Review: An Embarrassment of Riches by Chelsea Quinnn Yarbro

Book description:

In An Embarrassment of Riches, the vampire Count finds himself a virtual prisoner in the Court of Kunigunde in Bohemia in the 1200s. Rakoczy Ferncsi, as Saint-Germain is known, passes his days making jewels to delight Queen Kunigunde and trying not to become involved in the Court's intrigues. In this, the vampire fails. Handsome, apparently wealthy, and obviously unmarried, he soon finds himself being sexually blackmailed by Rozsa, an ambitious lady-in-waiting. If he does not satisfy her, she will denounce him to the priests and he'll be burned at the stake, resulting in his True Death. Despite his care, the vampire makes more than one enemy at the Bohemian Court, and by the end of An Embarrassment of Riches, the Count can see only one road to freedom...through death.

Review:

Yet another brilliant novel in the Saint Germain series! These books are meticulously researched and all the effort definitely shows with the many historical details that are included on every page. It's almost like walking into the given time period and observing a piece of the past come alive. 


This was probably one of the most tragic chapters in Saint Germain's existence and it is extremely sad that after so many years he finds himself once again at the whim of others. Rakoczy Ferncsi, as he is known in this time, has many material riches but he lacks the one thing that sustains him...genuine intimacy. His life and circumstances make finding love practically impossible and those that already truly love him, like Olivia, must stay away. He does have Roger to act as his trusted companion, but I've always wished that he could find a way to be near Olivia for more than a few years at a time. 

Kunigunde's court was filled with sneaky, selfish people, all willing to accept the gems Rakoczy could provide but unwilling to offer any sort of friendship. Most feared his foreigner status, many had their suspicions about his wealth, and some wanted him dead. The plot was further complicated by conniving women and a war that kept him prisoner. If he was any other type of man he might have simply fled from the miserable Bohemian court, but Rokoczy never shies from his responsibilities, and in this case he stayed in order to protect his land, holdings, and tenants back in his native country. 

An Embarrassment of Riches is a must read for fans of Saint Germain but since the books are not told in chronological order they can be enjoyed by new readers as well. I highly recommend and encourage every reader to give these unique and creative novels a try. Yarbro is a pioneer in fiction and no character I've ever read can rival the everlasting quality of Saint-Germain. I started with Hotel Transylvania when I was a teen and I still buy each book as they are released, each one having a permanent place on my keeper shelves.

Click here for a complete reading list of other books in this series.


*Reviewed by Anna Dougherty for VampChix
*This book was sent by the publisher for review.

New Vampire Releases for April 2011

There are plenty of choices for romance fans this month with books from Marie Treanor, Michele Hauf, and Kerrelyn Sparks, to name a few. If you're looking for adventure with a touch of humor check out The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. And Twilight fans can rejoice because Stephenie Meyer has produced The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide .  Whatever your pleasure you are sure to find something for the TBR pile. Enjoy!

Blood Sin: An Awakened By Blood Novel
by Marie Treanor
NAL Trade (April 5, 2011)

The author of Blood on Silk brings readers the next novel in her seductive new Awakened by Blood series.

Months after her dangerous encounter with the vampire overlord Saloman, Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk is still trying to cope with both the demands of her vampire-hunting bloodline-and the desire she feels for Saloman, the immortal she brought back from the grave. But when Saloman's ancient sword becomes the object of a ruthless race between humans and vampires, Elizabeth must decide between unwanted loyalty, or unholy love.

Crimson Dawn
by Ronnie Massey
Copperhill Media  April 2011

When vampire Valeria Trumaine comes home one morning to find her father waiting for her, she knows she’s about to get trouble in spades. But she never imagined it would come in the form of her ex-fiancé. Now she must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring the rouge vampire to justice.

After she left him, Valeria avoided Tristan like the plague, but now that he’s gone rogue, she’s going to have to utilize every thing she’s learned as a sentinel to find him.

 
Department 19 
by Will Hill
Razorbill (April, 2011)
Young Adult

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy. 

Eternal Kiss: Mark of the Vampire
by Laura Wright
Signet (April 5, 2011)

Raised by the Breed, Nicholas Roman wants to stop the Eternal Order of Vampires from controlling his life, and using other males from his bloodline-including possibly his son-for their vicious reign. Only a beautiful vampire stranger can help him. But what are her true motives?

Forever Vampire
by Michele Hauf   
HQN Books (April 19, 2011)

Vail the Unwanted is a pure-blooded vampire. But raised by Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can't afford.

Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start. For Lyric that means holding herself apart, even from the smoldering blue-eyed Vail. For Vail, it means a battle to the death for revenge—and for a temptress he can't deny.

The President's Vampire
Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam  (April 28, 2011)

The ultimate secret. The ultimate agent. Nathaniel Cade returns.

For 140 years, Nathaniel Cade has been the President's Vampire, sworn to protect and serve his country. Cade's existence is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against nightmare scenarios that ordinary citizens only dream of.

When a new outbreak of an ancient evil-one that he has seen before- comes to light, Cade and his human handler, Zach Barrows, must track down its source. To "protect and serve" often means settling old scores and confronting new betrayals . . . as only a centuries-old predator can.

Ravenous (Clare Point Vampires)
V.K. Forrest (Author)
Kensington (April 1, 2011)

A seduction-gone-wrong leaves vampire Parker Hollis with a new vegetarian lifestyle and on the run from a vengeful witch. Moving to small-town Maggie’s Grove, Parker meets a redheaded dryad with green, leafy blood that draws him in a way he hasn’t experienced in decades. Tree-loving outcast Amara Schwedler has never quite fit in. She’s...As a member of his clan's kill team, Liam McCathal helps rid the world of undesirables. It's the perfect job for a vampire of his talents - except that lately, Liam is getting a little too good at it.

Which is why he's back home to "cool off," when Mai walks into his antique store and changes everything. Liam's not in the habit of making friends - least of all with beautiful, exotic human females. But something about Mai ignites a spark he hasn't felt in over a century. When Mai's uncle is killed and her father threatened, Liam takes on a ruthless crime boss and puts every vampire in Clare Point in danger of discovery. Because Mai's father has secrets too, and Liam is edging ever closer to losing his reputation, his clan, and the woman he would do anything to protect... 

Teeth: Vampire Tales
edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
HarperCollins (April 5, 2011)
Young Adult

Fascinated by vampires?
Then feast on nineteen tantalizing, bite-sized tales exploring the intersections between the living, dead, and undead.

The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . .

Stories from:

Genevieve Valentine, Steve Berman, Christopher Barzak, Neil Gaiman, Delia Sherman, Garth Nix, Suzy McKee Charnas, Kaaron Warren, Cecil Castellucci, Jeffrey Ford, Nathan Ballingrud, Kathe Koja, Catherynne M. Valente, Melissa Marr, Ellen Kushner, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Lucius Shepard, Emma Bull, Tanith Lee

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide 
by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 12, 2011) (Apr 12, 2011) 
Young Adult

This must-have hardcover edition--the only official guide--is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. This comprehensive handbook—essential for every Twilight Saga fan—is full-color throughout with nearly 100 gorgeous illustrations and photographs and with exclusive new material, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more.

Twilight Prophecy (Children of Twilight)
by Maggie Shayne
Mira (April 19, 2011)

According to ancient prophecy, there's only one chance to avert the complete annihilation of the Undead. Twins James William and Brigit Poe, part human, part vampire, believe that they are that chance. In truth, the key lies with the reclusive—and mortal—scholar Lucy Lanfair.

As Armageddon approaches, antivampire sentiment fuels a war neither side can win, driving James to abandon his moral code and draw Lucy into a deadly battle she wants no part of.

But Lucy soon realizes that she holds this powerful immortal's soul in her hands and that it's her destiny not only to stop a war but to save him from his inner darkness. If she fails, his race will die—and so will her heart. Is the power of love strong enough to save the world?

Vampire Dragon (A Works Like Magick Novel)
by Annette Blair
Berkley (Apr 5, 2011)

One the run from the mob, Bronte McBride needs the kind of protection that only the mysterious and handsome bodyguard Darkwyn-a former Roman warrior turned dragon-can give her.

But Bronte's secrets could endanger both of them. 

Vampire Mine
by Kerrelyn Sparks
Avon (April 1, 2011)

Nothing on earth can make this vampire fall in love.
After 499 years of existence, Connor Buchanan has arrived at an inescapable conclusion: he is a cold-hearted SOB. He's been watching his friends—those poor romantic fools—plummet off the cliff into love like a dazed herd of sheep. But not Connor. He knows that love leads to nothing but heartache.
Until Marielle . . .

She is an angel cast down from heaven for disobedience. Trapped in mortal form, she finds a protector in Connor, a Scottish vampire haunted by a dark past. Marielle hopes to heal his broken heart and earn her way back home, but suddenly she has these . . . feelings. This strange yet pleasant physical yearning—for a vampire! Is this the work of a demon luring her into hell, or has this angel found heavenly bliss?

The Vampire Queen
Jodie Pierce
Eternal Press, April 7, 2011

A young woman awakes to find out not only is she an important Countess but she is also the very first or 'Ancient One' as she is called by her subjects. Her memories of being a vampire or anyone are gone so she must relearn everything (from spells to flying) from the people around her, but can they be trusted? She learns her main objective as the old Countess was purifying the vampire race and wishes to continue with that work. The 'Others', powerful and evil vampires, attempt to use her memory loss to their advantage. They had been trying to entice her to their side for centuries. Struggling to remember her past, battling the 'Others' and coping with her new life keep the Countess busy throughout this spellbinding and thrilling novel. Will she succeed in her goals or will the 'Others' win her over to their side this time around?

Vampyrnomicon (Book Two of The Vampire Hunters Trilogy)
by Scott Baker
Pill Hill Press (April 1, 2011)

Hunters and vampires seek The Vampyrnomicon, a book that could destroy the vampires...or mankind. Within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institute lies the key to finding The Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead that contains the history and secrets of the vampires. According to legend, whoever possesses the book can establish a vampire nation on earth - or destroy the undead once and for all. With an opportunity to end the war against the undead so close, Drake Matthews is determined to find the book. But the vampires also want The Vampyrnomicon. When Master Chiang Shih and her coven of the most powerful and dangerous vampires arrive in Washington to claim the book as their own, the hunters find themselves facing their most deadly enemy yet. With the stakes so high, so is the ferocity of the struggle.

YA Vamps in Ghost Town, Morganville Vampires bk 9!

Hi all!  I know it's been a little while since we've had a YA book update.  I just recently finished Ghost Town, Book 9 in The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine and WOW was it a good vamp read!  This series keeps on being one of my favorite vampire reads, YA or otherwise.  And...  Bite Club, MV book 10 comes out May 3rd, can't wait!!

Already out:

While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders. 

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...

For those who've been reading the entire series, this one has LOTS of Shane and Claire so that was lots of fun.  And there is a lot of chaos because most of the town's memories are set back about 3 years because of this machine that is set to protect the vampire territory and make people forget about the town when the leave, but instead makes everyone in the town forget the past few years.  It is quite interesting!  A must read on my vamp bookshelf anyway!!!  


And I finished it just in time, because the next one is almost out.  You still have time to read Ghost Town, book 9, and still be ready for Bite Club, book 10!  Ooh perhaps, VampChix's BiteClub reading group can read it some time!  :)


Out May 3rd!:

After discovering that vampires populate her town, college student Claire Danvers knows that the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble. 

There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the Internet: bare- knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other-or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire- accompanied by her friends and frenemies-to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville...

So...what has everyone else been reading?  I have some other YA reads I'll be bringing you soon that I've also been catching up on.  I'd love to hear what everyone has read too.  You can also find me on Goodreads.


Happy vamp reading!
~Shauna Leigh Atkinson

A History Of Vampires by Stefan Petrucha

To celebrate the recent release of the Twilight satire, BREAKING DOWN, Stefan Petrucha penned this short piece on everyone's favorite bloodsuckers. 

Me and the Fangs–A loose history of Vampires
March 30th, 2011
The vampire — monster, metaphor, lifestyle choice, high school crush. Love ‘em or not, their persistence as a cultural meme seems as immortal as the wacky critters themselves. Be it coincidence or a desperate attempt to cash in before the craze dissipates in the rays of the rising sun, I’ve recently penned not one, but three vampire tales, ranging from the paranormal thriller, Blood Prophecy , to Nancy Drew: Vampire Slayer , and last but not least, Breaking Down , a graphic novel parodying the popular Twilight saga.

But where do these creatures of the night come from? Why are they here? Will they loan me some money? Through all this writing, I couldn’t help but ponder the question. What follows is one man’s admittedly narrow view of a phenomena that will no doubt outlive us all.

Though variations appear in ancient Rome, China, and (dubiously), Native American mythos, the undead we know and love began in the Balkans (yep, Transylvania) as a plague metaphor, enjoying spates of popularity in Europe and colonial New England. Short version – someone dies from disease, returns by night, and infects the rest of their family until staked, decapitated, or both. They were dead, they wanted to kill you, they had to be destroyed — the ethical equivalent of Uncle-as-zombie, sans flesh-eating.

The earliest fictional vamp, Lord Ruthven from Polidori’s The Vampyre (1819), is tad different. Like a more famous Count, and in a similar idiom, this nobleman spends his time sucking blood, seducing virgins and returning from apparent death to attempt feasting on our poor narrator’s sister.

It was a start. More interesting is the 1845 penny dreadful, Varney the Vampire, generally credited to James Malcolm Rymer, though sometimes to Thomas Preskett Prest (your guess is as good as mine as to why). Penny dreadfuls, btw, were the British comic book of their day, fast, cheap and out of control, featuring oft-serialized tales that were as sure to corrupt the youth as today’s video games.

Varney, a precursor to Barnabas Collins, actually tries to get out of his curse. He even commits suicide. In a scene out of the Frankenstein movies, Varney’s brought back to life via galvanic energies (electricity to you) by a Dr. … wait for it… Chillingworth.

The two elephant-corpses in the room remain Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). I’ve tried reading Dracula, I think I finished, and, yeah, it’s a seminal horror text and all, but the story, in any form, bores me to tears — with two exceptions. Browning’s 1931 Universal film version has Dwight Frye’s unforgettable portrayal of the Count’s genuinely creepy assistant, Renfield. I also enjoyed a little-known BBC adaption starring Louis Jourdan, but mostly because of Frank Finlay’s totally whack Van Helsing. Beyond that, though, I just don’t really care about anyone in the story, least of all Dracula, be he Lugosi, Lee, Langella, Oldman, or my own fetid imagination. He’s kind of just this great idea without flesh and blood. (Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it?)

For my money, the female vampire Carmilla, steeped in plague imagery, is much more intriguing. Yeah, sure, there’s the barely concealed lesbianism, which I love as much as the next guy, but really, the relationship between the titular vampire and Laura, her lonely victim, is genuinely touching. After the forces of goody-goodness win, Laura is forced to see Carmilla as a lifeless predator, yet she still misses her, and this is clearly not the effect of a curse, but a genuine emotion.

But Dracula got the sales, the stage play, the movie franchise, and it’s his name that’s all but synonymous with the beast itself. Something of course must be said for sheer survival. So, hooray.


 Acquiring a kind of Marvel-superhero sheen in the later Universal films, (the rib-tickling mash-ups House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula), Dracula went from dull to cliché faster than it takes to charge an electric car (originally available at the time the novel was written!). As a character, he was most interesting in the spoof, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, where at least he had a magic ring, some surgical skill, and a quest – to transplant Costello’s brain into the creature. Why? Supposedly to make him a better servant, but really, I think it was just for yucks.

Skipping a few decades, the thickest nosferatu-root, for me, remains the 1960s soap opera, Dark Shadows. As a writer, I’ve been fortunate to work with several iconic characters, from man-made monsters to the world’s first girl detective, but the main reason vampires own a special place in my heart is that moment when I was eight and first glimpsed Barnabas Collins baring his fangs – an affection I blog about at length here .

Yes, it was cheaply made. Sets wobbled, actors blew their lines and the blooper reel is nearly as long as the series. Yet Barnabas, a tortured Byronic hero, owes as much to Wuthering Heights’ Heathcliff as he does to Varney or Dracula. Laugh if you will, but without him, the works of Anne Rice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Twilight, would not be possible.

It’s in him the notion of vampire as someone trapped reaches fruition. Barnabas had a soul, and thanks to it, whined constantly. He even planned to turn his betrothed, Josette, into a vampire like himself, but she threw herself off a cliff, setting in motion our hero’s long-lasting obsession.

Does he ever get on with his un-life? No. The fiend finds one chick after another whom he believes to be Josette’s reincarnation. Eventually, he didn’t even care if the woman looked like Josette. He was just fine finding someone he could dress up in that musty old wedding gown.

And that concept neatly fulfills an essential trope of the old-style vampire – being completely, hopelessly, eternally stuck. Old school Vampires do not change. They do not progress. They do not grow, not emotionally, not spiritually. They do not let it go. They keep checking Facebook even if they have no friends. That’s because they’re dead. Static. Their hunger for blood is a clear symbolic yearning for lost life.

 Which brings me to my own Blood Prophecy  , which on the one hand harkens back to the notion of vampire as plague, embodied by the evil Skog, but also to the Dark Shadows idea of salvation, through the protagonist, Jeremiah Fall. Rather than a rich Collins, though, Jeremiah is a simple farmer, a pious Puritan.

Puritanism crystallized a lot about vampires that I wanted to say. They had an intense distrust of not only their own hungers, but of the physical world itself (it is the Devil’s, after all), yet they knew they had to live in it. Their quest for salvation drove them stiff and twitching to wonderful innovations (the idea that each person had to read for themselves, for instance) as well as horrific cruelties like the Salem Witch Trials.

Speaking of the real world, 1972’s Night Stalker TV-movie, produced by Dark Shadow’s Dan Curtis, remains one of my favorite vampire films, and not so much because of the vampire. The baddie, Janos Skorzeny, at least so far as we get to know him, is a sheer predatory monster, characterized by feats of strength more in keeping with the Frankenstein monster than a sly seductor.

The film works for different reasons, primarily because of a 16mm, grainy, noir-ish, holy crap it’s real feel. That zeitgeist giddily takes us giddily all the way into The X-Files and its cagey and equally delightful bastard-child, Fringe. Moonstone Books has since kept Carl alive with a series of graphic novels. (I was happy to have contributed The Devil in the Details, which was nominated for a Stoker Award.)

Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire and its sequels certainly earned their following, but for me, steeped in Dark Shadows, it all had a been-there-done-that feel. I did enjoy Claudia, in both book and film, but the whole vampire-coven thing never did much for me. It always seems to dilute the sense of a more personal hell. One demon is terrifying, a bunch of them is, well… kind of a party.

Stepping up to more recent times, there is the oft-brilliant Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When Joss Whedon is on his game he is a master. Now, as co-author of the popular Nancy Drew  graphic novel series (along with Sarah Kinney and artist Sho Murase) I’d like to say the Buffster’s a direct descendant of the girl detective, but that’s not completely true.

 As intellectuals have discussed to death, Buffy’s a reversal of the vampire’s victim, the historically abused female taking control. The popular image of the vampire leering over the sleeping blonde virgin takes a huge turn when the sleeping blonde has a stake in her hand and knows how to use it. And Joss, bless him, plays around with the whole reluctant-vampire thing. While most of his vamps are generic monsters, some are “cursed” with souls (another reversal), drawing a neat line from Angel to Barnabas and back to Varney.

 Buffy certainly has Drew in her blood though. Nancy, first published in 1930, is the original mass media girl power figure. Like Buffy, she doesn’t accept a passive role. She speaks truth to power. She has abilities far beyond the norm (in her case, brain-power). She goes after baddies, no matter the risk, a role she seems born to, and her personal life suffers because of it. Sound familiar?

When the first series of graphic novels from Papercutz came to a close after 22 books, Sarah and I were asked to help re-launch Nancy. That meant thinking about what made the character tick in the first place, taking a look at the history and pondering wither she’s wandered since.

Of course Buffy came to mind, and the two-part Nancy Drew: Vampire Slayer was born. Having our girl appear on the cover with a cross-bow in hand and the devilish, handsome Gregor hanging upside behind her may seem like a wild departure, but it’s really tapping back into the myth that’d kept the character going all these years. Without giving away too much, of course we remain true to what Nancy Drew is, though she does share a kiss with the purported vampire, and seems to like it. The books are a lot of fun, a wild ride, and embrace that oxymoronic element the public insists on with beloved characters – exactly the same, only different.

As for vampires, like Nancy, in order to survive, they need more than just blood, they have to adapt. Sadly, of late, to my mind, they seem to be losing what made them monsters in the first place. Far from cursed souls or soul-less monsters, 21st century nosferatu are often played as having the same growth-potential as humans. They’re more like misunderstood mutant superheroes, blessed with powers, plagued with weaknesses. They’re not bad – just life-challenged. I suppose it can be an equally interesting trope, but it’s not particularly monstrous. Which brings us to… ahem… The Twilight saga.

Now, I certainly don’t intend to trash Twilight … no, wait, I do.

 With the help of Maia, my talented teen daughter, who, at a younger age devoured the books, and artist extraordinaire Rick Parker, that’s exactly what the new graphic novel, Breaking Down does. The promo text for our fifty-page parody describes it as “for fans sick of glittery vampires and wonky werewolves,” and it’s all that, but it’s also not particularly mean-spirited or disrespectful… much.

But… how can I take the vampire so seriously on the one hand and mock it with the other? Putting aside the fact that I just love making fun of things, earlier I mentioned how Dracula ultimately became a self-satire in the later universal films. And many long-lived franchises have gone through the same – witness Star Trek IV or the introduction of Jaws in the James Bond films. Having taken something so seriously for so long, it seems almost natural that there comes a time to… well, poke it with a stick and see if it’s still alive. It’s a breath of fresh air, a chance to take a look at things from another angle, to see what’s working and what’s not.

It’s also an opportunity to analyze the darn thing. Humor, after all, at its best, reveals truth. One of the reasons parody is a protected form under copyright law is because it doesn’t present the further adventures of beloved popular characters, it expresses an opinion about them, in a narrative form. In that sense parody is the same as a book or movie review, only with pictures, and a lot, lot funnier.

As for the original books, I admire them, I really do. Though the writing strikes jaded old me as a poor man’s Buffy, I’ve actually defended Twilight on a number of occasions. That’s partly because I can’t help but think think anything that gets people reading (as long as it’s not preaching genocide) is a good thing. Across the globe, folks who generally might not otherwise pick up a book eagerly plow through thousands of pages of Bela (gee, wonder who she was named after…), Edward and Jacob (who really is the better choice for a lover since he’s not dead). If nothing else, it can be seen as a gateway drug to heavier literature.

And it’s more than that. The old vampire is still in there, lurking around. Edward, after all, is Heathcliff, sans Barnabas’ mean-streak, and some of the vampires are bad and kill people. Maybe, in an era of safe sex, it’s appropriate to have a romantic hero who doesn’t seem at all dangerous beyond a creepy stalker-thing.

The biggest objection many critics have is the flipping of Whedon’s wonderful innovation, the pro-active Buffy, back into Bela’s passive virgin. The girl not only doesn’t fight evil, or anything else, she wants to become a vampire herself, wants it bad, because, well, she never really fit in as a human anyway. If Buffy is the classic victim concealing a stake, Bela is opening the window and dragging the beast inside and toward her neck. Now there’s a role model! What if our daughters want to become like her? Gasp!

Thing is, maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t think most reader see Bela as a role model. I suspect she’s more like she’s an escape from having to have a role model in the first place, a respite from real life. A little terror, sure, but not the big stuff, thank you, and can someone please take care of me? That aspect of literature, escapism, is certainly as valid as any other. And Stephanie Meyers fills the bill nicely.

As for the vampire itself, I have no worries. Dress him (or her) up as sweet as you like, they’re still lurking out there, just beyond the shadows, along with all that terror – just like death. Poke it with a stick. You’ll see.

Stefan Petrucha
www.petrucha.com 

      

I know, I know!  Where are the new posts?  Just wanted to let you all know next week should be back on track (fingers crossed).  Currently finishing up three projects all due May 1st, so no time to maintain the blog.  Sorry!  Talk amongst yourselves in the comments.  What vampire movies are you looking forward to?  What vamp books?

Winner winner!!

The winner of ROMANCING THE VAMPIRE by David Skal is...

Maggie Loe

Winners of SEDUCING THE VAMPIRE and HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND are...

VampLover77
ShadowLover

Please send your snail mail address to: vampchixmail@gmail.com

Congrats!

Vampire Varieties

How many different kinds of vampires are there?  Focusing mainly on how they gain their sustanence for survival.  I'm going to start you all out with a few, but let's make this an interactive post today.  List another variety of vampire in the comments and I'll add them to the main list throughout the day.

1. The CLASSIC BLOODSUCKER: This vampire feeds on human blood to survive, either from the neck or from anywhere on the body where it can find a vein.

2. The BAG LUNCH: This vampire wouldn't dream to drink directly from a human, and takes all his sustenance from bagged blood, either stolen from a blood bank, or some other nefarious means.

3. The ABSTAINER: This vampire abstains from drinking blood either from humans or bagged.  Not sure how he survives, but he doesn't really earn points from vamp fans for his abstinence, does he?

4. The PSYCHIC VAMPIRE: This vampire does not feed off blood but rather human emotions, life force, spiritual energy, etc.

5.  The VEGETARIAN VAMPIRE: This vampire only feeds on animals and veggies, a la the Cullens and Bunnicula.

6.  Unless someone can come up with a better term, I'll call Kristina's suggestion BREED EXCLUSIVE: They only feed on their own kind.

Ok, now it's your turn!  Let's have some fun with this post today!

Giveaway! Romancing The Vampire by David J. Skal

VampChix has a copy of this fabulous book, stuffed with lore and details about vampires through the ages, and neat little pockets that contain pictures and stickers and fold-out diagrams.  A lot of fun!  To be entered to win, just tell us your absolute favorite vampire movie or television show.  [Winner announced on Saturday, along with winners of Mondays' contest for Michele Hauf's book.]

Long before Edward Cullen and the Twilight phenomenon, there was Angel, Barnabas Collins and Bela Lugosi, and many others in between. They are vampires the undead. Add an infusion of Bella, Buffy and Carla Laemmle, then sprinkle in unforgettable characters such as Renfield and little Eddie Munster, and you have a capsule of how cinematic vampires are viewed by today s world. But there were vampires walking this earth long before the invention of movies and television. In this book, author David J. Skal weaves a narrative history of vampirism, from the ancient Aztecs through the writings of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer. But what makes this book even more unique are the replicas tucked inside sleeves and pockets. There are removable photos of Bram Stoker, Carmilla and Lord Byron. For movie buffs, it has posters from Nosferatu, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave starring Christopher Lee, and Bram Stoker s Dracula along with a replica of Stoker s Dracula notes. Take a walk through the history of the undead, with romance, horror and blood along the way.

Forever Vampire

Forever Vampire arrives in bookstores tomorrow!  I'm super excited about this book release because the hero is my favorite so far in my vast world of Beautiful Creatures.  Vaillant is a vampire who grew up in Faery and has never known vampires in the mortal realm until he is banished from Faery and is forced to face the world he should have been living in all his life.  He's got a penchant for Johnny Cash, fast cars (though he never actually learned how to drive) and green mamba snakes.  He feels pretty sure he'll never fall for a vampiress—until he meets Lyric Santiago.
For more information about Forever Vampire visit my website, and also read the first two chapters there.

Here's the book trailer to whet your appetite.  Drop me a note and let me know if you see Forever Vampire in bookstores, and if you've read it!


I have a couple copies of Forever Vampire to give away (along with a copy of either Seducing the Vampire or Her Vampire Husband; it'll be a surprise to the winners which one they get).  So let's talk about all those blood spatters on the cover of this book.  Too much?  A definite clue there are vamps inside (as if the title didn't give that away)? Save it for horror books?  Or, you like it just fine?  I'll chose a few winners from the comments and announce later this week!

Darkness on the Ice

DARKNESS ON THE ICE (1993), by Lois Tilton, takes place in 1944 at a German weather observation station in Greenland. To the surprise and dismay of Dietrich, captain of the squad, an SS officer named Wolff appears with orders to take charge of security for the operation. Wolff has the mission of protecting the German outpost against its American counterpart. After some of Dietrich's own personnel die, he begins to suspect the truth about Wolff.

The supposed SS officer, of course, is a vampire, persuaded to accept the assignment by the prospect of rich hunting and four months of darkness. He struggles to control his thirst for blood in order to avoid exposing his inhuman nature to his companions. Whenever he runs short of Americans to feed on, however, he kills members of the flight crew that brought the weather team to Greenland, men who have been designated as expendable.

The harsh arctic setting is vividly presented, and the author's afterword gives some indication of the scope and depth of her research. Opening and closing segments set in 1995, in which Dietrich reveals the harrowing experiences he'd never expected anyone to believe, frame the wartime story. The 1944 point of view shifts among Dietrich, the Americans, and Wolff himself, each one a believable character. One thing I like about this novel is that the vampire, though evil, has complex thought processes and rational motives. He isn't a mindlessly homicidal monster. Also, the Germans aren't caricatures of villainy, either. Even though Dietrich fights on the wrong side, the reader can't help sympathizing with the captain's plight as he watches the "security officer" kill off members of his command.

Tilton also wrote VAMPIRE WINTER (1990), a post-apocalyptic novel of a vampire taking advantage of the chaos and perpetually shrouded sun of a nuclear winter.

Margaret L. Carter
Carter's Crypt

Review: Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford

Book Description:


Life was a lot easier for Jane when she was just an unknown, undead bookstore owner in a sleepy hamlet in upstate New York. But now the world embraces her as Jane Fairfax, author of the bestselling novel Constance–and she’s having a killer time trying to keep her true identity as the Jane Austen a secret. Even the ongoing lessons in How to Be a Vampire, taught by her former lover Lord Byron, don’t seem to be helping much. Jane can barely focus on her boyfriend, Walter, while keeping him in the dark about her more sanguine tastes.

To make matters worse, Walter announces that his mother is coming for a visit–and she’s expecting Jane to be Jewish. Add in a demanding new editor, a convention of romance readers in period costume, a Hollywood camera crew following Jane’s every move, and the constant threat of a certain bloodsucking Brontë sister coming back to finish her off, and it’s enough to make even the most well-mannered heroine go batty!

Review:

What a fun, humorous weekend read! We've been plagued with the flu here in my neck of the woods and my remedy was to snuggle on the couch and read Jane Goes Batty. This didn't exactly cure my illness although I did feel noticeably happier, but it did make me laugh out loud. Ford does a fantastic job capturing the spirit of Jane Austen.

Jane isn't what you'd call a natural at being a vampire which is, in part, what makes this book so funny. However, what made this work for me was the camaraderie between all the characters. Byron and Jane, both still writing (although the subject matter in their modern work is quite different) have this unspoken competition going on. Jane is trying to hide that she is the real Jane Austen from a bunch of nosy, zealot fans. Walter, his crazy mother with the hidden agenda, and Jane have quite a few issues to work through, namely that Jane hasn't revealed her nature to Walter. And Lucy and the twins provide comic relief. Nothing is ever easy in Jane's new world!

I didn't have the benefit of reading the first book, Jane Bites Back, but I will remedy that on my very next reading weekend, and I'm only mentioning it now so that other readers will know that it isn't necessarily a requirement. This is enough of a stand-alone that I didn't feel confused about the main ideas and anything that needed clarification was given an explanation.

Books in the series:



















Michael Thomas Ford is the author of numerous books, including the novels Z, The Road Home, Jane Bites Back, What We Remember, Suicide Notes, Changing Tides, Full Circle, Looking for It, Last Summer, and the forthcoming Jane Goes Batty. His work has been nominated for 12 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book, twice for Gay Men’s Romance, and most recently for Gay Men’s Mystery. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot. 

Visit his website for full book details. 

*Reviewed by Anna Dougherty for VampChix
*This book was sent to me in exchange for a fair ans honest review.

Winner!

The winner of Marie Treanor's BLOOD SIN is...

Rain Maiden!

Please send your snailmail address to vampchixmail@gmail.com

Congrats!

Guest: Marie Treanor

VampChix welcomes Marie Treanor back to the hot seat, and she's talking Dracula today.  She's giving away a copy of BLOOD SIN, so let her know if you think a vampire could bring about a better world.

So Who Was Dracula?

By Marie Treanor

Well, apart from anything else, he was a friend of the Ancient vampire Saloman  – or at least that’s my theory in my vampire romance trilogy, Awakened by Blood. And it does seem to me the two have a few things in common: for example, they’re both regarded as the father of vampires, and they’ve both had a bad press.

So, like Bram Stoker with Dracula, did I model Saloman on Vlad? Of course not!  Because for one thing, Vlad the Impaler wasn’t really a vampire at all, not even in the lurid literature of his own time. It was Bram Stoker who picked up his name and reputation and based some of Count Dracula’s life on him.

Vlad really was known as Dracula – “son of the Dragon” – because of the chivalrous Order of the Dragon bestowed upon his father, Vlad Dracul  - “the Dragon” - but Vlad wasn’t a Count, he was a Prince, off-and-on ruler of the Romanian principality of Wallachia. He had a turbulent life: given as a child to the Ottoman Sultan as a hostage for his father’s short-lived loyalty, he seized the Wallachian throne for the first time in 1448 at the tender age of seventeen. Although quickly driven off again, he came back  a few years later in 1456 and this time ruled for six years until, after a heroic defence, he was deposed by the invading Turks.

He’s a fascinating and enigmatic character, from a complex part of the world and a dangerous period of east European history. Vlad was a realist, trying to maintain the independence of his tiny country, and a harsh ruler as befitted the philosophy of his time – as Machiavelli said, it was better for a prince to be feared than loved. But he also made improvements to his people’s way of life and prosperity…  So perhaps there’s another similarity to my Saloman who is, in his own unique way, trying to create a better world!

 OK, another similarity: both were betrayed, Saloman by his “son” and his human mistress; Vlad by his ally, the King of Hungary, who left him to defend Wallachia alone from the might of the Ottoman Empire, and then imprisoned him for twelve years, during which time, the legend of the monstrous, torturing Impaler was spread.

So was Vlad a hero or was he the horrific Impaler of legend?  Well, it’s only my opinion, but I suspect he was no more brutal than his contemporaries. I can’t really buy into the psychotic  torturer and vile mass murderer who apparently impaled more people than actually lived in his country at the time! Very few of the atrocity stories can be verified; at the very least they were exaggerated.  He may well have been a victim of propaganda.

And Saloman?  If you’ve read Blood on Silk, you’ll know that untrue things were also said of him after his “death”.  And at least in his dealings with Elizabeth, he does have a softer side.  In Blood Sin, the second of the trilogy, we find out more about him and his Ancient race, and how he regards his responsibilities. Will he prove to be a true hero? Read it and find out.

One final note. As Saloman came back to the world when Elizabeth awakened him, Vlad was eventually released from prison and regained the Wallachian throne for a third time. But his final reign lasted only a few months before he was killed. Is this a bad omen for Saloman?

Contest: I have a copy of BLOOD SIN to give away! To enter the draw, tell me – do you think a vampire could bring about a better world? Or make some other comment!

BLOOD SIN: Awakened by Blood 2 by MARIE TREANOR

Published by NAL Signet Eclipse

Available now from Amazon

Even if you walk in the light, you can dwell in the dark.

Months after her dangerous encounter with vampire overlord Saloman, Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk is still trying to cope with both the demands of her ancestral bloodline—which marks her as a vampire hunter — and the overpowering desire she feels for the immortal she brought back from the grave. But she is not alone in her fascination with Saloman.

When Elizabeth tracks down a distant cousin from America, she learns he possesses an antique sword that has caught the interest of the Grand Master of the American hunters. It is the ancient and mystical sword of Saloman — a treasure of vast occult powers and a prize beyond measure to both vampires and humans. Now the race is on for possession of the sword.

Even as her enemies and allies shift their allegiances and battle for supremacy, Elizabeth must decide which will rule her own perilous fate: unwanted loyalty or unholy love.

Read excerpts from Blood Sin: http://www.marietreanor.com/BloodSin.htm#excerpts

Marie’s Website: www.MarieTreanor.com.  

Connect on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Treanor-Paranormal-Romance/105866982782360

Join the party on her new blog, Marie Treanor’s Romantic Theme Party: http://romanticthemeparty.blogspot.com/

Buy Blood on Silk (Awakened by Blood 1) at Amazon