Dracul also takes over their minds and parades their doomed bodies around like puppets. The author resurrects Victorian London with effervescent theatricality, illuminating its dark and dirty underbelly. A Neo-Victorian tale about the hunt for a bloodthirsty spirit that culminates in a cinematic and properly bloody climax.

The writing style is swift and engaging, with intermittent memorable quotes. There is a large cast of decisive characters that jump into action when required, for better or worse. I especially enjoyed Ruby's character and kept rooting for her. Overall, however, I found most of the characters a little flat and think they could have been fleshed out more.

I would have been more immersed in and gripped by this book if the question of who the vampyr is possessing at this moment was one the reader could share with the characters, rather than being told as soon as a new host is found. Therefore, there was a lack of suspense, as I was always aware of what kind of danger the characters were or were not in, not having to wonder who around them might turn out to be Dracul in disguise. Personally, the look into Dracul's mind and motivations did not make up for that; I would have preferred to ride the emotional rollercoaster of fear and confusion and shock that a supernatural possession story often promises. I also would have appreciated a deeper dive into the connection the vampyrs share with each other and the history of this version of the famous bloodsucker.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

A fresh take on the vampire tale, this novel has the blood-drinking undead stem from a fast-traveling parasite. Said entity can possess anyone and flit between bodies, using each host to further acquire more blood. There isn't a secret society of wealthy sanguinites anymore than there is an alluring stranger come to temp the young with debauchery. I'd like to commend the author for writing a vampire novel with a wholly original premise, as I've never read anything quite like this!!

Similar to the vampire classic <i>Dracula</i> we follow a cast of characters via a collection of sources like journal entries and first-hand accounts as things go awry and bloody. The typical classism, racism, and general bigotry of the Victorian English crowd can be found within the pages. As vampirism was a parasitic relationship rather than a paranormal existence, when things went awry—just as when plagues hit the streets—the poor were battered most heavily.

The pov of the vampiric parasite was my favorite to read, the creature using the host's memories to blend into society was fascinating!! Readers of <i>Dracula</i> will have a fun time recognizing names and the remixes of their characters in this novel. Just as I adored Lucy Westerna in that novel, her counterpart here the stage performer Ruby Wester was the most interesting member of the cast. Her final performance was to die for!!

All-in-all I had a really lovely time with this retelling and finished the book in a day. If you're looking for something spooky and bloody that doesn't shy away from the bigotry of the past, maybe consider checking this out!!

This is a loose Dracula retelling where you'll recognize names and certain incidents, but it's its own thing. I think it can be read even if you haven't read Dracula or much about vampires. That said, this just wasn't for me. As a matter of personal taste, I found the writing style and prose boring and unengaging. While it's a short read, I was struggling to get through it and just wasn't interested. I hope it finds its audience and I already see people enjoying it, I'm just not a part of the majority on this one.

To celebrate this spooky season, what could be more apt than a re-imagining of the classic tale of Dracula?

When a mysterious sealed box is transported to London from Transylvania, the performers and guests of the Holmwood’s Music Hall are about to experience the folklore of the Vampyre first hand.

The Eater of Flies isn’t quite a re-telling of Dracula although there are all the characters that are familiar from the original book such as Harker, Renfield, Lucy and Van Helsing. In this version the Vampyre is more of a parasite – infecting others and becoming them, so it’s harder to tell who is friend and who is foe. I enjoyed this twist on the story, and it really added a great new element and some additional stakes to the story we all know and love.

I did think the pace of the book was quite slow to start off, but this increased as the stakes got higher and the chase began. Some of the characters did make silly decisions at times which was frustrating, but overall it was a solid, spooky read.

The Eater of Flies takes an interesting spin on the well-known tale of Dracula and re-tells it in a new way – perfect for spooky season. Thank you to NetGalley & Deixis Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Eater of Flies by Richard Gadz is a book I think a lot of Bram Stoker lovers will thoroughly enjoy! Its dark and wonderfully gothic. The atmosphere of the novel is truly amazing, and the writing subtly reflects that of Dracula. That, although, is the best things about the book. Some of the characters were kinda annoying and I would have loooved to see more of those letters/media pieces inserted throughout the book, and we could have spent less time diving into the specifics of theatre. Overall, it was not a bad book but just not the right one for me, and I'm sure this will find it's audience.