Khristine Mae Balidoy
Top nine vampire stories
[Taken from Authorattic]
When I am a
third year student my best friend loves to bring her book of vampires. One day
I borrow her book and I got addicted with it. Since that day I love reading
books about vampires. Here are the top nine vampire books that I also want to
read.
9. Carmilla by
One of the first
vampire novels ever written, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu electrically brings to
life the female vampire in Carmilla. The
story begins with protagonist Laura who lives in the picturesque town Styria.
One day, an unexpected carriage crash brings Carmilla thundering into Laura’s
life and instantly the two girls become inseparable. Although this novel is
slow at times, stick with it as the mysteries surrounding Carmilla unfold to
bring you face to face with the first lesbian vampire. The text picks up energy
as it reaches a climatic ending with the arrival of baron Vordenburg who
appears as this tales answer to Van Helsing. Steeped in original mythology and
published in 1872, Fanu offers a classic view of the vampire whilst linking it
to Victorian concerns about female sexuality. It was published by Bizarro Press.
8. Dracula by
It would be
impossible to compile a ‘best of’ vampire fiction without paying homage to the
text that kicked it into action. Join Jonathan Harker as he journeys to
Transylvania to meet the elusive Count Dracula. Harker, when wandering the
castle at night, falls under the spell of three female vampires and escapes the
castle just in time. Not long after a storm brings Count Dracula to England and
places the young Lucy Westenra directly in his path. The style and language of
this novel can be inaccessible at times to a modern reader but persisting with
each page is well worth it, especially with the arrival of Van Helsing. Dracula
and Helsing’s relationship is depicted in an intense cat and mouse game, with
Harker’s fiancée Mina getting caught in the middle. With iconic imagery (the
vampire as a shape shifter and the fundamental stake-through-the-heart killing
method) Bram Stoker’s story is worthwhile read for true addicts of vampire
fiction. It was Barnes & Noble Classics.
7. Fangland by
This reinvention
of Stoker’s Dracula places the vampire in the twenty-first century in a post
9/11 New York. Fangland mimics the form of Dracula as the story unfolds via
different emails and journal entries, as we follow Evangeline Harker on her
work to uncover stories surrounding the elusive Ion Torgu. Playing upon the
rumours surrounding Transylvania, Marks’ novel cleverly transposes vampirism
for the modern reader; news readers are killed in dangerous territories,
disease is spread via communication and the setting is the TV production
industry. This satirical book offers a refreshing new voice in the world of
vampire fiction as it cleverly draws your attention to modern society and its
flaws. Sink your teeth into the murky, blood stained world of Fangland and watch as Stoker’s
novel is resurrected in the present day. The publisher isPenguin.
6. Lost Souls by
Lost souls is published by Dell.Lost Souls is
vibrant and the vampires are sensual, sexy creatures. Brite was only a tender
nineteen years of age when she wrote Lost Souls and
this permeates through as the novel drives home a real teen spirit. The
vampires take drugs, have identity crises’ and embody the trauma of being a
teenager in this engaging novel. The characters are brutally real and the most
interesting aspect of this novel is the freedom Brite grants her characters in
terms of their gender and sexuality. By far the most compelling character is
the vampire nothing. Raised by a human family, nothing sets off in search of
his real family and true identity. It is his journey that resonates deeply as
you really feel for his urge to figure out who he is, a journey we all go on as
teenagers.
5. Blood Oath by
A delectable
cocktail of vampires, werewolves and Dr. Frankenstein make Blood Oath a highly original take
on the vampire tale. Nathaniel Cade is sworn to protect the President of the
United States and this book weaves together two great myths, creating a modern
Frankenstein who appears to be a terrorist. With humorous insights, such as
Cade attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to curb his desire for human
blood, Farnsworth cleverly crafts a poetic tale with deep characters and a
thrilling plot line. Taking the war on terror quite literally, Fansworth
creates a gothic, mythic terrorist out of Frankenstein which poses a great
threat to the U.S.A. By combining this engrossing concept with a fast-pace,
Fansworth propels his story forward like an action film. Blood oath is
published by Jove.
4. Suckers by
Smack bang in
the eclectic eighties Anne Billson’s novel appears to be the vampire’s answer
to The Devil Wears Prada. Like many of
the modern books in this list, it takes a satirical stance – this time the
publishing world comes under fire. Billson creates a publishing house with a
vampire at the helm. The protagonist Dora heads to Bellini – the vampire Vogue-
and soon realises that a love triangle she was enveloped in years ago, is not
as finished as she thought. Written with verve and style Suckers reels you in at page one. A
brilliant novel that will make you laugh out loud as Billson puts everything –
even the vampire novel – under her sharp, direct and keen eye.Atheneum is the publisher of suckers.
3. The Passage by
The first in a
planned trilogy The Passage is set in an
apocalyptic world where the world is over run with a vampire virus. Cronin’s
novel is epic spanning ninety-three years with the story taking shape from a
variety of narrative voices. This panoramic view of the pandemic creates an
eerie and terrifying story as you begin to realise the full breadth of the
dangers that face potential survivors. Amy is the main character whose body
adapts with the infection and her story is well crafted as she learns to accept
the changes in her body and her position in the world. The complex web of
voices in this book is carefully managed by Cronin and Amy grows into a
compelling character. This first instalment leaves you with high hopes for the
remaining books. The publisher of the book is Ballantine
Books.
2. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
1. I Am Legend by
I found those books because my best friend sent it to me and advising me to read those books. Even though I haven’t read the whole story and I read the prologue of those stories I got hooked on those books but I can’t read it now because I’m still busy in my studies and I’m still adjusting with the way our teacher is teaching us. In all of those books I really want to read blood oath because it’s the one that really caught my attention. Maybe if I have some time and money I’ll buy a book of blood oath and I’ll read that.
[images are not mine]
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