Scan barcode
thevampiremars's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre is a bit of a mixed bag, like any anthology, but I quite liked it overall.
My thoughts on each individual story (listed best to worst rather than in the order in which they appear):
Monos and Daimonos – 4.5☆
Honestly, I really liked this one. Beautifully written and even comedic at times, with a paradoxical main character who feels realistically complex despite being confined to an eight-and-a-half-page story
Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess – 4.5☆
A gut-wrenching tale of abuse and violence that really got under my skin
Life in Death – 4.0☆
Nice imagery and an interesting premise which deserves more than seven pages. Francis’s transition from a carefree young man to a ruthless manipulator ought to have been explored more thoroughly, I think
Confessions of a Reformed Ribbonman – 4.0☆
Evocative yet, at the same time, economical. Not sure how I feel about the author’s literal demonisation of Ribbonism, though
The Vampyre – 3.5☆
It’s a solid metaphor for sexual assault and generally predatory behaviour by men in positions of power, but it’s not particularly well written. It feels very rushed and there’s a lot the reader is told instead of shown
Post-Mortem Recollections of a Medical Lecturer – 3.5☆
This one was alright. It’s funny, in a grim way, that the story told from the perspective of a medical professional is based around the idea of recovery through willpower. Basically “well, have you tried not being dead?”
The Curse – 3.5☆
This story is more tragic than macabre. The opening paragraph is very strong but the tangential story-within-a-story really does mar the pacing. I did like the theme of change, though
Sir Guy Eveling’s Dream – 3.0☆
Literally just a guy trying to woo a ghost. It’s not especially scary or spooky, just kind of weird
The Bride of Lindorf – 3.0☆
This one is a mess. It begins with some beautiful prose but gradually falls apart – the last page in particular feels like some very lazy writing. As for the story itself, if incestuous relationships upset you, give this one a hard pass
The Victim – 3.0☆
No supernatural elements (metaphorical or otherwise), just a straightforward murder. Many stories from this time are quite misogynistic but this one felt especially dehumanising and objectifying, what with the corpse kissing and all
Some Terrible Letters from Scotland – 3.0☆
I don’t really know what to make of this one. It’s not bad but it’s not particularly memorable either
My Hobby,—Rather – 3.0☆
An intriguing start, with a narrator who is seemingly obsessed with observing and documenting macabre events. Disappointingly, the “monster” is just an ordinary cat (which is killed)
The Master of Logan – 2.5☆
A moral tale about resisting temptation and turning to God for protection against evil. I found it dull
The Red Man – 2.0☆
Another story I found dull and unmemorable. I struggled to keep track of what was happening because I just wasn’t invested, unfortunately. It doesn’t help that it’s one of the more sexist and racist tales in this collection
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit
Other content warnings: being buried alive, execution, gambling, house fire, necrophiliakristinhunziker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
jersy's review against another edition
I read a couple of the stories but I'm just not loving any of them. They are interesting if you care about the historic origin and developement of horror tropes, but after a while that wasn't enough for me. Everything so far has been pretty slow, too, so... DNF.
eddie's review against another edition
3.0
It’s the 200th anniversary of John Polidori’s The Vampyre this year (2019). This short story kicked off the vampire craze in 19th-century literature. Apparently vampires were known before but Polidori’s crucial innovation was to take them upmarket, add brains, cunning and wit, and set them loose on aristocratic drawing rooms for their prey. Top hatted & cloaked vampires have been thrilling readers ever since.
It helped Polidori’s story immensely that the original publisher (a magazine) mistakenly published the story as by Lord Byron, then at the absolute zenith of his bad-boy enfant terrible chic. And that the vampire in the story shared an alias with a previous fictional portrayal of Byron by Byron’s ex, Lady Caroline Lamb. In short, the Vampyre was Byron.
Sadly, all this context is far more exciting than the story itself. Polidori’s followers have long since surpassed his efforts. However, it’s probably true to say that most if not all subsequent vampires share some Byronic personality traits.
OUP have padded out this edition with some more early tales of the macabre, all originally published in magazines around 1820-1840. It’s interesting to see what excited readers then. There are stories of the Irish troubles, Cholera epidemics, grave robbers, etc. The outstanding story is the last by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: in fact a dress rehearsal for his later novel ‘Uncle Silas’, which after this is going on my TBR. Interesting works also by writers I haven’t heard of before but who seem to have enjoyed successful literary careers in the early-19th century: Letitia E Landon and Catherine Gore. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a Victorian best selling author and statesman, contributes a short but eerily evocative tale. Le Fanu is regarded highly in the annals of horror fiction these days, & it appears Bulwer-Lytton is the focus of some interest by virtue of his perceived occultic practices (he was claimed by a contemporary Illuminati group but strenuously denied membership. But we all know what that means.)
It helped Polidori’s story immensely that the original publisher (a magazine) mistakenly published the story as by Lord Byron, then at the absolute zenith of his bad-boy enfant terrible chic. And that the vampire in the story shared an alias with a previous fictional portrayal of Byron by Byron’s ex, Lady Caroline Lamb. In short, the Vampyre was Byron.
Sadly, all this context is far more exciting than the story itself. Polidori’s followers have long since surpassed his efforts. However, it’s probably true to say that most if not all subsequent vampires share some Byronic personality traits.
OUP have padded out this edition with some more early tales of the macabre, all originally published in magazines around 1820-1840. It’s interesting to see what excited readers then. There are stories of the Irish troubles, Cholera epidemics, grave robbers, etc. The outstanding story is the last by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: in fact a dress rehearsal for his later novel ‘Uncle Silas’, which after this is going on my TBR. Interesting works also by writers I haven’t heard of before but who seem to have enjoyed successful literary careers in the early-19th century: Letitia E Landon and Catherine Gore. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a Victorian best selling author and statesman, contributes a short but eerily evocative tale. Le Fanu is regarded highly in the annals of horror fiction these days, & it appears Bulwer-Lytton is the focus of some interest by virtue of his perceived occultic practices (he was claimed by a contemporary Illuminati group but strenuously denied membership. But we all know what that means.)
wolfie's review against another edition
3.0
Some stories vastly superior to others, took far too long to read