There are lots of great vampire stories out there, and if I were to create a list of the definitive "must-reads" of the genre, I would of course include Salem's Lot, Let the Right One In, Interview with the Vampire, and even dusty ole' Dracula.
But this is a list for a few of the underrated gems you may have missed. Older than Dracula, there is no denying the influence Carmilla has had on the vampire fiction, especially in early works such as Bram Stoker's most famous novel. Certain Dark Things was an early novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, one of the current queens of horror. Fangs is a fun exploration of the mundane lives all of us experience, even those with extraordinary powers. And The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires shows that writers can still tell a original vampire tale after all these years.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu,
edited by Carmen Maria Machado
Published more than 25 years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Carmilla was an obvious influence on Stoker’s most famous work. But that doesn’t mean they are the same story, and Carmilla contains many unique elements and some undeniable subtext that separates it from other early vampire tales. In this particular edition, editor Carmen Maria Machado highlights the queer undercurrent in this story of a female vampire and the young women she seduces and feeds upon. Our narrator, Laura, is one of those young women, but she never suspects her close and intimate friendship with the mysterious Carmilla could be something sinister (as Machado points out in her footnotes, the vampire “attacks” are certainly coded for other nighttime activities).
Originally published as a serial, the format is short chapters that sometimes end on little cliffhangers. Like many other novels that began as serials, the plot is not the smoothest when read as a single narrative. And, unfortunately, the characters are mostly lacking in depth and development, sometimes appearing and disappearing as if Le Fanu simply forgot about them. But the gothic atmosphere fills in those gaps and the scenes between Laura and Carmilla are quite suggestive and sensual. Some say the book is horror, others read it as a tragic romance. Le Fanu, I think, wasn’t entirely sure.
The influence Carmilla has had on all the vampire fiction that followed it is unmistakable and, as a short read, this edition is a worthy volume to include on the bookshelf of any vampire fan.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In the relatively short Certain Dark Things, Moreno-Garcia crafts a well-plotted neo-noir with fully engaging characters while also creating a complex mythology for the multitudes of vampires that only exist in this world. It’s an astonishing feat and a testament of Moreno-Garcia’s skills as one of the best modern authors of horror.
Domingo is a sweet, but lonely, homeless teen in Mexico City, an isolated city-state free of the vampires that plague the rest of the world. But then he meets Atl, a beautiful vampire on the run from a clan of far more lethal vampires intent on obliterating her and her family. Together Atl and Domingo plan their escape from Mexico City, an achievement that becomes more and more impossible with every passing moment.
Certain Dark Things is as much moody noir as it is chilling horror. The world building is both grand and detailed, and it’s a world I personally would love Moreno-Garcia to return to one day. The characters and premise are truly unique in vampire fiction, and it’s a great example of effective genre blending. For anyone hoping to find something new and interesting in vampire literature, Certain Dark Things is worthy of your time.
Fangs by Sarah Anderson
Cartoonist Anderson (Sarah’s Scribbles) illustrates this small and intimate collection of vignettes from the romance between a vampire and a werewolf. Starting with their first meeting, Anderson takes readers through the awkward dating stages, the highs and lows of love, and into the quiet, personal moments that occupy most of a relationship.
Lots of the humor in Fangs is drawn from the classic tropes of werewolf and vampire mythology (and much of it is told through puns). But there are also real moments, quiet moments, and even tense moments interspersed in the narrative that drive home the relatability of their relationship. Even a good and positive relationship, like that of Jimmy the werewolf and vampire Elise’s, will have its challenges.
At its core, Fangs is a refreshing and positive love story with a healthy (and humorous) dose of the weird and macabre.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
by Grady Hendrix
If you are already acquainted with the works of Grady Hendrix, then you know about his love of the outlandish and grotesquely over-the-top paperback horror novels of the 1970s and 1980s (if not please see here). And it's this love of old school horror that shines through (and seeps out from under) in The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
While the title might suggest a comedy, it is certainly more satire with a substantial side of nasty. Think of it as a combination of schlock and social commentary, except these two competing ideas are rarely cohesive. Or perhaps that is the point: to scare you with the fantastic while reminding you of the true horrors in this world.
Patricia is a wife and mother, an upstanding member of an affluent and idealized community, and she’s part of an unconventional book club of other housewives whose tastes are more macabre than they care to admit to their husbands. Enter a new neighbor to their quiet city, a mysterious man who openly waves all his red flags in a community that is more than happy to ignore certain trouble when it arrives at their door. It’s not a secret to the readers that James Harris is a vampire. Patricia figures it out quickly, too. But after he makes the community very wealthy, Patricia finds she is battling her friends and family to see reason through the clouds of greed and apathy. James is a killer, but they don’t care because they benefit. The commentary here is not subtle.
The scares in this book cut deep, and the mirror is on readers to reconsider their own privileges as they speculate on how they might act if a vampire moved across the street from them. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is one of the most unique vampire stories out there. And, like many of the greatest horror stories, it will leave readers wondering if they really identify with the heroes or, perhaps, if they recognize too much of themselves in the monsters.
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