Vampires: The Immortal Damned – Book Review
An Anthology of Vampire Tales From Literary History
Aug 19, 2009
Vampires have the power to seduce, mystify and terrify and have long been inspiration for horror writers throughout history. This collection of vampire stories features work from some of the most famous authors of horror including:
- Bram Stoker (Dracula)
- Mary Shelley (Frankenstein)
- John Polidori
- James Malcom Rymer
- William Gilbert
- Sir Richard Francis Burton
- Joseph Sheridan le Fanu
- Count Eric Stenbock
- Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Dr Franz Hartman
- Francis Marion Crawford
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Vampires: The Immortal Damned Overview
The 13 vampire tales in Vampires: The Immortal Damned, penned literary classics of the 1800’s and early 1900’s, is sure to send chills down the back of any reader. In the beginning of each story is a brief commentary on the author and the origins and some background to the story. Stories include:
- Vampyre (1819)
- The Mortal Immortal (1833)
- Varney the Vampyre (1847)
- The Last Lords of Gardonal (1867)
- Vikram and the Vampire (1870)
- Carmilla (1871)
- The True Story of a Vampire (1894)
- Good Lady Ducayne (1896)
- Dracula (1897)
- An Authenticated Vampire Story (1909)
- For the Blood is the Life (1911)
- Dracula’s Guest (1914)
- The Adventures of the Sussex Vampire (1924)
Vampyre by John Polidori is said to be the first vampire short story to come out of England. It was written after Polidori, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley had a ghost writing competition between them. This is what inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.
Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula is said to be based on a fifteenth century figure named Vlad the Impaler who was believed to have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people during his reign. Dracula is the most well known vampire in literary history.
Vampires: The Immortal Damned Review
Stories from the likes of Bram Stoker of Dracula fame and Mary Shelley best known for Frankenstein, grace the pages with stories or excerpts of stories that have a way of scaring the reader without the incredible violence or gore of more modern vampire tales.
Not every story is good however, and the ones that truly are works of literary art, end much too quickly and will leave the reader slightly dissatisfied. Vampires: The Immortal Damned should be considered as a ‘preview’ as many stories are merely and excerpt of the full tale and simply give the reader a taste.
Even so, while as a whole this book certainly doesn’t fall into the ‘must read’ category, it does have several great tales worth reading and will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any vampire or literary enthusiasts.
Vampires: The Immortal Damned was first published in 2006 by Penguin Books (ISBN 0-670-02972-6).
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