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Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms
Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree award–winning author Suzy McKee Charnas offers up her lush stories in this compelling retrospective story collection. In Stagestruck Vampires, the supernatural and the real intertwine seamlessly. A villainous maestro is redeemed by his lovely, apt pupil in “Beauty and the Opera or The Phantom Beast.” Inside the “Unicorn Tapestry,” a psychotherapist stalks a vampire. A dazzling performance of Tosca is marred by a shocking murder during “A Musical Interlude.”
This collection features original work by Charnas—the mystical novelette, “Peregrines,” and two original essays. Also included is a collaborative story on vampire themes, “Advocates,” written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of the Saint-Germain Chronicles.
Contents:
Introduction by Paul Di Filippo
Beauty and the Opéra or The Phanton Beast • (1996) • novelette
Unicorn Tapestry • (1980) • novella
Boobs • (1989) • short story
Evil Thoughts • (1990) • novelette
Advocates • (1991) • novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Suzy McKee Charnas
A Musical Interlude • (1980) • short fiction
Peregrines • (2004) • short story
This collection features original work by Charnas—the mystical novelette, “Peregrines,” and two original essays. Also included is a collaborative story on vampire themes, “Advocates,” written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of the Saint-Germain Chronicles.
Contents:
Introduction by Paul Di Filippo
Beauty and the Opéra or The Phanton Beast • (1996) • novelette
Unicorn Tapestry • (1980) • novella
Boobs • (1989) • short story
Evil Thoughts • (1990) • novelette
Advocates • (1991) • novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Suzy McKee Charnas
A Musical Interlude • (1980) • short fiction
Peregrines • (2004) • short story
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Suzy McKee Charnas
76 books107 followersSuzy McKee Charnas, a native New Yorker raised and educated in Manhattan, surfaced as an author with WALK TO THE END OF THE WORLD (1974), a no-punches-pulled feminist SF novel and Campbell award finalist. The three further books that sprang from WALK (comprising a futurist, feminist epic about how people make history and create myth) closed in 1999 with THE CONQUEROR’S CHILD, a Tiptree winner (as is the series in its entirety).
Meanwhile, she taught for two years in Nigeria with the Peace Corps, married, and moved to New Mexico, where she has lived, taught, and written fiction and non-fiction for forty five years. She teaches SF from time to time, and travels every year to genre conventions around the country and (occasionally) around the world.
Her varied SF and fantasy works have also won the Hugo award, the Nebula award, the Gigamesh Award (Spain), and the Mythopoeic award for Young-Adult fantasy. A play based on her novel THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY has been staged on both coasts. STAGESTRUCK VAMPIRES (Tachyon Books) collects her best short fiction, plus essays on writing feminist SF and on seeing her play script first become a professionally staged drama in San Francisco. Currently, she’s working at getting all of her work out in e-book, audio, and other formats, and moving several decades’ worth of manuscripts, correspondence, etc. out of a slightly leaky garage and sent off to be archived at the University of Oregon Special Collections. She has two cats and a gentleman boarder (also a cat), good friends and colleagues, ideas for new work, and travel plans for the future.
Meanwhile, she taught for two years in Nigeria with the Peace Corps, married, and moved to New Mexico, where she has lived, taught, and written fiction and non-fiction for forty five years. She teaches SF from time to time, and travels every year to genre conventions around the country and (occasionally) around the world.
Her varied SF and fantasy works have also won the Hugo award, the Nebula award, the Gigamesh Award (Spain), and the Mythopoeic award for Young-Adult fantasy. A play based on her novel THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY has been staged on both coasts. STAGESTRUCK VAMPIRES (Tachyon Books) collects her best short fiction, plus essays on writing feminist SF and on seeing her play script first become a professionally staged drama in San Francisco. Currently, she’s working at getting all of her work out in e-book, audio, and other formats, and moving several decades’ worth of manuscripts, correspondence, etc. out of a slightly leaky garage and sent off to be archived at the University of Oregon Special Collections. She has two cats and a gentleman boarder (also a cat), good friends and colleagues, ideas for new work, and travel plans for the future.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2009
Recently, during a discussion on the flaws of Twilight, an acquaintance of mine made a rather insightful statement. “The vampire is supposed to die. Period.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love a sexy paranormal as much as the next chick, but lately I’ve noticed that a lot of vampires have, for lack of a better pun, lost their bite. The recent trend with all things horror and fantasy has been to either neuter or glamorize what were once considered spine-chilling denizens of darkness. Soul-less vampires and bloodthirsty werewolves have been replaced by pretty boys wearing leather who have brooding puppy dogs. Sexy? Yes. Blood curdling? Not so much. It is for this reason I say, thank God for Suzy McKee Charnas.
Winner of such prestigious science fiction/fantasy awards as the Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree, Charnas reminds us why we are afraid of the dark. In her works, creatures of the night are sinister, vicious, and yes, even downright scary. Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms is a collection of Charnas’s previously published dark fantasy short-stories, plus two new autobiographical essays. The first essay, “The Stagestruck Vampire,” is about Charnas’s exasperating experiences trying to turn one of her works into a play. In the other, “They’re Right, Art is Long,” Charnas explores how her own personal feminism has shaped her works and career. Both are charming, informative pieces that give the reader a nice insight into the author’s mind.
The best in the bunch is “Beauty and the Opera,” an alternate ending to the classic Phantom of the Opera story. In this version, Christine agrees to live with the Phantom for five years as his wife in exchange for Raoul’s life. Told from Christine’s point of view, the story is equal parts horror and romance. The Phantom featured here is the disturbed, disfigured killer from the novel, not the tragically romantic character that usually dominates the movies and stage. Charnas’s writing is dark, seductive and engaging, drawing the reader into a tale of macabre beauty.
My other favorite story was “Boobs,” a tale of a teenage werewolf who gets revenge on a boy who has been teasing her about her chest size. Probably the most unusual coming-of-age story you’ll read this year, it was satisfying in an A Rose for Emily kind of way. The other stories in the collection are a showcase of horrific oddity. Edgar Allen Poe meets The Twilight Zone.
This is real horror, not the gruesome blood fests that have come to dominate the genre in recent years. The stories are a creepy good time, and while you won’t lose sleep after reading them, you’ll probably want to check under your bed. Just in case.
Review by Victoria Kroeger
Don’t get me wrong, I love a sexy paranormal as much as the next chick, but lately I’ve noticed that a lot of vampires have, for lack of a better pun, lost their bite. The recent trend with all things horror and fantasy has been to either neuter or glamorize what were once considered spine-chilling denizens of darkness. Soul-less vampires and bloodthirsty werewolves have been replaced by pretty boys wearing leather who have brooding puppy dogs. Sexy? Yes. Blood curdling? Not so much. It is for this reason I say, thank God for Suzy McKee Charnas.
Winner of such prestigious science fiction/fantasy awards as the Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree, Charnas reminds us why we are afraid of the dark. In her works, creatures of the night are sinister, vicious, and yes, even downright scary. Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms is a collection of Charnas’s previously published dark fantasy short-stories, plus two new autobiographical essays. The first essay, “The Stagestruck Vampire,” is about Charnas’s exasperating experiences trying to turn one of her works into a play. In the other, “They’re Right, Art is Long,” Charnas explores how her own personal feminism has shaped her works and career. Both are charming, informative pieces that give the reader a nice insight into the author’s mind.
The best in the bunch is “Beauty and the Opera,” an alternate ending to the classic Phantom of the Opera story. In this version, Christine agrees to live with the Phantom for five years as his wife in exchange for Raoul’s life. Told from Christine’s point of view, the story is equal parts horror and romance. The Phantom featured here is the disturbed, disfigured killer from the novel, not the tragically romantic character that usually dominates the movies and stage. Charnas’s writing is dark, seductive and engaging, drawing the reader into a tale of macabre beauty.
My other favorite story was “Boobs,” a tale of a teenage werewolf who gets revenge on a boy who has been teasing her about her chest size. Probably the most unusual coming-of-age story you’ll read this year, it was satisfying in an A Rose for Emily kind of way. The other stories in the collection are a showcase of horrific oddity. Edgar Allen Poe meets The Twilight Zone.
This is real horror, not the gruesome blood fests that have come to dominate the genre in recent years. The stories are a creepy good time, and while you won’t lose sleep after reading them, you’ll probably want to check under your bed. Just in case.
Review by Victoria Kroeger
October 1, 2008
To say I was less than eager to go another round with a few more vampires would be the understatement of the century. Believe me, Monday morning I looked at my TBR pile, saw that the first few were cliché horror novels, and immediately wondered if this was God’s way of training me for martyrdom. Apparently this week was also about miracles and damn if Charnas didn’t pull off the mother of all wonders. Eclectic and original, she not only had me enjoying the creatures of the night, but by the end I was ready to embrace them with love and forgiveness.
I can tell you one thing; this is not your usual run-of-the-mill assembly. Included in this collection are eight stories- both new and award-winning- two non-fiction essays, and one commentary. An intoxicating mix of exhilaration and terror, this collection of plots has it all: vampires, werewolves, and human monsters. Although each has its own atmosphere and calculated pace, every story will have an affect on your psyche thanks to Charnas’ magnificent style. Her writing is almost poetic in its beauty, but damning in its subject; similar to chocolate-covered arsenic.
Now, instead of picking out just my favorites, this time I chose to let the stories speak for themselves and grant just a brief highlight, with the exception of the stories focusing on Charnas’ infamous character Weyland. Normally, most vampires I read are always either vagabonds or rock stars, so it surprised me when I realized that not only was Weyland intelligent and charming, but he was a doctor. Brilliant!
While both Unicorn Tapestry and A Musical Interlude focus solely on Charana’s Weyland, Advocates introduces us to Yarbo’s signature character –Saint-Germaine. Written in collaboration, Yarbo and Charnas bring together two completely different vampires in an intriguing setting. Now while I have read both separately, together their styles seem too conflicting to enjoy; it's distracting and takes away from the full appreciation that should have existed. Although in the Preface to Advocates, it is interesting to learn how the process developed.
What's interesting about these other four: Beauty and the Opera or The Phantom Beast, Boobs, Peregrines, and Evil Thoughts is that they are solely from the female character's perspective. Although these are short, you get a feel for strong women with the will to seek revenge and justice. More science-fiction than horror, Listening to Brahms was a little harder for me to swallow. Set in the future, one group of humans is all that remains of the entire race, and the aliens now housing them are eager to assimilate and ignore the repercussions of our demise. Do I like fantasy? No. Do I think this a good story? If it’s your cup of tea, yes.
-As posted on Horror-Web
I can tell you one thing; this is not your usual run-of-the-mill assembly. Included in this collection are eight stories- both new and award-winning- two non-fiction essays, and one commentary. An intoxicating mix of exhilaration and terror, this collection of plots has it all: vampires, werewolves, and human monsters. Although each has its own atmosphere and calculated pace, every story will have an affect on your psyche thanks to Charnas’ magnificent style. Her writing is almost poetic in its beauty, but damning in its subject; similar to chocolate-covered arsenic.
Now, instead of picking out just my favorites, this time I chose to let the stories speak for themselves and grant just a brief highlight, with the exception of the stories focusing on Charnas’ infamous character Weyland. Normally, most vampires I read are always either vagabonds or rock stars, so it surprised me when I realized that not only was Weyland intelligent and charming, but he was a doctor. Brilliant!
While both Unicorn Tapestry and A Musical Interlude focus solely on Charana’s Weyland, Advocates introduces us to Yarbo’s signature character –Saint-Germaine. Written in collaboration, Yarbo and Charnas bring together two completely different vampires in an intriguing setting. Now while I have read both separately, together their styles seem too conflicting to enjoy; it's distracting and takes away from the full appreciation that should have existed. Although in the Preface to Advocates, it is interesting to learn how the process developed.
What's interesting about these other four: Beauty and the Opera or The Phantom Beast, Boobs, Peregrines, and Evil Thoughts is that they are solely from the female character's perspective. Although these are short, you get a feel for strong women with the will to seek revenge and justice. More science-fiction than horror, Listening to Brahms was a little harder for me to swallow. Set in the future, one group of humans is all that remains of the entire race, and the aliens now housing them are eager to assimilate and ignore the repercussions of our demise. Do I like fantasy? No. Do I think this a good story? If it’s your cup of tea, yes.
-As posted on Horror-Web
October 2, 2008
I'd like to start by saying that I liked many of the pieces in the book - "Boobs," "Listening to Brahms," "Peregrines," the essays and many parts of the other stories. The vampire stories and the lack of plot in some of the other pieces did not, alas, work for me. Charnas' vampire character just doesn't interest me and that lack of interest made the stories about him ("Unicorn Tapestry," etc.) really bog down. The vampire story collaboration between Charnas and Yarbro mostly served as an object lesson in why some authors should not attempt to collaborate. What did work, on the other hand, was fascinating. A retelling of "Phantom" from Christine's point of view, a teenager comes into her own as a werewolf, a middle-aged tarot card reader under an astrological curse and the essays on making "Unicorn Tapestry" in to a play and on the process of writing the Holdfast Chronicles made the book worthwhile. I would cheerfully give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Read
August 3, 2011After reading The Vampire Tapestry and not really liking it that much I wasn't sure whether to give the author another chance. However I had already bought this collection, and I was very glad that I did. Aside from the essay which I wasn't that interested in, the short stories collected are excellent. Unicorn Tapestry was what I considered the best chapter/section of Vampire Tapestry, and her own take on the Phantom of the Opera story (merged with Beauty and the Beast) was my favourite overall. Peregrines and Boobs are also skilful and highly entertaining.
Want to read
September 2, 2009I read about this on Feminist Review. It looks fun... I long ago abandoned vampires and werewolves when I became an adult and learned to deal with sex and death in more mature ways, but the creative re-telling of Phantom of the Opera and the juxtaposition of lycanthropy and puberty, Ginger Snaps-style, is intriguing.
Want to read
November 7, 2008I loved her Vampire Tapestries so hopefully this book would be in the same vein.
June 7, 2016
This book is good. Was really only interested in a few of the stories. Just wasn't in the mood the finish this anthology.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews