I recently finished a 400+ page anthology of old vampire stories called "Dracula's Guest," edited by Michael Sims. It's packed with bloodsuckin' tales that pre-date or were contemporaries of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," with a chapter from Stoker's book at the very end. Some are well-known, like Dr. Polidori's "The Vampyre," some are really obscure. There's even an installment from the penny dreadful classic "Varney The Vampire." (The only famous story missing is Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla." Even though it's a full novel, there could have been an excerpt included. Maybe it's a copyright issue.)
This is the way vampires used to be: evil bastards out to suck you dry. Some were like psychic vampires, most are the traditional blood-drinking variety. There are some ghosts and wolves thrown in for good measure. My favorite story was perhaps the German tale "Wake Not The Dead," where some moron decides to dump his good but not terribly passionate wife to bring back a late, lamented bride. The once and future Mrs. proceeds to pick off the castle's inhabitants, including the protagonist's children, drinking their blood to remain hot. Obviously it was inspired by Elisabeth Bathory's legend. All of the stories are pretty good though. Pick it up!
Right now, I've started on "Weird Hollywood." It's from the same series of books spawned by "Weird U.S.A.." I'm a total sucker for UFO stories, strange urban legends, hauntings, and unsolved mysteries.
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