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VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: Page One 2002
 The Beast Within
: Ed. Stewart Wieck "Many human fears are realised in the World of Darkness. Among them are the vampires, who call themselves the Kindred because they are a breed set apart from man. But those vampires are not just mad beasts or solitary hunters. Completely hidden from human eyes by a plan the Kindred call the Masquerade is an entire society of vampires. The disputes and alliances that have formed this society have also built powerful nations and drug great men to their graves.
No place in the world of vampires is quite like San Francisco. It's a melting pot set outside the always arcane and dangerous dynamics of Kindred politics. But because of San Francisco's position as neutral territory, countless plots and mad plans are dreamt in and executed from The City. Herein are the beginnings and players for some of those unspeakable schemes."
First published in 1994, which is when I bought my copy, 'The Beast Within' is an excellent collection of stories based in and around the neutral territory of San Francisco. Edited by Stewart Wieck and with contributions from such varied writers as S.P. Somtow, Lois Tilton, Matthew Costello, Lawrence Watt-Evans and nine other authors including many who have actually been part of the development of the 'World of Darkness' themselves, this anthology serves as an enjoyable introduction to the vampire Kindred society and is certainly well worth reading even if you have never ventured into the world of the Masquerade yourself.
 Tall, Dark and Gruesome
: Christopher Lee "Christopher Lee has appeared in films of all genres throughout his varied career, from comedy to drama. But Christopher Lee will always be remembered as the bloodthirsty Count Dracula in Hammer Films' Dracula (U.S. title Horror of Dracula).
International film actor Christopher Lee details his childhood, war years, friendships with Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Robert Bloch and Boris Karloff, and, of course, his varied and interesting film career.
Mr. Lee first published his autobiography in Britian in 1977. The Midnight Marquee edition is updated, Americanized and includes many new and rare photos personally selected by Mr. Lee.
A must for all film fans. " - Amazon.com
 The Mammoth Book of Dracula : Ed. Stephen Jones "As the millennium approaches, how will the King of Vampires adapt to the social and technological changes that are already shaping the beginning of the twenty-first century? Is it possible that the Count's condition can be cured by modern medicine? How does the mythology perpetuated by literature and movies affect the existence of a real bloodsucker? What if Dracula found himself ruler of a world controlled by vampires? Or perhaps political and ecological catastrophe will result in the Count's final destruction?"
'The Mammoth Book of Dracula' was published in 1997 (when I bought my now battered copy) to mark the centenary of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. Edited by Stephen Jones, this volume contains thirty-three 'vampire tales for the new millennium' from well-known authors such as Nancy Holder, Guy N. Smith, Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, F. Paul Wilson and more. The volume also contains Bram Stoker's original and previously unpublished prologue to his own stage production of Dracula which was actually performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London a few weeks before the publication of the now classic novel. Daniel Farson, Stoker's great-nephew also provides an informative 'Foreword' on the life of Bram Stoker himself as an introduction to this collection.
Containing many previously unpublished pieces of writing, some serious, some funny, 'The Mammoth Book of Dracula' is most certainly a 'must-have' anthology which would complement any vampire literature collection.
 Pandora : Anne Rice "In a cafe in modern-day Paris, in the aftermath of a fresh kill, the fearless and beautiful Pandora begins to tell her tale of treachery, vengeance and love stretching across two millenia. As a young mortal in Imperial Rome in the time of Caesar Augustus, Pandora was first introduced to the blood-tainted cult of Isis. Later, in exile in Antioch, she was drawn even further into the dark, ancient rites. Now, looking back across the centuries, Pandora decides to return once more to New Orleans, to find the love of her early life, Marius, and to see once again the Vampire Lestat..."
Apart from Rice's classic 'Interview with the Vampire' I find some difficulty with Rice's writing of present-day settings so I did not truly become fully immersed in 'Pandora' (or for that matter enjoy it particularly) until well into the historical narrative part of the novel.
Rice writes historical literature superbly, however, and this novel is no exception. The main narrative of 'Pandora' is elegantly and richly descriptive and full of vivid prose and apparently thoroughly researched period detail but, for me, Rice's characters and storylines have become increasingly fantastical and much less believable since the publication of 'The Vampire Lestat'. I am not altogether comfortable with the manner in which Rice's characters refer to other books within the Vampire Chronicles as being penned by themselves either, for example; "As you wrote yourself in 'The Tale of the Body Thief'...". This practice of self-reference feels rather self-consciously done and does not, I feel, sit well within the novels themselves.
'Pandora' is, for me, more an historical romance than a vampire novel - the 'vampire' aspect merely provides an extra frisson throughout the narrative recounting the relationship between Marius and the heroine of the novel, the strong-willed and beautiful Pandora. Yet, despite my complaints - which are purely personal opinion (ie. She should have stopped after 'Interview...' really) and may not hold true for many other readers - 'Pandora' is thoroughly engaging in its own right and makes an enjoyable companion novel to Rice's Vampire Chronicles which I would wholeheartedly recommend to any fan of the series.
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2002| Page One | The Beast Within
: Ed. Stewart Wieck
Tall, Dark and Gruesome
: Christopher Lee
The Mammoth Book of Dracula : Ed. Stephen Jones
Pandora : Anne Rice |
| Page Two | The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires
: Jay Stevenson, Ph.D.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pop Quiz
: Cynthia Boris
The Queen of the Damned : Anne Rice |
| Page Three | The Vampyre : And Other Tales of the Macabre
: Ed. Robert Morrison & Chris Baldick
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women : Ed. Stephen Jones
The Vampire Encyclopedia : Matthew Bunson |
| Page Four | Lost Souls
: Poppy Z. Brite
The Keep : F. Paul Wilson
Mina's Journal : Kimberley Zagoren |
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2001| Page One | Dracula the Undead : Freda Warrington
Salem's Lot : Stephen King | | Page Two | The Vampyre: A secret history of Lord Byron : Tom Holland
Sunglasses After Dark : Nancy A. Collins
Love in Vein : Ed by Poppy Z. Brite | | Page Three | In Search of Dracula : Raymond T. McNally & Prof. Radu Florescu
Dracula : Bram Stoker
Lord of the Vampires : Jeanne Kalogrides
The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula : Roderick Anscombe | | Page Four | Sins of the Blood : Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Rulers of Darkness : Steven Spruill
Guilty Pleasures : Laurell K. Hamilton |
| Page Five | The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide : Stephen Jones
This Dark Paradise : Wendy Haley
Interview with the Vampire : Anne Rice |
| Page Six | The Vampire Book : J. Gordon Melton
Bad Dreams : Kim Newman
Vampire World I: Blood Brothers : Brian Lumley |
| Page Seven | Sips of Blood : Mary Ann Mitchell
The World on Blood : Jonathan Nasaw
Vampire : The Masquerade : White Wolf Publishing
Ravenloft: Vampire of the Mists : Christie Golden |
| Page Eight | Batman : Bloodstorm : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
Batman vs Dracula : Red Rain : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
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| Page Nine | The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories : Ed. Alan Ryan
Piercing The Darkness : Katherine Ramsland
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| Page Ten | Vampire$ : John Steakley
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Obsidian Fate : Diana G.Gallagher
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire : Karen Elizabeth Gordon
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