15 books about vampires that are not ashamed to read

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Taboo love, Guillermo del Toro's writing debut, modern urban fantasy and no Twilight.

Despite the frenzied popularity of the love story of Bella's girl and the vampire Edward, there is an opinion among critics and fans of mysticism that the "Twilight" saga, to put it mildly, failed. An inexpressive plot, clumsy dialogues and unworked heroes are far from a complete list of complaints about these novels. But they shouldn't cast a shadow over the genre as a whole. Among the books about cold-blooded bloodthirsty monsters, there are those, reading which will not cause a feeling of awkwardness.

1. "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

The story of the world's most famous vampire, Bram Stoker conveyed through the entries in the diaries and letters of the heroes. The choice of the epistolary genre was not accidental. The writer wanted to give the story credibility and terrify the reader.

Jonathan Harker goes to a mysterious castle, whose owner wants to buy real estate from him. Very soon the man realizes that he has fallen into a trap, and the future buyer not only poses a real threat to the young man, but also wants to harm his bride Mina. Another canon hero comes to his aid - Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

For many, the name of Count Dracula is synonymous with the word "vampire". The influence of this novel on culture can hardly be overestimated. His hero became the prototype for many book ghouls. They make films about him, draw cartoons, stage plays and write songs.

2. "Carmilla" by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu

25 years before the publication of "Dracula", a book was published telling about the love of a vampire for a mortal girl. The author neatly woven the theme of same-sex love, which was taboo in the 19th century, into a dark novella. Unfortunately, according to the laws of Gothic literature, it ends sadly.

Bram Stoker did not hide that he was inspired by the work of Le Fanu. It was "Carmilla" that became the starting point for the creation of "Dracula". In addition, the main character influenced the spread of the archetype of a woman-vampire: tall, stately, mysterious and always alone.

3. "Lot of Salem", Stephen King

The king of horrors, the great King, also did not ignore the vampire theme. The Lot of Salem leads the reader to the author's favorite place - a small town in northern Maine. From there, people are slowly but steadily disappearing. Where they go and whether they are alive remains a mystery. Those who are lucky not to disappear decide to simply leave, without waiting for the sad fate of their neighbors.

Intrigued by this story, the young writer Ben goes into the thick of things, where he quickly realizes that the inhabitants of the city are divided into two camps - vampires and their victims.

4. "Interview with the Vampire," Anne Rice

It's hard to believe now that back in the 1970s, publishers brushed aside Anne Rice's debut book, Interview with the Vampire. For three years the manuscript was gathering dust on the shelf, and as soon as it saw the light, it made the writer famous all over the world.

The mysterious Louis tells the reporter a long story of his life, which began in the 18th century. Heartbroken over the death of his brother, he despairs, begins to drink and sinks to the very bottom. It is there that the vampire Lestat finds him, bites on the neck and turns into his own kind. This is where the fun begins. By the way, the book is different from the film adaptation, so you can read it after watching the movie.

5. "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson

The novel shows vampirism not as a condition that is transmitted through a bite, but as an epidemic. One by one, people turn into monsters. Among them is a man who is immune to this strange disease. Every night he is besieged by bloodsuckers, and he is forced to fight for his life with this insatiable horde.

Published in 1954, the book was an immediate success. After the film adaptation of the same name with Will Smith in the title role, she was covered with a second wave of popularity. But the reader will be quite surprised, because the original differs in many ways from the movie.

6. "Night Watch", Sergey Lukyanenko

"Night Watch" opens the legendary eponymous series of books about the world of Others, which exists parallel to our usual. In the Twilight, two opposing forces clashed - the Night Watch and the Day Watch. They balance each other and prevent either side from succeeding, so as not to upset the balance.

In addition to vampires, there are magicians, witches, werewolves and other mysterious and powerful creatures in the Other world. This book is considered one of the most popular in modern Russian literature, and the phrase "Get out of the Twilight for everyone" became a catchphrase thanks to the film adaptation.

7. "Circus of Freaks" by Darren Sheng

Like many schoolchildren, the main character Darren does not like to go to school, does not understand his parents and complains about life. Soon he will appreciate the calm everyday life of a teenager, but it will be too late. Together with friends, the boy finds himself in an unusual circus. The performances seem strange and intimidating because the speakers are not really human.

Intrigued by what he saw, Darren's friend decides on a rash act and almost dies. His life is saved by one of the circus performers, who is also a vampire. To repay for saving a comrade, the hero will have to work for a bloodsucker. But first, the boy needs to stage his own funeral.

8. "Historian", Elizabeth Kostova

The professor's young daughter accidentally finds mystical letters in his library. The father, who does not want to reveal the secret, still gives up after long questions. Once he tried to find the grave of Vlad Tepes, a real person whose personality was overgrown with rumors that he was a vampire.

The book contains three elements: the biography of the ruler of Wallachia, Stoker's story about Count Dracula, and legends about bloodsuckers from around the world. Father and daughter investigate any clues and travel to different countries, trying to unravel the mystery of the most famous vampire. To find out once and for all whether he really existed or was a figment of the imagination.

9. Cold City by Holly Black

With an abundance of literature that romanticizes vampires and makes them addictive, Cold City stands out. From the very beginning, these creatures are shown to be evil and deadly.

The main character Tana wakes up after a fun feast and discovers that almost all of her friends have been killed by bloodsuckers. The surviving Aidan is in mortal danger. To save him, you will have to go to the Cold City, inhabited by ghouls. This place looks like an eternal holiday. But it is worth going deeper, as Tana understands: it is difficult to get out of here unharmed.

10. "Profession: witch", Olga Gromyko

Another book that breaks the stereotypes of the genre. Vampire stories should be creepy and dark, but not this one. The writer brought comedy and funny play on words into the mysterious world of nosferatu. For example, the main character's name is Volha Rednaya or, in short, V. Rednaya.

Characters are the main feature of the novel. Even the vampire is not an evil killer here, but a hospitable hostess. Gromyko combined adventure lines with humor, intertwined a bit of Slavic mythology and spiced it up with a detailed magical world that is easy to believe.

11. "King of the Hill", Vadim Panov

The Masan family, which is discussed in the book, appeared on the pages of other novels of the "Secret City" cycle, where she was assigned a secondary role. But the images turned out to be bright and soon migrated to their own work - "King of the Hill".

The plot develops around the confrontation between two vampire clans who are fighting for power and the right to rule. However, they will soon have to realize that together they are stronger. But in order to become one, each of the parties will have to sacrifice something. Not all family members are ready for this.

12. “Carpe Jugulum. Grab by the throat! "By Terry Pratchett

Vampires are, of course, dangerous creatures. But over the centuries people have learned to defend themselves against them. Fetid plants, daylight and religious symbols are used, from which evil spirits are removed, or even perish altogether.

The head of one vampire family was pretty tired of this vulnerability. Therefore, he began to temper himself and his loved ones: he put garlic in their pillows and waved a crucifix in front of their faces. In the end, these methods ceased to be deadly for them. And since vampires are now so powerful, it's time to grab the world by the throat.

13. "Strain. The Beginning ", Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Famed director Guillermo del Toro wanted to make a vampire series, but could not find funding for it. He did not want to put the idea on the shelf, so he joined forces with the writer Chuck Hogan, and together they published three novels. The books were so successful that they got their own film adaptation.

Vampirism, according to del Toro and Hogan, is an epidemic that is rapidly spreading across New York. Parasites penetrate people, which take possession of the owners and change not only food habits, but also their appearance. The longer the infection sits in the body, the less its victim looks like a human. A group of epidemiologists will have to understand the nature of the virus in order to understand how to destroy it.

14. "Empire V", Victor Pelevin

As you know, vampires are not born, but become. They do not immediately gain strength and do not always quickly adapt to changes in their lives. Pelevin followed the young Roma, who accidentally turns into a bloodsucker.

The main character will first have to change his name in order to be accepted in vampire circles, learn social skills and etiquette, and also come to terms with the fact that nothing will be the same for him. But the most difficult test for Roma is to forget that he was once a man.

15. "Vampires", Baron Olshevri

A descendant of Count Dracula comes to the ancient Transylvanian castle to claim his rights to the property. In the library, his assistant finds mysterious diaries and letters, which he reads to the new owner and his friends. At first, what has been written seems to be nothing more than a game of someone's fantasy. But inexplicable incidents begin to occur in the castle, indicating that the famous vampire could still exist.

This classic vampire story was published at the beginning of the last century. Mysticism permeates not only the text, but also the history of its creation. It is still not known for certain who was hiding under the pseudonym Baron Olshevri.