[FAQ] The alt.vampyres VAMPIRE LITERATURE faq
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From: bj@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu Newsgroups: alt.vampyres Subject: [FAQ] The alt.vampyres VAMPIRE LITERATURE faq Date: 3 Jun 2004 13:44:00 GMT Message-ID: <c9n9v0$lfi$1@uwm.edu> Summary: A collection of Frequently Asked Questions about vampire literature Archive-name: paranormal/vampyres/vampire-lit-faq Posting-Frequency: bimonthly Last altered: 15 August 2002 Copyright: (c) 2001 BJ Kuehl [NOTE:The alt.vampyres VAMPIRE LITERATURE faq may be downloaded for personal use. However, any publication, webhousing, or reposting of this faq must be with the writer's permission, and the copyright must remain intact.] Citations may be attributed to: Kuehl, B.J. (2000). The alt. vampyres VAMPIRE LITERATURE Faq. Retrieved (date) from Usenet newsgroup: alt.vampyres.] FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on alt.vampyres about Vampire Literature This is the alt.vampyres VAMPIRE LITERATURE FAQ. Comments, corrections, additions to this FAQ should be directed to the newsgroup. For other versions of alt.vampyres faqs, consult the faq archives on the HoMePaGe of the newsgroup at http://altvampyres.com/ Last altered: 15 Aug 2002: Added 2.06 re: where to get _Varney the Vampire_. 7 June 2002: Added Wm. Mark Simmons to 2.05. Created: 16 Jun 2001 as a spinoff from the alt.vampyres VAMPIRE faq. CONTENTS - PART 1: QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NEWSGROUP [1.01] What is this newsgroup about? [1.02] Is there some form of netiquette I should follow if I post? [1.03] Is there a homepage for the alt.vampyres newsgroup? PART 2: QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VAMPIRE IN LITERATURE [2.01] Can you recommend some good vampire books? [2.01.1] Vampire Series [2.01.2] Vampire Novels [2.02] Did Bram Stoker ever write a sequel to _Dracula_? [2.03] Are there any stories that treat the vampire in a comedic vein? [2.04] Was _Dracula_ the first vampire fiction story to be written? [2.05] Has anyone from alt.vampyres written a book about vampires? [2.06] Where can I get a copy of the classic _Varney the Vampire_? PART 3: WHO HAS MADE THIS FAQ POSSIBLE? [3.01] Special thanks to these contributors who provided ideas, answers, and corrections. PART 1: QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NEWSGROUP [1.01] What is this newsgroup about? Alt.vampyres is for the discussion of vampire lore in any culture, ancient or modern. This group is also for the discussion of vampires in fiction, such as novels, stories, poetry, comics, movies and television, as well as for sharing original vampire fiction. Finally, alt.vampyres is a place for the discussion of theories about biology, psychology, and sociology with respect to the legendary vampire. [1.02] Is there some form of netiquette I should follow if I post? It is not the purpose of the a.v VAMPIRE LITERATURE faq to be a primer for Usenet or newsgroup etiquette. If you are interested in that, search out one of the newuser newsgroups, e.g. news.newusers.questions. For a quick look at how to post to alt.vampyres, see the Posting Guideline which is posted to the newsgroup at the beginning of each week. In truth, if you join in with the same friendliness and respect you would give to any group of people engaged in conversation, you'll be fine. [1.03] Is there a homepage for the alt.vampyres newsgroup? There certainly is. The alt.vampyres homepage [http://altvampyres.com] was created by DrLucadra when she was the faqkeeper between 1996 and 1998. After a two year medical absence during which she literally died three times, DrLuc returned to a.v. and redesigned the site, reviving the newsgroup's homepage. Here you will find copies of other a.v. faqs, hard-to-find pre-20th century vampire stories, vampire puzzles and poetry, a Dracula quiz, MSTings of bad vampire movies, and a huge number of links to other vampire websites. PART 2: THE VAMPIRE IN LITERATURE [2.01] Can you recommend some good vampire novels? Following are the results of a poll I took a few years ago. I asked readers from various vampire groups to name their favorite vampire books. These are the ones they mentioned most frequently. Any of them would probably provide you with good reading. [2.01.1] Favorite Vampire Series The most votes went to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The majority of the respondents recommended _Interview with the Vampire_ and _The Vampire Lestat_, but their interest fell off with _Queen of the Damned_, _Tale of the Body Thief_, and _Memnoch the Devil_. Since then, Rice has added _The Vampire Arrmand_ to the Chronicle series and begun the New Tales of the Vampires with _Pandora_ and _Vittorio the Vampire_. The second most favored series was the Anita Blake vampire hunter books by Laurell K. Hamilton. The series currently has nine books: _Guilty Pleasures_, _The Laughing Corpse_, _Circus of the Damned_, _The Lunatic Cafe_, _Bloody Bones_, _The Killing Dance_, _Burnt Offerings_, _Blue Moon_, and _Obsidian Butterfly_. In third place was Brian Lumley's Necroscope series, with the first book, _Necroscope_ being mentioned most often. There are three groups to the Necroscope series. Series 1 (The Necroscope series) includes _Necroscope_, _Vamphyri!_, _The Source_, _Deadspeak_, and _Deadspawn_. Series 2 (The Vampire World) includes _Blood Brothers_, _The Last Aerie_, and _Bloodwars_. Series 3 (The Lost Wars) includes _The Lost Years_ and _Resurgence_. Other series mentioned as favorites include the following: The Bunnicula series by James Howe (includes _Bunnicula_, _The Celery Stalks at Midnight_, _Howliday Inn_, _Return to Howliday Inn_, _Nighty-Nightmare_, and _Bunnicula Escapes_.) The Cold Fire trilogy by C.S. Friedman (includes _Black Sun Rising_, _When True Night Falls_, and _Crown of Shadows_). The Saint-Germaine series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (includes _Hotel Transylvania_, _The Palace_, _Blood Games_, _Path of the Eclipses_,. _Tempting Fate_, _Out of the House of Life_, _Darker Jewels_, _Better in the Dark_, "Manions of Darkness_, _Writ in Blood_, _Blood Roses_, _Communion Blood_, _Come Twilight_, _A Feast in Exile_, and _Night Blooming_. _Midnight Harvest_ will be out in Fall 2003). The Blood series by Tanya Huff (includes _Blood Price_, _Blood Trail_, _Blood Lines_, _Blood Pact_, and _Blood Debt_). The Family Dracul series by Jeanne Kalogridis (includes _Covenant with the Vampire_, _Children of the Vampire_, and _Lord of the Vampires_). The Vampire Files by P.N. Elrod (includes _Bloodlist_, _Lifeblood_, _Bloodcircle_, _Art in the Blood_, _Fire in the Blood_, _Blood on the Water_, _A Chill in the Blood_, _The Dark Sleep_, and _Lady Crymsyn_). The Austra Family series by Elaine Bergstrom (includes _Shattered Glass_, _Blood Alone_, _Blood Rites_, and _Daughter of the Night_), The Vampire Diaries by Lisa Jane Smith. Christopher Golden's series: _Of Saints and Shadows_, _Angel Souls and Devil Hearts_, and "Of Masques and Martyrs_. The Sonya Blue series by Nancy Collins (includes _Sunglasses After Dark_, _In the Blood_, _Paint it Black_, and _A Dozen Black Roses_.). The Don Sebastian Series by Les Daniels (includes _The Black Castle_, _The Silver Skull_, _Citizen Vampire_, _Yellow Fog_, and _No Blood Spilled_). [2.01.2] Favorite Vampire Novels _Dracula_ by Bram Stoker just narrowly edged out _Salem's Lot_ by Stephen King. Third place was a tie between _Lost Souls_ by Poppy Z. Brite, _I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire_ by P.N.Elrod, and _I Am Legend_ by Richard Matheson. Other novels mentioned included: _Blood Hunt_ and _Bloodlinks_, both by Lee Killough _Bloodsucking Fiends_ by Christopher Moore _Carrion Comfort_ by Dan Simmons _Children of the Night_ by Mercedes Lackey _Children of the Night_ by Dan Simmons _The Children's Hour_ by Douglas Clegg _Companions of the Night_ by Vivian Vande Velde _A Deeper Hunger_ by Sabine Kells _The Delicate Dependency_ by Michael Talbot _The Dragon Waiting_ by John M. Ford _The Dracula Tapes_ by Fred Saberhagen _Fevre Dream_ by George R.R. Martin _The Gilda Stories: A Novel_ by Jewelle Gomez _The Hunger_ by Whitley Strieber _The Keep_ by F. Paul Wilson _Live Girls_ and _Lot Lizards_, both by Ray Garton _The Night Inside_ aka _Kiss of the Vampire_ by Nancy Baker _The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula_ by Roderick Anscombe _The Silver Kiss_ by Annette Curtis Klause _The Stake_ by Richard Laymon _A Taste of Blood Wine_ by Freda Warrington _They Thirst_ by Robert McCammon _Those Who Hunt the Night_ by Barbra Hambly _The World on Blood_ by Jonathan Nasaw [2.02] Did Bram Stoker ever write a sequel to _Dracula_? No, although he did publish a short story called "Dracula's Guest" which some say was originally written to be the first chapter in _Dracula_ (this is being disputed). A copy of "Dracula's Guest" can be downloaded from the alt.vampyres homepage (q.v. 1.03). You'll be happy to know, however, that other authors have added to the novel with a number of prequels, sequels, retellings and alternative timelines. These include: Prequels to _Dracula_: The Family Dracul series by Jeanne Kalogridis (includes _Covenant with the Vampire_, _Children of the Vampire_, and _Lord of the Vampires_) _The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula_ by Roderick Anscombe _Dracula Began_ by Gail Kimberly (@Roger Elwood) _Crimson Kisses_ by Asa Drake _I am Dracula_ by C. Dean Anderson (rewrite of Drake) Sequels, retellings, anthologies, etc. to _Dracula_: _Mina_, by Marie Kiraly _Blood to Blood_ by Elaine Bergstrom _Anno Dracula_ by Kim Newman _Dracula the Undead_ by Freda Warrington _The Holmes-Dracula File_ by Fred Saberhagen _The Dracula Tape_ by Fred Saberhagen _An Old Friend of the Family_ by Fred Saberhagen _A Matter of Taste_ by Fred Saberhagen _A Question of Time_ by Fred Saberhagen _Seance for a Vampire_ by Fred Saberhagen _A Sharpness in the Neck_ by Fred Saberhagen _Dracula in Love_, John Shirley _Dark Destiny III: Children of Dracula_, ed. Edward E. Kramer _Rivals of Dracula_, eds. Weinberg, Dziemianowocz, & Greenberg _Dracula: A Symphony in Moonlight and Nightmares_, ed. Jon J. Muth _The Dracula Collection_, no author given _Dracula Unborn_ by Peter Tremayne _The Revenge of Dracula_ by Peter Tremayne _Dracula My Love_ by Peter Tremayne (NOTE: The Tremayne stories were also published together under the title of _Dracula Lives_) _The Darker Passions: Dracula_ by Amarantha Knight _The Adult Version of Dracula_ _Dracula: Prince of Darkness_, ed. Martin H. Greenberg. _The Mammoth Book of Dracula_, ed. Stephen Jones _Drakulya_ by Earl Lee _Drakulya_ by P.C. Doherty (omnibus of two previously published books, _The Prince Drakulya_ and _The Lord Count Drakulya_) _Vlad the Undead_ by Hanna Lutzen _Quincey Morris, Vampire_ by P.N. Elrod [2.03] Are there any stories that treat the vampire in a comedic vein? I recommend _The World on Blood_ by Jonathan Nasaw. he deals with Vampires Anonymous, the 12-step program for vampires. It's quite funny! Also Chetwynd-Hayes wrote _The Monster Club_ which has that very funny story about the werewolf and the vampire. There's a short story in _The Ultimate Dracula_ entitled "A Little Night Music" that had me rolling over in laughter (it's about a rock band called Vlad and the Impalers). And you can include Saberhagen's _The Dracula Tape_ in the "humor" category. He did start to write it as a joke [Elizabeth Miller]. Vampires appear in several Terry Pratchett books, i.e., _Carpe Jugulum_ and _The Fifth Elephant_. _Reaper Man_ has Count Notfaroutou, who inherited the title suddenly, and whose wife insists that he wears opera dress the whole time (to keep up appearances). "Witches Abroad_ has an unnamed vampire who gets hit by a thrown garlic sausage and then eaten by a particularly brutal cat. Then there's Otto Chriek in _The Truth_, a vampire Black Ribboner - one who's signed The Pledge and who now has to make do with black pudding, a cup of cocoa and a rousing sing-song. And Dragon King of Arms in _Feet of Clay_; he's not terribly funny, but he's an interesting interpretation of how a vampire might find a niche in human society. There's another unnamed vamp who insists that he has the right, without discrimination, to work in such places as a holy water factory, a pencil factory, testing sunglasses. [Mike Kew]. I recommend the comic parody _Blood and Roses_ by Sharon Bainbridge, although not all readers might recognize it as such. P.D. Cacek's _Night Prayers_ and _Tabitha fffoulkes_ by John Linssen are humorous, or at least intended to be. Mark Ivanhoe's novel _Virgintooth_ is meant to be a satire, but I'm not sure how humorous it's intended to be. Are you interested in books for children? Books for children *meant* to be funny include _The Vampire Who Came for Christmas_ by Dian Curtis Regan and _Monster of the Year_ by Bruce Coville [Cathy Krusberg]. You might also want to consider the "Bunnicula" series of children's books by James Howe, about a vampire rabbit who drains vegetables of color. There are (IIRC) 6 of them, all still in print and readily available. [Richard Morrison] In Germany we have the _Little Vampire_ Series by Angela Sommer- Bodenburg that is very popular. It has even been translated (or rather adapted) for the American market, not something to happen frequently to German books. [Birte Lilienthal] You mustn't forget _Vampire Blood Bank_ by Harry Zelenko which is about a Jewish hemophiliac bitten by a rabbi vampire in Central Park. One of the side effects of Zelenko's vampires happens to be a perpetual erection. It isn't great literature but I enjoyed the hell out of it. "Count Dracula" is a short story by Woody Allen in the anthology _Vampires, Wine & Roses_ where the poor Count mistakes an eclipse for nightfall and leaves his sanctuary. In _Vampire Junkies_ by Norman Spinrad, the Count visits New York and becomes addicted to heroin after feasting on a junkie hooker shortly after he arrives [Kitsune]. _Vampire Detectives_ (ed: Martin Greenerg) includes William Saunder's "The Count's Mailbox." It's an epistolary story about Dracula's efforts to publish a book about his life. [Bill Thompson] _Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story_ by Christopher Moore is a humorous vampire story of note. [Lord Ruthven] [2.04] Was _Dracula_ the first fictional vampire story to be written? Vampires were popular in fictional literature even before _Dracula_. Here's a smattering of some of the books and short stories written about vampires pre-Dracula: 1748 "The Vampire" Ossenfelder (verse) 1797 "The Bride of Corinth" by Goethe (verse) 1798 "The Old Woman of Berkeley" by Robert Southey (verse) 1810 "The Vampyre" by John Stagg (poem originally published in Stagg's _Minstrel of the North_) @1815 "The Bride of the Grave" by Johann Ludwig Tieck 1816 "A Fragment" aka "The Burial" by Lord Byron 1816 "The Vampire" by John Stagg (poem) 1819 "The Vampyre" by John Polidori 1819 _Lord Ruthven ou les Vampires_ by Berard (said to be the first vampire novel) 1820 "Wake Not the Dead" attributed to Johann Ludwig Tieck (may be by Ernst Raupach) @1820 "Lamia" by John Keats (verse) @1820 "La Belle Dame sans Merci" by John Keats (verse) @1820 "The Giaour" by Lord Byron (verse) 1828 "The Skeleton Count, or the Vampire Mistress" by Elizabeth Grey 1830 "The Dead Lover" by Theophile Gautier 1835 "Viy" by Nikolai Gogol 1845 _Varney the Vampyre, or, the Feast of Blood_ by James Malcolm Rymer 1800s "A Visit to the Theatre" by Alexandre Dumas 1849 "The Pale Lady" by Alexandre Dumas & Paul Bocage 1860 "The Mysterious Stranger", anonymous 1860 "The Cold Embrace" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon @1860 "Carpathian Castle" by Jules Verne 1867 "The Last Lords of Gardonal" by William Gilbert 1872 "Carmilla" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu 1880 "The Fate of Madame Cabanel" by Eliza Lynn Linton 1881 "The Man-Eating Tree" by Phil Robinson 1884 "The Family of the Vourdalak" by Alexis Tolstoy 1887 "Ken's Mystery" aka "The Grave of Ethelind Fionguala" by Julian Hawthorne 1887 "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant 1887 "A Mystery of the Campagna" by Anne Crawford 1890 "The Tomb of Sarah" by Frederick George Loring 1890 "Let Loose" by Mary Cholmondeley 1893 _Vikram the Vampire_ ed/Richard Burton 1894 "The Parasite" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1896 "Good Lady Ducayne" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon [2.05] Has anyone from alt.vampyres ever written a book about vampires? Sure. In her position as professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dr. Elizabeth Miller (://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/) has written several articles and papers and has authored four nonfiction books about Dracula. These include _Reflections on Dracula_, _Shade and Shadow_, Dracula: Sense and Nonsense_, and _Dracula_. In the fiction department, visitors to alt.vampyres have included Lois Tilton (://www.darkspawn.com) who has written three books about vampires, including _Darkness on the Ice_, _Vampire Winter_, and _DarkSpawn_. Thomas J. Hardman, Jr. (://earthops.org) is the author of _In Darkness' District_. Don Harstad came out with _Code Sixty- One_ in January 2002. William Meikle (://www.williemeikle.btinternet. co.uk) just sold the first two books (_Watchers of the Wall_ and _Berserker_) in a Scottish vampire trilogy. Other visitors to alt.vampyres who have authored vampire books include Poppy Z. Brite (://www.poppyzbrite.com/ and ://www.negia.net/~pandora), author of _Lost Souls_ and editor of _Love in Vein_ and _Love in Vein II_, Konstantinos (_Vampires: The Occult Truth_), and Michael Romkey (http://www.thevampire.com), author of Vampire_, _The Vampire Papers_, _The Vampire Princess_, _The Vampire Virus_, and _The London Vampire Panic_. David Dvorkin has given us _Insatiable_ and _Unquenchable_, and Nancy Collins (://www.concentric.net/~syllabub) her Sonya Blue series. Karen Taylor, author of the Vampire Legacy series, recently breezed in and out, along with Karen Koehler (://www.khpindustries.com), the author of the _Slayer_ series, Cary Rainey, author of _Stacy's Heart_, and Wm. Mark Simmons, who published _One Foot in the Grave_ and who is coming out soon with the sequel _Dead on My Feet_. [2.06] Where can I get a copy of the classic _Varney the Vampire_? E-copies can be downloaded from: http://www.unicorngarden.com/misc.htm http://varney.50megs.com Dover published a 2 volume paperback version in 1972, which is currently out of print. Copies may occasionally pop up at auction on eBay. Serious collectors say that this is the version of choice as it was essentially photographed from the original book, so it has all the artwork. Ayer Co. Publishers has put out two hardcover versions, one published in 1970 with a forward by Devendra Varma and Margaret L. Carter, and a second edition [publishing date unknown]. Both of these consist of three volumes. Contact Ayer Co. Publishers for more information at: 1 Lower Mill Road N. Stratford NH 03590 [information provided in part by Cathy Krusberg] PART 3: WHO HAS HELPED TO MAKE THIS FAQ POSSIBLE? In order to give thanks where thanks are due, the names of faq contributors appear in brackets following the passages they have written. If your contribution appears uncredited in the a.v. VAMPIRE LITERATURE faq, please contact the faqkeeper with the details. [3.01] Special thanks to these contributors who provided ideas, answers, and corrections. Cathy Krusberg Elizabeth Miller Bill Thompson Birte Lilienthal Lord Ruthven
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