Apparently, vampires are hip again.Yay!
Earlier, I shared about my SF addiction and my favorite Kick-Ass-Chicks books of that genre. But I intentionally left out one of my favorite "Guilty Pleasures" - Vampires.*
Love 'em. Can't lay off 'em.
I can't remember my first vampire book (oh, wait, does Bunnicula count?), but I do know that Anne Rice, Bram Stoker and The Darkangel Trilogy
by Meredith Anne Pierce were among the early ones.But it was probably Anne Rice more than any other author who really "turned" me (I know. Vamp puns: *groan*) and Lestat is still one of my all-time favorite preternatural characters.
But, I'm a sucker (Oops. did it again.) for anything with fangs. I read (and watch) all kinds of vampire books (and movies and TV shows). Even the cheesy ones. :)
I could write a whole post about the fascinating psychological and cultural aspects of our attraction of vampires (and, knowing me, I probably will eventually), but today I just want to share a few of my favorites.
Astute readers will notice that there is some cross-over between my favorite fang-fiction and my proclivity for Kick-Ass Chicks. :)
Charlaine HarrisSouthern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1: Dead Until Dark
How much am I hating the fact that I don't get Showtime now that they've made these fabulous books into a TV show? Oh well. The books are still awesome. I just finished #9 Wednesday night. Sookie is a great protagonist and Harris' vamps have a lot of life in them. Harris has several other great series, too. The others are more mysteries than scifi, though one is a bit of both. But the recurring theme in them all is strong women protagonists. I pretty much love everything she's ever written.
Laurell K. HamiltonAnita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 1: Guilty Pleasures
I really loved the first ten or so books in the Anita Blake series. Unfortunately, the last few books have been really disappointing to me as Hamilton basically turned them into erotica. I mean, I don't mind a little romance or a few steamy sex scenes, but they should support the story, not supplant it. But, again, the first ten or so? Awesome.
I should also mention Hamilton's Merry Gentry Series (A Kiss of Shadows, Book 1). They're about fairies rather than vamps. I love Merry as a character and I love the stories - especially the way they touch on Celtic and English mythologies. But, again, the copious, gratuitous, graphic sex tends to be - to me - more distracting than enhancing. Still, I keep reading them. So, there must be something good there. :)
In the most recent Merry and Anita books I've read, I noticed that there was a little less sex and a little more plot. So, I'm hoping that maybe these books are heading for a return to their previous greatness. We'll see.
MaryJanice DavidsonQueen Betsy, Book 1: Undead and Unwed
These books make me laugh out loud. Really. Davidson has a talent for telling a great story without taking herself too seriously. Betsy is a reluctant vampire queen more addicted to shoe shopping than blood. She is hilarious and every book is an irreverent romp. For the record, I like Davidson's non-vampire books, too.
Nancy A. CollinsMidnight Blue: Sonja Blue Collection
This is an great trilogy that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Probably because it's darker and more violent than most modern vampire stories. Readers looking to pick up the latest Twilight-style paranormal romance would probably suffer serious culture shock with the Sonja Blue stories. It's gritty, violent, gory vampire-punk. These vampires don't woo teen girls. They just eat them.
Geek side-note: It's published by White Wolf. If you know who they are, you know what that means. If you don't, then don't worry about it.
Anne RiceThe Vampire Chronicles
Again, no list of vampire books could possibly be complete without Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. I mentioned earlier that she was pivotal in drawing me into the genre. I liked Interview with a Vampire. But I was completely hooked by The Vampire Lestat. I adore Lestat. These were among my first "adult" vampire stories and my first introduction to the blood-sex-life-death themes in vampire stories.
I've read lots of other vampire books and books-with-vampires, of course. Some that were good. And some that were not so good. But these are my favorites. The ones with ... bite. (Oh gawd, I really can't stop myself, now.)
You'll notice Twilight
is conspicuously absent from the list. My sister-in-law did give me the first book for Christmas. But I haven't read it yet.To be honest, I'm a little afraid to. They seem to be the kind of books that suck (Oh hell, will someone just stake me and get it over with?) people in. And I have a tendency to get just a teesny bit ... rabidly obsessed(?) over a really good series. But I suppose I'll get to it eventually.
So ... what're your favorite vampire books? Anything I should add to my must-read list?
*I mentioned a few other books with vampires in my Kick-Ass-Chicks post, too. But vampires aren't the focus of those books, thus the distinction.
I am still working on the 9th one and I too wish I had HBO to watch the show that goodness for netflix season 1 just came out :)
ReplyDeleteI've read most of those except for the Collins ones - which I'll have to check out. My sister-in-law is really *really* into the Urban Fantasy genre, so I get a lot of recommendations from her too.
ReplyDeleteKim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs all feature vampires but I think you mentioned those in your kick ass post.
The Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance is quite good. Teen fiction wise there's the House of Night series by Kristin and P.C. Cast (a mother/daughter team).
Off the top of my head, I'd say you can't go wrong with Christopher Moore's "Bloodsucking Fiends" and "You Suck" — both of which offer the virtue of being funny as hell.
ReplyDeleteNever been one for vampires, really, save for the Buffy series, which wasn't focused on the vamps.
ReplyDeleteDunno why... just never have.
He Jess! Good to see you! You will love the new Sookie book! Let me know what you think! I also just got Undead and Unworthy from the library. You'd like that series, too. I think.
ReplyDeleteRHW: I read the first Cassie Palmer book and thought it was okay, but it didn't knock my socks off. Maybe I will try the next one. Thanks!
Two Busy: Another friend just told me I would LOL at "You Suck" ... I'll have to add it to my list. :)
SFD: Well, you know I'm a fan of kick-ass chicks and since Buffy is one of the kick-ass-inest (yeah, I make up words sometimes) chicks ever, you know I love her! In fact, I pretty much worship at the altar of all things Joss. So, for loving Buffy, you are forgiven for not loving vampires. :)
I don't mind Vampire movies, but I haven't really been a vampire book fan. True Blood on HBO is quite awesome. Twilight is on my list right now of "Reasons to Kill Myself". So, yeah. I don't care for the idea of it at all. Not because it's about vampires, but because of the ridiculous amount of hype. And, yeah, I read a page or two, and being the book snob I am, had to go and figuratively bleach my eyes afterward with some good Steinbeck.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, "You Suck" is the sequel to "Bloodsucking Fiends." If you do seek 'em out, I'd suggest you read 'em in order.
ReplyDeleteGood to know, thanks! I HATE reading things out of order. :)
ReplyDelete