Vampires Are Everywhere, Too! Five Vampire Books You May Have Missed

We're nearing the return of one of my favorite shows on television - "True Blood".  Season three begins on Sunday June 13th.  I remember when Charlaine Harris made the transition from mysteries into the Sookie Stackhouse books.  I read the first one and hated it!  At the time, Laurell K. Hamilton was the Queen of the dark, urban fantasy genre and she was...well, lacking.  I gave Charlaine a second shot and found myself gradually warming to the series.  The show (while I never thought that the source material was enough to warrant a television show) has taken Ms. Harris' creation and jazzed it in ways I never imagined.  The stakes (pun intended) are higher, the violence much darker, and the writing is pitch-perfect (though, Sookie and Bill do get a little annoying from time to time).  It also humors me to no end, that the majority of the cast are foreigners: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten.

But this is not about "True Blood", though I do recommend it.  This is about vampires.  I've interviewed several authors about the horror genre as a whole and the status of vamps in culture, post-Twilight tweenvasion.  David Agranoff lent his thoughts as did Joe R. Lansdale.  Christopher Moore, Theresa Bane, Gina Farago, and Michael Laimo will lend their opinions in the coming weeks.  Still, I remember when vampires were different.  The spookiness wasn't faded, the ideas were still unique, and vampires were still hardcore (whether in Victorian garb or not).

Here, for your consideration, are 5 vampire books that you should read.  Each one is unique in its own way and, in this reviewers opinion, contributes to the upper crust of this subgenre.

5. The Faggiest Vampire by Carlton Mellick III.

Regardless of your opinion of the word "faggy", there was a time when it was a cliches commonplace to call Victorian England, Eurotrash vampires a little "faggy".  Vampires have really gone through a variety of changes over the years.  In Mellick's book, the vampires compete in a "faggy-off" to decide who the faggiest of them is.  Yes, it's true.  How do they do this, you may dread to ask...well, with mustaches, of course.

Dargoth von Gloomfang and company work well in this young adult book.  The illustrations are glorious renderings that would make Gorey blush, the scenery and landscapes are justifiably fun, and the book explains what it is to aspire to be a mustachery maestro (something no other vampire book has ever targeted.  Hello!). 

4. Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

If you're eager to read Kim Newman's book, hit your local library up.  "Anno Dracula" has been out of print for such a long time, it's not funny.  This was one of those yarns I picked up from a used bookstore, a bitter and bent paperback that begged for mercy.  Thankfully it held out until I finished the thing. 

I'm not typically too big on alternative history, but this concept worked.  Newman, too, is aided by the fact that he's an excellent writer.  In "Anno Dracula", Count Dracula has evaded succumbing to Van Helsing's assassination attempts.  Now, the Count is married to Queen Victoria and rapidly becoming the voice of England, as he turns new vamps loose as citizens.  In "Anno Dracula", the first of the series, we privvy to popular characters such as Oscar Wilde, G.B. Shaw, Doctors Moreau and Jekyll, Professor Moriarty, Allen Quartermain, and even Jack the Ripper.

Is it the best vampire novel?  Certainly not.  However, it's new and fresh and it works msterfully.  The series gets ever better, too, as the world toes closer to World War.  Bloody Red Baron is, well, I'm sure you can figure that one out, no?

3. The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

If you're a fan of Guillermo Del Toro you may be wondering how his mind is transferred to the page.  He's always relied on visual imagery to enhance his storytelling and, well, books rely more on imagination.  Guillermo does it carefully, and with excllent pacing.  One review, I seem to remember, described this book as "Blade 2 Meets Sherlock Holmes".  That's fair.  At it's core it is as "Dracula" was - a mystery.  And like its predecessors, the book delivers all sorts of vamp goodness.

It starts with a not-so-subtle nod to Stoker's immortal classic.  A Boeing 777 lands in New York and seemingly the people onboard are all dead.  Not unlike the classic ship that lands in England.  This, obviously, kicks off a mystery of what the hell happened.  Now, toss in the creatures of the night and you've got a cocktail.  They've been waiting for just the right time to strike, and now they have it.

This is supposed to be part of a trilogy.  I cannot wait to see where it heads.  The vampires are most certainly like the creepy Predator-mouthed badasses from Guillermo's "Blade 2".  The characters are cliched, but well written and fleshed out: the aged vampire hunter, the scientist, the "pest" control worker.  Book two drops on October 1.

2. Fat, White Vampire Blues by Andrew Fox

If you like concept, then this is the book for you.  Poor Jules.  He's a New Orleans cab driver and just happens to be a vampire.  Why's he got the fat, white blues?  Well, the blood of New Orlenians is so full of cholesterol and fat that Jules can't help take on a little of it when he feeds.  Even for vampires, red beans and rice goes straight to the hips.  Outside of the concept, though, there's a grand story.  There's redemption, blood, and substance.  And like one of those oyster po'boys, you just can't help but sink your teeth in and enjoy.

1. Hunting the Moon Tribe by David Agranoff

It's not out yet, but write the title of this one down and keep it on the radar.  When I was bemoaning the state of horror and the overindulgence of vampires, courtesy of one Stephanie Meyer, David sent me a copy of his latest book - "Hunting the Moon Tribe".  Ah, what a breath of fresh air.  Can you imagine an alternate reality where the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio himself, is a karate swinging, vampire killer?  And, Pat Morita is an Asian Van Helsing.  Well, if the concept sounds cool, you're on the right path. 

"Hunting the Moon Tribe" could have been a mess of a book - I mean, martial arts and vampires?  Really?  It's more than that.  There's an emotional core present that has not been seen in the majority of horror novels out there today.  What makes it work is Agranoff's seemless way of merging philosophy, atmosphere, history, and paranoia.  When this book is released, I strongly encourage you to pick it up.  It's really that good.