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The Time of the Vampires
FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, THEY HAVE STALKED THE NIGHT ---
Creatures of legend --- or something all too real? For centuries people have whispered about the creatures of darkness, of those who wear the guise of humans to prey upon their all-too-mortal kin, of those neither dead nor alive, who exist in a sort of immortal twilight and attain both the semblance and substance of life by drinking the blood of their helplessly mesmerized victims.
Here then are eighteen, original tales of vampires down through history, from the eras of ancient Greece and Rome up to the modern day, some traditionally horrifying, some poignant, some with a humorous touch. From a vampire blessed by Christ to the truth about the notorious Oscar Wilde to a rollicking tale of vampirism and the Bow Street Runners, these memorable stories by such tale-weavers as Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and Lois Tilton are sure to appeal to anyone who's ever been bitten by an interest in those mysterious, seductive, and deadly rulers of the night.
Introduction / P.N. Elrod --
Vision of darkness / Lois Tilton --
Scent of blood / Susan Booth --
Gift / Teresa Patterson --
Oaths / Bradley H. Sinor --
Blood of the lamb / Lillian Stewart Carl --
Devil's mark / P.N. Elrod --
Bloodthirsty tyrants / Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein --
What manner of man / Tanya Huff --
Matter of taste / Nick Pollotta --
Voice from the void / Margaret Carter --
In memory of / Nancy Kilpatrick --
Death mask / Rebecca Ann Brothers --
Faith like wine / Roxanne Longstreet --
Black sounds / Lawrence Schimel --
Ghost of St. Mark's / Elaine Bergstrom --
Walking tour / Jean Graham --
Night of the vampire scare / Julie Barrett --
Toothless vampires can still give hickeys / James Schutte
Creatures of legend --- or something all too real? For centuries people have whispered about the creatures of darkness, of those who wear the guise of humans to prey upon their all-too-mortal kin, of those neither dead nor alive, who exist in a sort of immortal twilight and attain both the semblance and substance of life by drinking the blood of their helplessly mesmerized victims.
Here then are eighteen, original tales of vampires down through history, from the eras of ancient Greece and Rome up to the modern day, some traditionally horrifying, some poignant, some with a humorous touch. From a vampire blessed by Christ to the truth about the notorious Oscar Wilde to a rollicking tale of vampirism and the Bow Street Runners, these memorable stories by such tale-weavers as Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and Lois Tilton are sure to appeal to anyone who's ever been bitten by an interest in those mysterious, seductive, and deadly rulers of the night.
Introduction / P.N. Elrod --
Vision of darkness / Lois Tilton --
Scent of blood / Susan Booth --
Gift / Teresa Patterson --
Oaths / Bradley H. Sinor --
Blood of the lamb / Lillian Stewart Carl --
Devil's mark / P.N. Elrod --
Bloodthirsty tyrants / Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein --
What manner of man / Tanya Huff --
Matter of taste / Nick Pollotta --
Voice from the void / Margaret Carter --
In memory of / Nancy Kilpatrick --
Death mask / Rebecca Ann Brothers --
Faith like wine / Roxanne Longstreet --
Black sounds / Lawrence Schimel --
Ghost of St. Mark's / Elaine Bergstrom --
Walking tour / Jean Graham --
Night of the vampire scare / Julie Barrett --
Toothless vampires can still give hickeys / James Schutte
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1996
229 people want to read
About the author
P.N. Elrod
92 books589 followersPatricia Nead Elrod is an American fantasy writer specializing in novels about vampires. Her work falls into areas of fantasy and (in some cases) mystery or historical fiction, but normally not horror, since her vampires are the heroes. -Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 16, 2010
This anthology of vampires short stories has a neat conceit: each story is about vampires historically. The first story “A Vision of Darkness’ by Lois Tilton has a vampire speaking with Socrates about eternal life. “A Scent of Blood” by Susan Booth is about the Roman empire invading Romania and finding beings there that they are unable to handle. “What Manner of Man” by Tanya Huff has Henry Fitzroy helping out a spy/ gambling buddy by being a spy. “Ghost of St. Marks” by Elaine Bergstrom is about a priest and a man who came to help in England just before the Germans started bombing England. The priest was attracted to the man and felt terribly guilty about it.
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July 31, 2022A Vision of Darkness by Lois Tilton Oct 23, 1999
Scent of Blood by Susan Booth Oct 23, 1999
The Gift by Teresa Patterson Oct 23, 1999
Oaths by Bradley H. Sinor Nov 1, 1999
The Blood of the Lamb by Lillian Stewart Carl Aug 16, 2000
Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys by James Schutte Aug 16, 2000
"What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff Apr 5, 2000 reread 2/27/2015
The Devil's Mark by P. N. Elrod
Bloodthirsty Tyrants by Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
A Matter of Taste by Nick Pollotta
Voice from the Void by Margaret Carter
In Memory of by Nancy Kilpatrick
Death Mask by Rebecca Ann Brothers
Faith Like Wine by Rachel Caine
Black Sounds by Lawrence Schimel
The Ghost of St. Mark's by Elaine Bergstrom
Walking Tour by Jean Graham
Night of the Vampire Scare by Julie Barrett
I swear, I *will* finish this anthology. Sometime...
Scent of Blood by Susan Booth Oct 23, 1999
The Gift by Teresa Patterson Oct 23, 1999
Oaths by Bradley H. Sinor Nov 1, 1999
The Blood of the Lamb by Lillian Stewart Carl Aug 16, 2000
Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys by James Schutte Aug 16, 2000
"What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff Apr 5, 2000 reread 2/27/2015
The Devil's Mark by P. N. Elrod
Bloodthirsty Tyrants by Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
A Matter of Taste by Nick Pollotta
Voice from the Void by Margaret Carter
In Memory of by Nancy Kilpatrick
Death Mask by Rebecca Ann Brothers
Faith Like Wine by Rachel Caine
Black Sounds by Lawrence Schimel
The Ghost of St. Mark's by Elaine Bergstrom
Walking Tour by Jean Graham
Night of the Vampire Scare by Julie Barrett
I swear, I *will* finish this anthology. Sometime...
October 12, 2007
great stories, my favorite deals with a vampiric doctor working at a blood bank, acting a lot like John Cleese, theres also a tale about a vampire in the scottish highlands, set during the days of the Bow Street Runners days, its called "A Matter of Taste"
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July 19, 2010My first published story came out in this book. Bloodthirsty Tyrants is all my fault, I'm afraid.
July 23, 2012
My one and only (so far) claim to professional fame is one of the stories in this book, "Death Mask," the one about vampires and spies on the Orient Express.
May 14, 2014
Yet another kinda-schlocky genre collection with a few hidden gems. Overall, this one wasn't as good as the other genre collection I read recently, Tomorrow Sucks, but it was still worth a perusal for a few of the stories. One thing about the collection overall before we start looking at it story by story - the central theme of the collection, "vampires throughout history," was actually a bit disorienting at times, as generally the collection proceeded forward through history but many of the stories were a little unspecific as to their time period.
So, story by story:
"A Vision of Darkness" by Lois Tilton
The very first story in the collection starts a rather unfortunate trend - that being "stories about historical or established fictional characters reimagined as vampires." Not all of these stories are bad; but unfortunately, this one rather is. The way it describes Patroclos (yes, the Patroclos from Homer) being turned into a vampire is curious, but the story's structure - half a musing between vampire Patroclos and Socrates about truth in art, half a retelling of how Patroclos became a vampire - is pretty muddled and ultimately uninteresting.
"Scent of Blood" by Susan Booth
A pretty decent story about the Roman invasion of Romania from the first century AD. Reads like military science fiction/fantasy more than anything else, and was of high quality in that regard. Still not a very strong story, but an enjoyable read.
"The Gift" by Teresa Patterson
Patterson reinvents the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend as a vampire. The first really successful story in the collection; Patterson captures the raw emotion of the Lady's existence, managing to tell a tight, character-driven story that spans over several decades in only a relatively short space. A highlight of the collection.
"Oaths" by Bradley H. Sinor
Sinor presents to us Lancelot from Arthur's court as a vampire in medieval Europe. While the idea of Lancelot becoming a vampire (and still serving as one of Arthur's knights) is a bit laughable, and explained only through a couple of short flashbacks, the story itself is a pretty compelling one; I have to say that the idea of noble, emotionally-tortured Lancelot becoming a Templar only to barely survive the purge of the order and come face to face with their betrayer years later was more plausible than I'd have thought. One issue - the story makes specific mention of the resemblance Emma, a girl he meets in a tavern during the story, to Guinevere, and concludes with him drinking from her (voluntarily); however it does little to expand on this relationship and make it a valuable part of the story.
"The Blood of the Lamb" by Lillian Stewart Carl
Set during the early stages of King Henry's rebellion against the traditions of the Catholic Church in England, Carl's tale shows us a nun who finds divine inspiration in an experience with a vampire. The story masterfully ties together the disparate ways Sister Catherine and Stephen view the world, making it entirely plausible that she would interpret their encounter the way she does (which is highly, highly atypical). A good read.
"The Devil's Mark" by P.N. Elrod
A humorous story about a witch-hunter stumbling into a town made up entirely of vampires. Manages to play coy about the town's true nature without that coyness becoming distracting, obvious, and/or annoying; and even manages to be mildly amusing and alluring, again without being annoying about it. I've always felt negatively about editors including their own work in an anthology collection, but this one deserved to be here.
"Bloodthirsty Tyrants" by Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
Tells the tale of Rudolph, an Austrian noble, during the sack of Vienna by Napoleon's forces, and Chloris, a vampire who also happens to be in Vienna at the same time. Rudolph's sections were pretty good; Chloris' sections, by comparison, were drab and annoying. She is, as it turns out, pretty much entirely in the story to serve as a means of making Rudolph a vampire, only to comment about how she dislikes the "gift" - something she takes altogether too seriously - being bestowed on someone as low and awful as him.
"What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff
A story about Henry Fitzroy, one of the bastard children of Henry VIII, as a vampire hundreds of years after his father's death. This one is PACKED with references to classic 19th century vampire stories, mostly in the names of various characters - expect to meet characters named Varney, Carmilla, and Ruthven, among others. Curiously, none of them are vampires. The story itself is excellent, a compelling, Victorian style mystery; the one issue is that Henry's vampirism is little more than a plot device that explains why Varney, his butler, grumbles about the chances he takes in potentially revealing himself, and why he sleeps all day.
"A Matter of Taste" by Nick Pollotta
This short little ditty is more humor than anything else, pitting the Bow Street Runners (a short lived English police organization) against a vampire. The payoff joke is groan-worthy, but in a good way, and at the very least it's short so it won't waste much of your time if you don't wind up liking it. Be warned, though - it's more like a long, extended joke than a story.
"Voice from the Void" by Margaret Carter
A curious story, although not necessarily for the right reasons. Carter's story attacks a fraudulent Spiritualist ring from the late nineteenth century by presenting us with the fact that it's run by a legitimately supernatural person (who can levitate things, but doesn't actually speak with spirits from beyond the grave). The irony of a vampire - an undead creature - attending a spiritualist seance gets a little lost, too. If you ignore the historical irony, though, the story is relatively compelling, and works well in conjunction with Huff's "What Manner of Man" in presenting righteous vampires that don't enter the realm of self-satire.
"In Memory Of" by Nancy Kilpatrick
Yet another "historical figure is a vampire" story - this time Oscar Wilde. Interestingly, it doesn't name Wilde as a vampire, but rather presents him as, in essence, Dorian Grey. It further postulates, at the end, that Bram Stoker got the inspiration for Dracula from marrying one of supernatural Oscar Wilde's victims, who lost her soul as a result of what he did to her. Of course, the thematic implications of a woman who loses her soul as a result of being attacked by a man are uncomfortable and underdeveloped at best, and it's hard to call this relatively bleak story "fun" to read; but it's not completely terrible, either.
"Death Mask" by Rebecca Ann Brothers
Another classic-style story, this a more hardboiled mystery. The love story is a little awkward - there's one point at which the main character kisses a woman who was recently widowed and sees no good reason for her to be uncomfortable about it, although it turns out later that the reasons the reader thinks she should feel uncomfortable about it are invalid - but otherwise the story moves along well. Part of the issue with the story is that it ends three times - once on the train, once after Corinna shows up to drown Jonah in post-coital exposition to make sure we understand exactly what happened, and then in an epilogue - possibly the first time I've ever seen a short story with an epilogue - in which Jonah wakes up after dying as a vampire. In the end this feels rather like a story that's trying to be longer but not quite making it, which probably is the reason for the vague feeling of dissatisfaction one feels after completing it. For all its faults and unsavory after-taste, it was still enjoyable.
"Faith Like Wine" by Roxanne Longstreet
I'll admit, I was not expecting to like this story, but like it I certainly did. Another historical figure as a vampire story, this one takes a relatively minor character from the Bible - Joanna, wife of Chuza, steward of Herod - and reinvents her as a vampire. Ironically, it's about her inability to be healed in the way she seeks (ironic because in the Bible she was healed by Jesus). As the author's notes admit, there are some serious liberties taken here, and the story serves, among other things, as a vessel for the "Jesus put Judas up to betraying him" theory. Still, the story's juxtaposition of Joanna's time with Jesus (who is never named directly, which, in retrospect, I respect) and her time in the twentieth century with another prophet, Aimee McPherson, is masterfully done, crafting both setting and character in exquisite detail, and offering a unique look at Jesus - from the eyes of someone who could compare modern people to him as a person and not just as a metaphor. Very well done; another contender for best in the collection.
"Black Sounds" by Lawrence Schimel
While this story starts promising, it ends quickly and without fanfare, leaving the reader feeling as though what transpired was mostly pointless. After lamenting his inability to let loose with his emotions and worrying he'll wind up emotionless and hollow, the main character - whose name I can't remember and can't be bothered to look up - experiences a brief moment of virile passion with a vampire, but loses his soul as a result of the experience, winding up, you guessed it, emotionless and hollow. It might almost be a cautionary tale - "don't shoot higher than you should because you might land lower" - except its reverence for vitality, the thing it might be trying to condemn, is never lost.
"The Ghost of St. Mark's" by Elaine Bergstrom
Holy exposition, Batman! This one is about an old priest in England who, during World War II, failed to help a friend (a male friend whom he was attracted to), who turned out to be a vampire. Said vampire wound up buried in the church and, years later, took out his frustration by possessing random people. Most of the story is given over to the priest explaining the story of what happened to the vampire to one of the vampire's relatives, while vampire relative digs up the still-aware mostly-charred corpse of the vampire in the church. While the homosexual theme in the story was a welcome change from the piles of heterosexual vampire love stories out there, the veritable sea of exposition was enough to kill the story.
"Walking Tour" by Jean Graham
Last of the collection's "historical figures were vampires" pieces, this one imagines Jack the Ripper as a vampire who was accidentally frozen in time for most of a century to emerge in 60s London. While the idea that vampires feed on souls and actively worship the devil was refreshingly plainly stated, the story's insistence on peppering in obvious 60s cultural references (the "singing insects" being the Beatles) while purposefully misinterpreting their meaning for laughs was terribly annoying, and ultimately the story didn't do enough with its more interesting bits to be really good. It's too bad, too; there was a lot of potential here.
"Night of the Vampire Scare" by Julie Barrett
A forgettable little lark about a town that starts to be overcome by (humorous) paranoia until someone rational convinces them to calm down. This one only introduces its vampire character at the very end, by revealing that the story has a first person narrator in the last few paragraphs and that the narrator, an observer who participated not-at-all in the story, is a vampire. Probably the most poorly written piece in the collection - the sense of humor seems a bit off, the characterization is weak and stereotypical, and that "gotcha!" ending is just annoying.
"Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys" by James Schutte
Shcutte's attempt to turn the traditional, folksy vampire story on its head falls a little flat, as so much of it is obviously meant as satire and isn't believable as a result. Again, parts of it are decent, but overall the author's attempt at satirizing the classic vampire story was more clearly highlighted than the characterization, a mortal (if you'll forgive the pun) sin.
So there we have it. "The Gift," "Blood of the Lamb," and "Faith Like Wine" are the stories to come to the collection for, although if all you're looking for is a compelling, enjoyable read, "Scent of Blood," "Oaths," "The Devil's Mark," "What Manner of Man," "Voice from the Void," and "Death Mask" are all fun reads. Overall, the collection's not something you need to rush out and find a copy of - there's nothing in it that good - but there are a few hidden gems, and plenty of of decent, fun stories to make it worth some time.
So, story by story:
"A Vision of Darkness" by Lois Tilton
The very first story in the collection starts a rather unfortunate trend - that being "stories about historical or established fictional characters reimagined as vampires." Not all of these stories are bad; but unfortunately, this one rather is. The way it describes Patroclos (yes, the Patroclos from Homer) being turned into a vampire is curious, but the story's structure - half a musing between vampire Patroclos and Socrates about truth in art, half a retelling of how Patroclos became a vampire - is pretty muddled and ultimately uninteresting.
"Scent of Blood" by Susan Booth
A pretty decent story about the Roman invasion of Romania from the first century AD. Reads like military science fiction/fantasy more than anything else, and was of high quality in that regard. Still not a very strong story, but an enjoyable read.
"The Gift" by Teresa Patterson
Patterson reinvents the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend as a vampire. The first really successful story in the collection; Patterson captures the raw emotion of the Lady's existence, managing to tell a tight, character-driven story that spans over several decades in only a relatively short space. A highlight of the collection.
"Oaths" by Bradley H. Sinor
Sinor presents to us Lancelot from Arthur's court as a vampire in medieval Europe. While the idea of Lancelot becoming a vampire (and still serving as one of Arthur's knights) is a bit laughable, and explained only through a couple of short flashbacks, the story itself is a pretty compelling one; I have to say that the idea of noble, emotionally-tortured Lancelot becoming a Templar only to barely survive the purge of the order and come face to face with their betrayer years later was more plausible than I'd have thought. One issue - the story makes specific mention of the resemblance Emma, a girl he meets in a tavern during the story, to Guinevere, and concludes with him drinking from her (voluntarily); however it does little to expand on this relationship and make it a valuable part of the story.
"The Blood of the Lamb" by Lillian Stewart Carl
Set during the early stages of King Henry's rebellion against the traditions of the Catholic Church in England, Carl's tale shows us a nun who finds divine inspiration in an experience with a vampire. The story masterfully ties together the disparate ways Sister Catherine and Stephen view the world, making it entirely plausible that she would interpret their encounter the way she does (which is highly, highly atypical). A good read.
"The Devil's Mark" by P.N. Elrod
A humorous story about a witch-hunter stumbling into a town made up entirely of vampires. Manages to play coy about the town's true nature without that coyness becoming distracting, obvious, and/or annoying; and even manages to be mildly amusing and alluring, again without being annoying about it. I've always felt negatively about editors including their own work in an anthology collection, but this one deserved to be here.
"Bloodthirsty Tyrants" by Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
Tells the tale of Rudolph, an Austrian noble, during the sack of Vienna by Napoleon's forces, and Chloris, a vampire who also happens to be in Vienna at the same time. Rudolph's sections were pretty good; Chloris' sections, by comparison, were drab and annoying. She is, as it turns out, pretty much entirely in the story to serve as a means of making Rudolph a vampire, only to comment about how she dislikes the "gift" - something she takes altogether too seriously - being bestowed on someone as low and awful as him.
"What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff
A story about Henry Fitzroy, one of the bastard children of Henry VIII, as a vampire hundreds of years after his father's death. This one is PACKED with references to classic 19th century vampire stories, mostly in the names of various characters - expect to meet characters named Varney, Carmilla, and Ruthven, among others. Curiously, none of them are vampires. The story itself is excellent, a compelling, Victorian style mystery; the one issue is that Henry's vampirism is little more than a plot device that explains why Varney, his butler, grumbles about the chances he takes in potentially revealing himself, and why he sleeps all day.
"A Matter of Taste" by Nick Pollotta
This short little ditty is more humor than anything else, pitting the Bow Street Runners (a short lived English police organization) against a vampire. The payoff joke is groan-worthy, but in a good way, and at the very least it's short so it won't waste much of your time if you don't wind up liking it. Be warned, though - it's more like a long, extended joke than a story.
"Voice from the Void" by Margaret Carter
A curious story, although not necessarily for the right reasons. Carter's story attacks a fraudulent Spiritualist ring from the late nineteenth century by presenting us with the fact that it's run by a legitimately supernatural person (who can levitate things, but doesn't actually speak with spirits from beyond the grave). The irony of a vampire - an undead creature - attending a spiritualist seance gets a little lost, too. If you ignore the historical irony, though, the story is relatively compelling, and works well in conjunction with Huff's "What Manner of Man" in presenting righteous vampires that don't enter the realm of self-satire.
"In Memory Of" by Nancy Kilpatrick
Yet another "historical figure is a vampire" story - this time Oscar Wilde. Interestingly, it doesn't name Wilde as a vampire, but rather presents him as, in essence, Dorian Grey. It further postulates, at the end, that Bram Stoker got the inspiration for Dracula from marrying one of supernatural Oscar Wilde's victims, who lost her soul as a result of what he did to her. Of course, the thematic implications of a woman who loses her soul as a result of being attacked by a man are uncomfortable and underdeveloped at best, and it's hard to call this relatively bleak story "fun" to read; but it's not completely terrible, either.
"Death Mask" by Rebecca Ann Brothers
Another classic-style story, this a more hardboiled mystery. The love story is a little awkward - there's one point at which the main character kisses a woman who was recently widowed and sees no good reason for her to be uncomfortable about it, although it turns out later that the reasons the reader thinks she should feel uncomfortable about it are invalid - but otherwise the story moves along well. Part of the issue with the story is that it ends three times - once on the train, once after Corinna shows up to drown Jonah in post-coital exposition to make sure we understand exactly what happened, and then in an epilogue - possibly the first time I've ever seen a short story with an epilogue - in which Jonah wakes up after dying as a vampire. In the end this feels rather like a story that's trying to be longer but not quite making it, which probably is the reason for the vague feeling of dissatisfaction one feels after completing it. For all its faults and unsavory after-taste, it was still enjoyable.
"Faith Like Wine" by Roxanne Longstreet
I'll admit, I was not expecting to like this story, but like it I certainly did. Another historical figure as a vampire story, this one takes a relatively minor character from the Bible - Joanna, wife of Chuza, steward of Herod - and reinvents her as a vampire. Ironically, it's about her inability to be healed in the way she seeks (ironic because in the Bible she was healed by Jesus). As the author's notes admit, there are some serious liberties taken here, and the story serves, among other things, as a vessel for the "Jesus put Judas up to betraying him" theory. Still, the story's juxtaposition of Joanna's time with Jesus (who is never named directly, which, in retrospect, I respect) and her time in the twentieth century with another prophet, Aimee McPherson, is masterfully done, crafting both setting and character in exquisite detail, and offering a unique look at Jesus - from the eyes of someone who could compare modern people to him as a person and not just as a metaphor. Very well done; another contender for best in the collection.
"Black Sounds" by Lawrence Schimel
While this story starts promising, it ends quickly and without fanfare, leaving the reader feeling as though what transpired was mostly pointless. After lamenting his inability to let loose with his emotions and worrying he'll wind up emotionless and hollow, the main character - whose name I can't remember and can't be bothered to look up - experiences a brief moment of virile passion with a vampire, but loses his soul as a result of the experience, winding up, you guessed it, emotionless and hollow. It might almost be a cautionary tale - "don't shoot higher than you should because you might land lower" - except its reverence for vitality, the thing it might be trying to condemn, is never lost.
"The Ghost of St. Mark's" by Elaine Bergstrom
Holy exposition, Batman! This one is about an old priest in England who, during World War II, failed to help a friend (a male friend whom he was attracted to), who turned out to be a vampire. Said vampire wound up buried in the church and, years later, took out his frustration by possessing random people. Most of the story is given over to the priest explaining the story of what happened to the vampire to one of the vampire's relatives, while vampire relative digs up the still-aware mostly-charred corpse of the vampire in the church. While the homosexual theme in the story was a welcome change from the piles of heterosexual vampire love stories out there, the veritable sea of exposition was enough to kill the story.
"Walking Tour" by Jean Graham
Last of the collection's "historical figures were vampires" pieces, this one imagines Jack the Ripper as a vampire who was accidentally frozen in time for most of a century to emerge in 60s London. While the idea that vampires feed on souls and actively worship the devil was refreshingly plainly stated, the story's insistence on peppering in obvious 60s cultural references (the "singing insects" being the Beatles) while purposefully misinterpreting their meaning for laughs was terribly annoying, and ultimately the story didn't do enough with its more interesting bits to be really good. It's too bad, too; there was a lot of potential here.
"Night of the Vampire Scare" by Julie Barrett
A forgettable little lark about a town that starts to be overcome by (humorous) paranoia until someone rational convinces them to calm down. This one only introduces its vampire character at the very end, by revealing that the story has a first person narrator in the last few paragraphs and that the narrator, an observer who participated not-at-all in the story, is a vampire. Probably the most poorly written piece in the collection - the sense of humor seems a bit off, the characterization is weak and stereotypical, and that "gotcha!" ending is just annoying.
"Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys" by James Schutte
Shcutte's attempt to turn the traditional, folksy vampire story on its head falls a little flat, as so much of it is obviously meant as satire and isn't believable as a result. Again, parts of it are decent, but overall the author's attempt at satirizing the classic vampire story was more clearly highlighted than the characterization, a mortal (if you'll forgive the pun) sin.
So there we have it. "The Gift," "Blood of the Lamb," and "Faith Like Wine" are the stories to come to the collection for, although if all you're looking for is a compelling, enjoyable read, "Scent of Blood," "Oaths," "The Devil's Mark," "What Manner of Man," "Voice from the Void," and "Death Mask" are all fun reads. Overall, the collection's not something you need to rush out and find a copy of - there's nothing in it that good - but there are a few hidden gems, and plenty of of decent, fun stories to make it worth some time.
August 22, 2023
This anthology was among several others that had tried to encash the centenary of publication of the ultimate vampire novel. To separate itself from others it had used history as a theme as the eighteen stories showed a chronological progress of vampires parallel to mankind, while keeping certain things constant.
The editors had extracted stories from several authors who hadn't written in this genre previously, and who vanished from the speculative fiction database after this one, rather mysteriously. Several of those stories were memorable, which had compelled me to try to find more works penned by those authors, without any success. On the other hand, some of the big names including P.N. Elrod, had produced very boring stories.
My favourites were~
1. "Scent of Blood" by Susan Booth (an author whose works I would like to read, but found only one, in another anthology);
2. "Oaths" by Bradley H. Sinor;
3. "The Blood of the Lamb" by Lillian Stewart Carl;
4. "What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff;
5. "Voice From The Void" by Margaret L. Carter;
6. "In Memory of" by Nany Kilpatrick;
7. "Death Mask" by Rebecca Ann Brothers;
8. "Faith Like Wine" by Roxanne Longstreet;
9. "The Ghost of St. Marks" by Elaine Bergstrom;
10. "Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys" by James Schutte.
Unfortunately, these memorable stories were punctuated by too many amateurish and drab narratives masquerading as stories.
Nevertheless I found this to be a collection worth pursuing and derived considerable entertainment from it. Recommended.
The editors had extracted stories from several authors who hadn't written in this genre previously, and who vanished from the speculative fiction database after this one, rather mysteriously. Several of those stories were memorable, which had compelled me to try to find more works penned by those authors, without any success. On the other hand, some of the big names including P.N. Elrod, had produced very boring stories.
My favourites were~
1. "Scent of Blood" by Susan Booth (an author whose works I would like to read, but found only one, in another anthology);
2. "Oaths" by Bradley H. Sinor;
3. "The Blood of the Lamb" by Lillian Stewart Carl;
4. "What Manner of Man" by Tanya Huff;
5. "Voice From The Void" by Margaret L. Carter;
6. "In Memory of" by Nany Kilpatrick;
7. "Death Mask" by Rebecca Ann Brothers;
8. "Faith Like Wine" by Roxanne Longstreet;
9. "The Ghost of St. Marks" by Elaine Bergstrom;
10. "Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys" by James Schutte.
Unfortunately, these memorable stories were punctuated by too many amateurish and drab narratives masquerading as stories.
Nevertheless I found this to be a collection worth pursuing and derived considerable entertainment from it. Recommended.
May 4, 2025
I enjoyed this anthology of vampire stories.
The conceit is the stories are from varied time periods. Either from the point of view of the vampire, or those trying to fight the vampire.
The stories range from ancient Greece and Rome to Regency era to Victorian era. Even the few set in the modern day have a connection to older eras.
If you enjoy vampire stories and like a bit of variety, pick this up. You'll find it a good read.
The conceit is the stories are from varied time periods. Either from the point of view of the vampire, or those trying to fight the vampire.
The stories range from ancient Greece and Rome to Regency era to Victorian era. Even the few set in the modern day have a connection to older eras.
If you enjoy vampire stories and like a bit of variety, pick this up. You'll find it a good read.
September 28, 2022
Anthologies in this vein (pardon the pun) are usually a mixed bag, but this was an enjoyable lot of well written stories, a few queer friendly long before that was even a thing. I originally read this in the late 90's, but I'm slowly making my way through these stories again, and find they really all hold up. In some instances, I appreciate them even more than I did back when I was on my completely autistic obsession vampire kick in high school.
January 8, 2012
Acreditem ou não, este livro estava à espera de ser lido à quase 10 anos, comprei-o na altura da minha fase teen de maluqueira de vampiros. E muito me arrependo de não o ter lido antes. É ESPECTACULAR. Não há outro termo. 18 contos muito bem escritos, contando contos vampíricos em diferente épocas históricas, começando com Grécia Antiga, Império Romano, Época Arturiana, Idade Média... e por aí fora, vários países (quase sempre Europa) várias épocas até chegar aos 50s. E um dos vampiros é de Chaves, em Portugal! :D
A pesquisa está muito bem feita, e recomendo a TODOS, quer aqueles que gostam de vampiros, quer aqueles que estão enojados por eles e querem algo vampírico que não seja gajos emos apaixonados por meninas de fraldas.
A pesquisa está muito bem feita, e recomendo a TODOS, quer aqueles que gostam de vampiros, quer aqueles que estão enojados por eles e querem algo vampírico que não seja gajos emos apaixonados por meninas de fraldas.
September 29, 2014
Not the greatest collection of vampire stories in the world, but it was alright I guess.
June 19, 2012
Not great, not horrible. It's a fine enough time waster if you like your vampires bloodthirsty.
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