Vampire Lit

Enjoy these tales of vampires – from the seminal work of Bram Stoker through the 20th and into the 21st century – with many different interpretations of vampire legend and lore.  Updated 10/09

The Classic Vampire:

Dracula   by Bram Stoker (1897)
The classic and seminal vampire novel, Dracula was written at the end of the 19th century and has inspired countless vampire stories ever since. The story is presented through a series of letters, diary entries and news articles, and thus evokes a sense of realism. This book is perfect if you are looking for the “classic” story, complete with the Count and his castle in Transylvania. See also: the official sequel published in 2009 and written by Bram Stoker's direct descendant Dacre Stoker: Dracula: The Un-Dead.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)
Written in the mid-fifties, this book has inspired the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. It is set in the future 1976 when a plague has ravaged the Earth and all survivors are now blood-thirsty vampires, except one man. (And this story is a bit different from the movie starring Will Smith.)

Salem’s Lot  by Stephen King (1975)
Something strange is going on in Jerusalem's Lot ... but no one dares to talk about it. By day, Salem's Lot is a typical modest, New England town; but when the sun goes down, evil roams the earth. The devilishly sweet, insistent laughter of a child can be heard echoing through the fields, and the presence of silent, looming spirits can be felt lurking right outside your window.

Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice (1976)
The movie version starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, but Anne Rice’s world of vampires was famous long before these stars gave it life on the silver screen. This is the first book of Rice’s series, The Vampire Chronicles, and it introduces us to the infamous immortal, LeStat. There are currently 10 books in the Vampire Chronicles series, the second is Vampire LeStat.

Necroscope  by Brian Lumley (1988)
The first book in Brian Lumley’s Necroscope series, Lumley puts the horror into vampire stories. A master vampire is trapped in hallowed ground, and plots to escape through necromancy. The Necroscope is the lead vampire hunter, and that character changes through the series, five books strong, and continuing with Necroscope II: Vamphiri! 

The New Vampire:

Guilty Pleasures  by Laurell K. Hamilton (1995)
The first book in the Anita Blake – Vampire Hunter series, this book introduces us to Anita, a necromancer/vampire hunter. Anita is tough, lusty and human, reminiscent of "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer." Like Buffy, she lives in a world where vampires are commonplace, and she must both live among them and hunt them. This series continues with The Laughing Corpse.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (2001)
Charlaine Harris brought us the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries, which were the inspiration for the popular HBO TV show, True Blood. Sookie is a waitress in a small Louisiana town. In this alternate universe, vampires are an accepted ethnic group, and Sookie can’t wait to meet one. When Bill enters her life, she begins to realize that vampires aren’t all fun and games, and she must solve a series of murders that seem to indicate she may be the next victim. Living Dead in Dallas is the second in the Southern Vampire series.

Minion  by L.A. Banks (2003)
In the first book in the Vampire Huntress series, we meet Damali Richards, an aspiring African-American recording artist who also happens to be a vampire slayer. The concept is very similar to "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer," as Damali has a teacher and has to grow into her powers. She studies martial arts and has a group of friends to help her, just like her TV counterpart. The series continues with The Awakening.

Fat White Vampire Blues by Andrew Fox (2003)
Even vampires get the blues, according to this funny look at the world of New Orleans vampires. Fox paints a picture of an easygoing vampire, overweight from dining on the rich, fatty blood of the good people of New Orleans. But not all vampires are as nice as he, and he must face one of them with the help of his motley crew of friends. Also try Bride of the Fat White Vampire.

Fledgling  by Octavia Butler (2005)
Shori is an apparently young amnesiac girl whose alarming needs and abilities lead her to a startling discovery: she is in fact a 53-year-old vampire, genetically modified to walk in the light of day. The only survivor of a vicious attack on her community, with no memory of her past life, Shori must now struggle to rebuild her family and learn who would want – and still wants – to destroy her.

The Historian  by Elizabeth Kostova (2005)
In the early 20th century, Paul, a graduate student, learns from Professor Rossi that Prince Dracula is still alive as one of the undead. When the professor disappears one terrifying night, Paul goes in search of his mentor, whom he knows to be in Dracula's clutches. His search takes him to secret archives, libraries and monasteries throughout Eastern Europe; he is joined by his family, historians and scholars themselves. (There's even an evil, undead librarian!)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (2005)
It seems like almost everyone knows this Young Adult series that has spawned a movie franchise as well. When 17-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who, she comes to realize, is not wholly human. The Twilight series continues with New Moon.

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance (2006)
Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits – talents that make her attractive to the dead and undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous. The undead, however, are another matter in this vampire series; Claimed by Shadow is the next book.

Dracula: The Un-Dead  by Dacre Stoker (2009)
The bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written by direct descendant and a Dracula historian Dacre Stoker, Dracula The Un-Dead begins in 1912, 25 years after Dracula "crumbled into dust."

Created by E. Caran – Updated by D. Brooks 10/09 – Cary Public Library –
* Also see our ‘Love Bites’ list of Vampire Romances