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matosapa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
zea_d_writing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This anthology was pretty mid.
If you’re going into this book expecting traditional vampires and vampire stories, you will be very disappointed. Every story in this anthology has a kind of vampire at its core, and a few of those vampires are even the blood drinking kind, but none of these stories focus on the standard vampire lore, look/style, metaphor, or even genre.
As a whole this anthology is an interesting exploration of vampirism as a theme and the way it can be used as a vehicle to tell a story and convey a message.
Some of these stories are very effective. Some are not.
There are several stories included in this anthology that casually use slurs (usually the older stories) or are deeply uncomfortable due to their content and/or author’s post script commentary.
I really enjoyed a few of the stories here. But overall it was just very ‘meh’.
If you’re going into this book expecting traditional vampires and vampire stories, you will be very disappointed. Every story in this anthology has a kind of vampire at its core, and a few of those vampires are even the blood drinking kind, but none of these stories focus on the standard vampire lore, look/style, metaphor, or even genre.
As a whole this anthology is an interesting exploration of vampirism as a theme and the way it can be used as a vehicle to tell a story and convey a message.
Some of these stories are very effective. Some are not.
There are several stories included in this anthology that casually use slurs (usually the older stories) or are deeply uncomfortable due to their content and/or author’s post script commentary.
I really enjoyed a few of the stories here. But overall it was just very ‘meh’.
marginaliant's review
3.0
I never know what to expect when I borrow books off my mom's bookshelf, but this one has been sitting in my room for ages because it looks so interesting and yet I just never had the time. Well, I made the fucking time. And here I am, essentially four or five hours later (though I read it mostly in chunks), kind of confused.
Yes, it is to be expected in an anthology that some of the works will be good and some will be bad. But that wasn't enough for Datlow. She had to pick some of the best of the best works of Vampiresque fiction, and then the worst of the worst. And by worst, I really do mean worst. Badly written, going on forever, boring, tedious, and predictable. And some were just icky. Not that I don't like gore, not at all, but some of the subject matter was just...eek. Like "Varicose Worms." Essentially about an abusive relationship narrated by a fuck-head and staring him and his future baby mama (he cares about this more than he does about her as a person. My inner/outer feminist rages with indignation, and the author doesn't even have the decency to write their relationship well. The shaman magic he uses is unclear and fuzzy, he has too many names and although the story drags on forever you never really grasp them, and there are no likable characters except for the sixty or so dogs who bark at him when he turns into a bear. Other honorable mentions of awful are "Return of the Dust Vampires," "Dirty Work", and "Good Kids", starring an insomniac doctor named Dr. Insomnia (no, really) and her patient a by-gone actor of shitty science fiction, a pathos-finder (I read all 36 pages of the confused pseudo-sci-fi mess and am still not entirely sure what that means), and a bunch of vampire-erotica-obsessed ten year olds ganging up on their babysitter Dracula, respectively. Just awful.
But then there are also moments of true brilliance. I thought "Lazarus," about the man who rose from the dead and sucked the life out of people just by looking at them, was clever and historical and vampiresque without being cliche. I thought "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" has an excellent ending despite a slow beginning and works its way through some fascinating story elements before it reaches its conclusion. "The Sea Was As Wet As Wet Could Be" is now in my top ten short stories of all time, as it is short but not skimpy, clever and interesting, full of Alice in Wonderland references that aren't the mad hatter, the white rabbit, or mad old bats screaming about decapitation.
The thing you have to know about this collection is that Datlow's interpretation of what a vampire is is very, very broad. If you're a hard-core Bram Stoker fan and are stuck to your love of tall dark gentleman with sharp fangs and a brooding demeanor, you're probably not going to find what you're looking for in this book. Mostly the criteria for being a vampire seems to be that you suck something from another person. Either personality or humanity or blood or soul or whatever. If you suck something besides genitalia, you're probably in.
So, overall, I could take or leave this anthology. There is some very good, some truly abysmal, but perhaps something for everybody. Certainly not a bad inclusion to your vampire book reportorial if you find it in the 25cent bin at your local used bookstore, or on your mother's bookshelf.
Yes, it is to be expected in an anthology that some of the works will be good and some will be bad. But that wasn't enough for Datlow. She had to pick some of the best of the best works of Vampiresque fiction, and then the worst of the worst. And by worst, I really do mean worst. Badly written, going on forever, boring, tedious, and predictable. And some were just icky. Not that I don't like gore, not at all, but some of the subject matter was just...eek. Like "Varicose Worms." Essentially about an abusive relationship narrated by a fuck-head and staring him and his future baby mama (he cares about this more than he does about her as a person. My inner/outer feminist rages with indignation, and the author doesn't even have the decency to write their relationship well. The shaman magic he uses is unclear and fuzzy, he has too many names and although the story drags on forever you never really grasp them, and there are no likable characters except for the sixty or so dogs who bark at him when he turns into a bear. Other honorable mentions of awful are "Return of the Dust Vampires," "Dirty Work", and "Good Kids", starring an insomniac doctor named Dr. Insomnia (no, really) and her patient a by-gone actor of shitty science fiction, a pathos-finder (I read all 36 pages of the confused pseudo-sci-fi mess and am still not entirely sure what that means), and a bunch of vampire-erotica-obsessed ten year olds ganging up on their babysitter Dracula, respectively. Just awful.
But then there are also moments of true brilliance. I thought "Lazarus," about the man who rose from the dead and sucked the life out of people just by looking at them, was clever and historical and vampiresque without being cliche. I thought "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" has an excellent ending despite a slow beginning and works its way through some fascinating story elements before it reaches its conclusion. "The Sea Was As Wet As Wet Could Be" is now in my top ten short stories of all time, as it is short but not skimpy, clever and interesting, full of Alice in Wonderland references that aren't the mad hatter, the white rabbit, or mad old bats screaming about decapitation.
The thing you have to know about this collection is that Datlow's interpretation of what a vampire is is very, very broad. If you're a hard-core Bram Stoker fan and are stuck to your love of tall dark gentleman with sharp fangs and a brooding demeanor, you're probably not going to find what you're looking for in this book. Mostly the criteria for being a vampire seems to be that you suck something from another person. Either personality or humanity or blood or soul or whatever. If you suck something besides genitalia, you're probably in.
So, overall, I could take or leave this anthology. There is some very good, some truly abysmal, but perhaps something for everybody. Certainly not a bad inclusion to your vampire book reportorial if you find it in the 25cent bin at your local used bookstore, or on your mother's bookshelf.
britbrit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
inferiorwit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wodime's review
2.5
beginning to suspect that ellen datlow's taste has very, very little in common with mine
peterseanesq's review
5.0
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3R9RHVP4AV7Q7?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp
This is an anthology of "non-traditional" vampire stories. The non-traditional vampires actually are non-traditional in a number of ways. They feed off of emotions and inhabit death camps and don't fit the norm in a variety of ways.
The nice thing about this anthology is that it was compiled in the late 1980s, which gave the editor Ellen Datlow access to authors who are no longer available, such as Harlan Ellison and Gahan Wilson.
Another nice feature is that each story is followed by a comment by the author offering something about the story. In the case of Harlan Ellison, the afterword is a long story about his time in Hollywood when he hung with Eastwood, Robert Blake and other stars.
As with most anthologies, the stories can be a mixed bag. I felt the strongest were:
"Carion Comforts" by Dan Simons - These vampires control others by dint of their will to cause death and suffering, which they then feed off of. Then, they turn on each other.
"The Sea was as Wet as Wet Could Be" by Gahan Wilson. We think of Wilson as a cartoonist famous for those creepy Playboy cartoons, but he could write. This is a jewel of the story that reads Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" as a vampire story.
"Try a Dull Knife" by Harlan Ellison. I was initially not impressed by this story, but I found that it stuck with me. I've never read this one, even though the story reminds me of a lot of the famous Ellison short stories with a character who lives for his audience being drained of energy by his audience. Obviously, it's a metaphor for the writer or singer or artist. What really gives this story "value added" is the end note by Ellison where he talks about his Hollywood years.
"L'Chaim" by Harvey Jacobs was a creepy tale about a very elite group of vampires who cultivate their product for decades.
"To Feel Another's Woe" by Chet Williamson. Set in New York's theater scene, the vampire feeds off, and destroys, the emotions of her creative lovers.
"Down Among the Dead Men" by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann. A classical vampire finds himself trapped in a Nazi death camp feeding off his sheep.
"Good Kids" by Edward Bryant. A classic vampire gets an appointment to work with a group of children, who are the true monsters of the story.
I would give an honorable mention to "Dirty Work" by Pat Cadigan. The story of Deadpan Allie the Pathosfinder had depth, but it left me with to many questions about the background of the story. Likewise, I wanted to like "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Lieber because it was a Lieber story I'd never read before, but, again, it didn't come together. I liked the 1948 post-war setting but I was underwhelmed by the idea that the "vampire" could only elicit passion on film and not in person.
This is an anthology of "non-traditional" vampire stories. The non-traditional vampires actually are non-traditional in a number of ways. They feed off of emotions and inhabit death camps and don't fit the norm in a variety of ways.
The nice thing about this anthology is that it was compiled in the late 1980s, which gave the editor Ellen Datlow access to authors who are no longer available, such as Harlan Ellison and Gahan Wilson.
Another nice feature is that each story is followed by a comment by the author offering something about the story. In the case of Harlan Ellison, the afterword is a long story about his time in Hollywood when he hung with Eastwood, Robert Blake and other stars.
As with most anthologies, the stories can be a mixed bag. I felt the strongest were:
"Carion Comforts" by Dan Simons - These vampires control others by dint of their will to cause death and suffering, which they then feed off of. Then, they turn on each other.
"The Sea was as Wet as Wet Could Be" by Gahan Wilson. We think of Wilson as a cartoonist famous for those creepy Playboy cartoons, but he could write. This is a jewel of the story that reads Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" as a vampire story.
"Try a Dull Knife" by Harlan Ellison. I was initially not impressed by this story, but I found that it stuck with me. I've never read this one, even though the story reminds me of a lot of the famous Ellison short stories with a character who lives for his audience being drained of energy by his audience. Obviously, it's a metaphor for the writer or singer or artist. What really gives this story "value added" is the end note by Ellison where he talks about his Hollywood years.
"L'Chaim" by Harvey Jacobs was a creepy tale about a very elite group of vampires who cultivate their product for decades.
"To Feel Another's Woe" by Chet Williamson. Set in New York's theater scene, the vampire feeds off, and destroys, the emotions of her creative lovers.
"Down Among the Dead Men" by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann. A classical vampire finds himself trapped in a Nazi death camp feeding off his sheep.
"Good Kids" by Edward Bryant. A classic vampire gets an appointment to work with a group of children, who are the true monsters of the story.
I would give an honorable mention to "Dirty Work" by Pat Cadigan. The story of Deadpan Allie the Pathosfinder had depth, but it left me with to many questions about the background of the story. Likewise, I wanted to like "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Lieber because it was a Lieber story I'd never read before, but, again, it didn't come together. I liked the 1948 post-war setting but I was underwhelmed by the idea that the "vampire" could only elicit passion on film and not in person.
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