Alicia Benson

The First Vampire: A Novel of Samson & Delilah — (2008) Publisher: Some journeys take more than one lifetime. Ever since Delilah used a devilish brew from Lilith to turn him into a vampire (and then turned him over to the Philistines), Samson as been plotting revenge against his former lover and arch nemesis. When he finally catches up to the reincarnated Delilah in modern day New York City, it seems as though he has all the time in the world to see that the last chapter of their sordid saga is finally written. But much like old enemies, old passions die hard, and Samson is forced to make a surprisingly hard choice. Does he want her dead more than he wants her back in his bed? Intelligent, disquieting and deeply erotic, THE FIRST VAMPIRE cleverly weaves the past into the present in a captivating tapestry of suspense, intrigue and betrayal.

The First Vampire: A Novel of Samson & Delilah

I am a big fan of alternate history books and urban fantasy. Alicia Benson has done a more than adequate job of blending the two into a fun book. The First Vampire is a story based on the Biblical Samson and his seductress/destroyer Delilah. Benson does a very good job of weaving urban fantasy into the culmination of a millennia long search by Samson to have his final revenge.

The First Vampire takes elements of alternate history to explain how vampirism came to be through a fluke event. There are twists and turns to the story and a fair amount of sexually explicit tension and activity. This book has some hard edges and treads on some very interesting themes of Christianity without attempting to make any judgment. Benson does a great job of keeping a light shining amidst the dark.

On the whole I found Benson’s writing style to be entertaining and the storyline to be involved enough that it wasn’t boring. At 263 pages, The First Vampire is a quick read with a rapid-paced plot. The First Vampire appears to be book one in a series and leaves us with plenty to anticipate in the future.

And Kudos to Benson for being willing to kill important characters instead of the usual habit of keeping everyone alive until the story grows stagnant.  4.5 Stars for something new and fun. —John Hulet