The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published

A vampire's thirst for human blood appears a model of restraint next to pop culture's seemingly insatiable hunger for everything vampire. Arriving on the scene to both demonstrate and test that theory is //The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published//, and with 86 stories spanning three centuries, it certainly earns its subtitle. The expected modern horror and fantasy greats are all here, including Steven King and Anne Rice along with earlier masters like H.P. Lovecraft, Poe and Bram Stoker, but the anthology steps beyond the expected with offerings from Guy de Maupassant, Lord Byron, and D.H. Lawrence. Editor Otto Penzler, famed guru of mystery fiction, has leapt into the supernatural with evident zeal, presenting a wide spectrum of vampiric lore from the coldly chilling to the erotic, the humorous to the contemplative, while organizing the stories under groupings that, while a little puzzling, make browsing a thrill. At over 1,000 pages it's a veritable tome, an awkward bedfellow to huddle under the covers with on dark, stormy nights. But for the addicted masses this anthology presents a blood-dripping smorgasbord of horrific delights upon which to feast with abandon. Reviewed by Ariel Berg

This book is perhaps the most compehensive collection of vampire stories I have ever seen. I am totally satisfied with it.

Nice, big book that will keep my husband reading years of vampire tales. Perfect gift for a vampire-obsessed person.

I can't say with any degree of certainty that this is indeed "the most complete volume of vampire tales published" but at over 1000 pages and 80 plus stories it must come awfully close. It does contain the most notable works for sure ('Carmilla', 'Dracula's Guest', 'Mrs. Amworth') but there are a few that are conspicuous in their absence ('The Vourdalak' by Tolstoy, 'The Unicorn Tapestry' by Suzy McKee Charnas or 'The Night Flier' by Stephen King). However, while many of the most anthologized tales are here there are many others I am not familiar with and seldom see in collections of this kind: M.R. James' 'Wailing Well', Charles Beaumont's 'Place of Meeting', or Roger Zelazny's 'Dayblood' just to name a mere few. The stories range over a wide spectrum of the vampire genre and you will find traditional Gothic horror tales, romantic vampires, humorous vampire stories as well as supposed 'true' vampire tales and even a few that stretch the definition of 'vampire' from the normal accepted sense of the word. As to be expected of an anthology of this size the quality of the stories vary (with personal taste playing a big role here) from undisputed classics to the just mediocre but you would be hard pressed to find an out and out clunker in the lot. For me, one of the biggest selling points is the extensive bibliography of vampire stories and novels that editor Otto Penzler has assembled: over 100 pages of material that may not be completely exhaustive but is certainly going to be of use to a lot of folks be they academics or just a casual reader who wants to know what else is out there in the way of vampire fiction. Bottom line: if you do not already own a good vampire anthology (and maybe even if you do) you would be hard pressed to find a better selection and range of vampiric short fiction than the one Penzler has assembled here. Plus, the inclusion of a massive bibliography makes this an irresistible inclusion in your vampire library.