Note: VR# refers to an entry in Vampire Readings.

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NOVELS
ANTHOLOGIES
YOUNG ADULT
ADDITIONAL READINGS

Aldiss, Brian W. Dracula Unbound. New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1991. Paperback.

In a far future when Lord Dracula and his evil minions rule, one courageous man tries to send a warning to the past. And in the world of today, another man unearths the tomb of a humanoid millions of years old. This will lead to a time-travel adventure to save mankind from the horror that awaits centuries ahead.

Element(s): SF/F; Dracula.

Bergstrom, Elaine (aka Marie Kiraly). Austra Family series.

Besides being wealthy artisans, the Austras are an ancient family of vampires. They are aliens who resemble humans but definitely are not, nor ever were, members of the human race. These vampires drink human blood but can also subsist on that of animals. Additionally they have at their disposal a special, secret formula that allows them to survive without sanguinary substance for long periods. Several family members are introduced throughout the four novels that currently comprise the series. The Austra character who appears in each novel is the handsome, magnetic Stephen. Because various family members are introduced in each novel, reading the books in order of publication will provide the reader with a greater appreciation of this epic story.

The four books in this series are:
Shattered Glass
Blood Alone
Blood Rites
Daughter of the Night
All are annotated in Vampire Readings.

Brand, Rebecca (aka Suzy McKee Charnas). The Ruby Tear. New York: Forge (Tom Doherty), 1997. Hardcover.

A family curse hangs over the Griffins and the enormity of it falls on the eldest son of each generation. The last of the Griffins is the wealthy playwright Nicolas, who decides to confront the enemy that has haunted his family for centuries, by writing a play which in certain ways parallels his family's battle with this demon. The enemy is Ivo von Cragga, a man who became a vampire when he made a pact with the Blood Angel, a creature that inhabits the violence charged Balkans. An ancestor of Nicolas had betrayed Ivo's family, murdered them, and stole the Ruby Tear. Ivo has exacted revenge on every generation. Now Nicholas is the target, and the vampire decides to strike by first attacking the woman Nicholas loves: Jessamyn Croft, who has the lead part in his play. Ivo's strategy, however, runs into trouble when he too comes to love Jessamyn.

Element(s): Romance.

Cadnum, Michael. The Judas Glass. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1996. Hardcover.

Richard pricks his finger on an antique mirror which mysteriously arrived one day at his house. Not long after he dies and is buried. Nine months later he awakens as a vampire. A poetic telling of a human life transformed.

Element(s): Romance.

Charnas, Suzy McKee. The Vampire Tapestry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1980. Hardcover. (Trade paperback published by Living Batch Press, Albuquerque, NM 1993).

Edward Weyland is a popular professor of anthropology, and a vampire who secretly feeds on those whose trust he has gained. He prides himself on his predatory skills and his superiority to mortals. But perhaps there is a streak of humanity in his tormented soul after all. Edward begins to feel a certain empathy with his prey. A truly unique twist on the vampire theme and a skillful look at a vampire's psychological profile.

Elrod, P. N. The Vampire Files series.

Jack Fleming is the protagonist of this series. He became a vampire through his love affair with Maureen. Although most humans are immune to the vampire bite, those who are not will transform at their death. Jack finds out in Book one - Bloodlist - that he will survive as one of these ageless, eternal creatures. Jack is befriended by the mortal, Charles Escott, a private investigator, who helps him in his various adventures. The setting for most stories is 1930s gangster-ridden Chicago. As a vampire Jack casts no reflection in a mirror, can dematerialize, needs a bit of dirt from home, and has, of course, a thirst for human blood. The writing style throughout is fast-paced, witty, even ironic.

The books in this series are:
Bloodlist
Lifeblood (The Vampire Files, No 2)
Bloodcircle (The Vampire Files, No 3)
Art in the Blood (Vampire Files, No 4)
Fire in the Blood (Vampire Files, No 5)
Blood on the Water (Vampire Files, No 6)
A Chill in the Blood
The Dark Sleep
Lady Crymsyn (The Vampire Files)
Cold Streets (Elrod, P. N. Vampire...
Most of these titles are annotated Vampire Readings.

Friedman, C. S. The Madness Season . New York: DAW, 1990. Paperback.

The Earth and many other worlds have been conquered by the Tyr, a terrible race which commands subservience, inspires fear, and does not tolerate diversity. One of those who fought in earth's war against the conquerors is Daetrin, a man who has lived for centuries. Through the course of this complex novel Daetrin must come to grips with the alien part of himself -- a part that among other things craves blood -- before he can do what is necessary to free earth and the other inhabited worlds of their oppressors.

Element(s): SF/F.

Hamilton, Laurell K. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.

All manner of things that go bump in the night inhabit modern-day America and in particular the city of St. Louis. There are zombies, ghouls, werecreatures, and vampires. The latter group now have been accorded constitutional rights. Anita Blake, who made her reputation as a vampire slayer, now toils as an animator. That is, she raises the dead in the form of zombies. She is also attached to a new police unit called the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team, commonly referred to as the Spook Squad.

The books in this series are:
Guilty Pleasures
The Laughing Corpse
Circus of the Damned
The Lunatic Cafe
Bloody Bones
Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake, Vampire...
Blue Moon (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerullian Sins. Coming in 2003. Most titles are annotated in Vampire Readings.

Holland, Tom. Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of.... New York: Pocket Books, 1996. Hardcover. Published in UK by Little Brown, 1995 as The Vampyre: Being the True Pilgrimage of George Gordon, Sixth Lord Byron.

The noted poet Lord Byron recounts to a frightened young woman the harrowing events that led to his becoming a vampire of tremendous power, a true Lord of the Dead. While traveling through nineteenth century Greece he was befriended by a centuries-old Turk who first lured him into the vampire life and then seemingly murdered the one woman Byron had ever loved, the beautiful slave Haidée

Elements: History, Romance.

Kalogridis, Jeanne. The Diaries of the Family Dracul series.

The descendents of Vlad Tepes (Dracula) have a covenant with this most famous nosferatu, and, in this trilogy, the horror of what that covenant implies manifests itself. The story begins in 1845 with the death of Arkady Tsepesh's father in Transylvania. Heartbroken Arkady returns for the funeral along with his pregnant wife Mary. Although he has always revered, even loved his Uncle Vlad, Arkady slowly realizes that a monster lurks at Dracula's soul, and that his own soul and that of his newborn son may soon be forfeit. The trilogy takes place over a span of 50 years and brings the reader up to the time of Stoker's novel, the story plays out as Arkady and others like Bram Van Helsing seek to destroy the evil that is Dracula. This is not an easy task because the Prince of Darkness has powerful allies, one of them being the vampiress Elizabeth Bathory, a creature even more brutal than Dracula. Like Stoker, Kalogridis tells her tale through a series of journal entries by the various characters. The denouement has an unusual twist to the Dracula story and the nature of the vampire. (The final volume, Lord of the Vampires, has an interesting forward by noted expert Dr. Elizabeth Miller, professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland.)

The books in this series are:
Covenant With the Vampire: The Diaries...
Children of the Vampire: The Diaries of...
Lord of the Vampires: The Diaries of the...
All are annotated Vampire Readings.

Kilpatrick, Nancy. Child of the Night . London: Raven, 1996. Paperback.

In this sensuous story of love, Carol Robins enters the vampire world one night in Bordeaux, France. She is accosted by the immortal André on an empty street where moments earlier she had seen him drink blood from the neck of a frail, elderly man. Thinking he means to kill her she bargains with her body and offers herself to him for two weeks. Intrigued and excited by her, André agrees. What neither expected was that Carol would conceive a child. André's vampire friends, an eclectic, rather interesting lot, insist that Carol have the child and leave it with them. Secretly Carol promises herself to do everything possible to escape their clutches. Throughout this novel Carol and André suffer a love/hate relationship that for the sake of their child must be resolved.

Element(s): Romance.

Lee, Earl. Drakulya: The Lost Journal of Mircea... . Tucson, AZ: Sharp Press, 1994. Paperback and Hardcover.

In this literate retelling of the Dracula story, the Prince of Darkness is Mircea Drakulya, elder brother of Vlad and Radu. He has taken his brother Vlad's identity because of his fearsome reputation as the Impaler. The terror this engenders offers protection from the superstitious local peasants. Dr. Van Helsing knows vampires exist and hunts them in order to learn the secrets of eternal life. He is particularly interested in a certain Wallachian noble. Much of the story is told from Drakulya's point of view, but the tale is supplemented with letters and diary entries of Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Mina and others. This novel holds some neat psychological twists.

Element(s): Dracula.

Lichtenberg, Jacqueline. Those of My Blood. New York: St Martin's, 1988. Hardcover.

The luren, a race of vampires, live secretly among the human inhabitants of earth. One group of them, the Tourists, longs to return to their home planet while another group, the Residents, considers earth home and have respect for human life. When an alien spacecraft crashes on the moon, these opposing factions suspect that it has come from their home world.

Element(s): Romance, SF/F.

___. Dreamspy. New York: St Martin's, 1989.

This sequel to Those of My Blood takes place in the area of space where the luren home world is located. A galactic war is in progress. A major point of the conflict centers on a method of faster- than-light travel that is destroying the fabric of space. Although a luren is one of the more important characters, vampires or vampirism has little to do with the plot.

Element(s): SF/F.

Newman, Kim. Anno Dracula New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993.

In this twist on Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Count easily survives Van Helsing's pitiful attempt to destroy him. He quickly goes on to win the hand of the widowed Queen Victoria. Vampires now hold sway in England, but not all are evil. In fact, one of the most enchanting characters of the story is Genevi`ve, a vampire older than Dracula. It is Genevi`ve and her mortal lover Charles Beauregard that are Dracula's eventual undoing.

Element(s): Dracula, Alternate History.

Shayne, Maggie. Wings of the Night series.

In Maggie Shayne's vampire world certain humans are called the Chosen. which means that they carry a rare blood antigen necessary for transformation to the vampire state. These Chosen are secretly guarded by vampires, to which they have a psychic link. A government group that knows about vampires and the Chosen is the CIA's Division of Paranormal Investigations (DPI). The agents of DPI hunt these individuals so that their scientists can study them. The methodology used by the researchers is far from humane although the books carry no graphic descriptions. This is after all a romance series and includes some steamy sex scenes. Characters from the various books tend to turn up at some point in all of the novels. The books in this series are:
Twilight Phantasies
Twilight Memories (Silhouette Shadows,...
Twilight Illusions (Silhouette Shadows,...
Born in Twilight
Beyond Twilight
Wings in the Night
At Twilight
Twilight Hunger
Embrace the Twilight
Most titles are annotated in Vampire Readings

Shepard, Lucius. The Golden. New York: Bantam, 1993. Paperback. (Shingletown, CA: Zeising, 1993. Hardcover. London: Millennium, 1993. Hardcover)

The collective of vampires known as the Family has gathered at Castle Banat for the decanting of exquisite mortal blood. For three centuries specially selected bloodlines had produced the Golden, and now all would partake of her essence. That, at least, was the plan. But, before that could happen, someone brutally murdered the Golden and drained every bit of her blood. It becomes the task of Michel Beheim, formerly chief of detectives of the Paris police force and new member of the Family, to find the killer.

Element(s): Mystery.

Steakley, John. Vampire$. New York: ROC, 1990. (Paperback. NY: ROC, 1992.)

Jack Crow leads a team, backed by the Vatican, which hunts down and kills vampires in the modern-day world. It is a terrifying and often deadly job, but this group of adventurers never backs away from its assignment to stamp out the evil undead.

Swiniarski, S. A. Raven . New York: DAW, 1996.

Kane Tyler's ex-wife has been brutally murdered and his teenage daughter is in terrible danger. His nightmare began when a mobster hired him to find his own missing daughter. She was somehow involved with a man named Childe, a man who personified evil. Now Kane finds his body changed and his memory gone. Slowly images of his recent past return, and he becomes aware that he has been transformed into a vampire. Childe holds the key to all that has happened, but stopping this creature may prove difficult even for a former policeman and new member of the Covenant. The setting for this story is Cleveland, Ohio, in the dead of winter. Brrrr!

Element(s): Mystery, SF/F.

Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn.

Series: Saint-Germain.

Yarbro's vampire hero, Yarbro's vampire hero, Count Saint-Germain, is an alchemist and apothecary with a lifespan of more than 3,500 years. The various novels in which he is the protagonist refer to some of those ancient times. For the most part, however, the stories thus far written occur during the Common Era. Saint-German is a vampire who needs blood as nourishment, carries his native soil with him (even places bits of it in his shoes), casts no reflection, and heals from wounds that would destroy a mortal. However, he never kills his victims, preferring to take only as much blood as he needs from a willing lover or from a stranger who knows only pleasant dreams as a result. More than just being a nice guy, Saint-Germain strives to do good and to help wherever he can. Multilingual, intelligent, and rich, Saint-Germain always manages to charm his way into the most influential circles of the period. He helps people in distress and is ready to lend a hand, especially if the person is female. Yarbro's novels always offer rich historical settings. These books are as much historical novels as vampire. Much background information is given through letters sometimes from minor characters, but also between Saint-Germain and Olivia.

The books in this series are:
Hotel Transylvania
The Palace
Blood Games
Path of the Eclipse
Tempting Fate
The Saint-Germain Chronicles
Darker Jewels
Better in the Dark: An Historical Horror...
Mansions of Darkness: A Novel of...
Writ in Blood: A Novel of Saint-Germain,
Blood Roses: A Novel of Saint-Germain
Communion Blood: A Novel of Saint-Germain
Come Twilight: A Novel of Saint-Germain
A Feast In Exile
Night Blooming: The Chronicles of...
Most titles are annotated in Vampire Readings

In Vampire Readings all story titles in each anthology are listed although not all are annotated. For this excerpt, however, only those stories with annotations are shown.

Hambly, Barbara, Marin H. Greenberg, (editors). Sisters of the Night. New York: Warner Books, 1995.

This collage of fourteen short stories centers on the female vampire. Themes range from eerie and despairing to humorous.

Hambly, Barbara. "Madeleine."

In this darkly humorous tale an amoral vampire, Madeleine, is driven crazy by a curse from a mortal. Now as Madeleine drinks, the thoughts of her victims play over and over in her mind. There is no escape.

Smith, Dean Wesley. "Tumbling Down the Nighttime. "

In a nursing home an old man prays for death, and then his long lost love pays him a visit. She has not changed in forty years. She offers to grant his wish.

Wheeler, Deborah. "Survival Skills."

In this comic story a truant officer tells Valerie, a vampire single mom, that she must send her children to school. Luckily, there is a special school just for kids of parents who work at night.

Jones, Stephen editor. The Mammoth Book of Vampires. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1992.

A collection of short stories, novellas and one poem from modern masters of horror such as Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley as well as classic writers like - Edgar Allan Poe, M. R. James, E.F. Benson, and, of course, Bram Stoker.

Wagner , Karl Edward. "Beyond Any Measure. "

Terrifying images of blood and death invade the dreams and waking hours of a young woman. She even has visions of a vampiric doppelganger.

Stoker, Bram. "Dracula's Guest. "

This story was originally written as a chapter in the novel, but did not make the final cut. Here Jonathan Harker encounters another vampire and from whom he is protected by the Count.

Tremayne , Peter. "Dracula's Chair". "

This story was originally to be the epilogue for his novel The Revenge of Dracula which is the second book of a trilogy.

Crawford , F. Marion. "For the Blood is the Life."

Originally published in 1911 as part of a collection entitled "Wandering Ghosts". On moonlit nights an unmarked grave shows the shimmering outline of a body lying on top of it. This marks the grave of a vampire.

Cave , Hugh B. "Stragella. "

Two men are adrift at sea for days and think their ordeal is over when they see a large ship approaching through the fog. Unfortunately, their journey of horror has only begun.

Tem , Melanie. "The Better Half."

Brenda watches horrified as her friend Kelly's life fades away while Kelly's husband becomes stronger and more robust.

Garfield , Frances. "The House at Evening."

Two young men enter an old victorian house with two beautiful women who, they are assured, can provide an evening's entertainment. The ladies, however, are almost as old as the house and have very sharp canines.

Some of the best stories being written today are marketed as young adult fiction.

Cooney, Caroline B.

Series: Vampire.

The setting for each story in the series is a dark, Victorian house with a spooky tower where the Vampire dwells.

___. The Cheerleader (Point Thriller). New York: Scholastic, 1991.

Series: Vampire No. 1.

Althea envies the beautiful, popular Celeste and makes a Faustian pact with the Vampire in the tower. Now Althea is the popular one, but she finds she cannot enjoy her ill gotten gains when she sees the suffering of Celeste and others.

___. The Return of the Vampire. New York: Scholastic, 1991. Paperback.

Series: Vampire No. 2.

The Vampire promises Devnee the beauty she desperately desires, but this promise comes at a high price. Eventually Devnee finds her conscience and also the courage to fight the evil Vampire.

___. Vampires Promise. New York: Scholastic, 1993. Paperback.

Series: Vampire No. 3.

A group of teens enter the old house looking for excitement. They find it when the Vampire captures them and promises to let them go but only after they select one from among them who will stay with him as his victim. These young people must work together to defeat this evil being.

Pike, Christopher.

Series: The Last Vampire.

Beautiful Sita looks 18 but is actually 5,000 years old. One of the first vampires created, she is now almost the last. But there is one even older than she. His name is Yaksha, and he is out to destroy her. When the series begins, Sita shows herself to be without guilt or remorse for the countless killings she has committed. Then she meets Ray who reminds her so much of the husband she loved as a mortal. Ray aids her in her plan to find Yaksha and kill him before he can kill her. Eons ago both Sita and Yaksha made a pact with the ancient god, Lord Krishna. Now they must play out the final part of their pact. And when that is done the original evil that brought vampirism to this world must be dealt with. Mixed in with a great deal of violence are dream sequences with Krishna appearing to Sita and telling her parables that, if she can figure them out, will aid her in defeating her enemies.

___. The Last Vampire New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks), 1994. Paperback

Series: The Last Vampire No 1.

___. Black Blood (Last Vampire, 2) New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks, 1994. Paperback.

Series: The Last Vampire No. 2.

___. The Last Vampire 3: Red Dice New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks), 1995.

Series: The Last Vampire No. 3.

___. The Phantom: The Last Vampire 4 (Last... New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks), 1996.

Series: The Last Vampire No. 4.

___. Evil Thirst New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks), 1996.

Series: The Last Vampire No. 5.

___. Creatures of Forever New York: Pocket Books (Archway Paperbacks), 1996. Paperback

Series: The Last Vampire No. 6.

Vande Velde, Vivian. Companions of the Night . New York: Laurel-Leaf, 1995.

Kerry is sixteen and still suffering over her mother's recent abandonment. Late one evening, at the local laundry, she walks into a nightmare scenario. A young man, Ethan, has been beaten and gagged by a group of four men who accuse him of being a vampire. She does not believe such nonsense and, at the first opportunity, helps Ethan to escape. But it turns out that Ethan really is one of the undead. Now Kerry has to make some adult decisions as she tries to figure out where the true evil lies -- with the vampire or with his hunters.

This section contains books that explain the vampire myth, discuss the literature of the vampire genre, or give historic analysis of personages such as Vlad Tepes or Elizabeth Bathory who have inspired the stories of the immortal undead.

Bontly, Susan, and Carol J. Sheridan. Enchanted Journeys Beyond the Imagination: An Annotated Bibliography of Fantasy, Futuristic, Supernatural and Time Travel Romances.Beavercreek, OH: Blue Diamond Publications, 1996.

In 2 volumes. A bibliography containing brief annotations of various romance subgenres including that of vampires.

Carter, Margaret L., (editor). The Vampire in Literature: A Critical Bibliography . Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1989. Paperback.

The initial chapters give a survey of vampire literature and explore the legends behind the stories. The remaining chapters are bibliographic listings under the following headings: Vampire Fiction in English (the largest section); Anthologies of Vampire Fiction and Verse; Non-English Vampire Fiction in Translation; Dramatic Works on Vampires in English; Nonfiction: Books; Nonfiction: Articles. The fiction entries have abbreviations that designate what sort of vampiric creature the reader may expect to encounter. For example A1H means a vampire who is Alien, Humanoid. Annual updates are available from the editor.

Cox, Greg. The Transylvanian Library: A Consumer's Guide to Vampire Fiction. San Bernadino, CA: Borgo Press, 1993. Hardcover. 264 p.

In this bibliography of vampire fiction, witty annotations by Greg Cox make for lively readings about the undead. Beginning with the pre-Dracula stories like Polidori's The Vampyre readers are treated to a chronological exploration of vampire fiction up to 1989. Says Cox "When I finally closed the door of this Library, The Queen of the Damned had just seen print and Ronald Reagan was still President. Since then I have seen the vampire boom of the 1980s go thermonuclear."

Hoyt, Olga. Lust for Blood: The Consuming Story of Vampires. Chelsea, MI: Scarborrough House, 1984.

A modern day, aspiring vampire was a dapper Englishman named John Haigh, who first charmed his victims, then killed them with a blow to the head, after which he drained their blood and robbed their estates. Thus begins Hoyt's account of vampires throughout history - those who inspired the legend such as Haigh, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and Vlad Tepes, as well as their fictional counterparts - Dracula, Varney and Carmilla, to name a few. A look at the cultures that inspired the legends of such fiends gives a background to the discussion of the tales themselves .

Melton, J. Gordon. Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press, 1994.

An invaluable reference source that covers many aspects of vampire literature, myth and culture. It is an encyclopedic approach with in-depth essays on subjects such as Lord Byron, Dark Shadows, Characteristics of Vampires, the Highgate Vampire, and Elvira. There is also an excellent bibliography of novels, a filmography, and even a list of organizations devoted to the undead.

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