Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices

This is not about folklore vampires, fictional vampires, or Hollywood vamps. This is about people who believe they are vampires, absorb energy, and live a vampire life. This book gets into vampire ethics, how to feed, how to join a House, how to go on your own, what it means to be a vampire, donors, etiquettes, traditions, and all the other tiny details that you may wish to know about vampires. The chapters are written by different people and each chapter gives you a rainbow of views, so you can decide on your own about what a vampire is, why they need to fed and how they should live. If you don't believe in vampires, blood drinkers or energy feeders, don't even bother to pick up the book. You need an open mind or a really need to understand what the authors are saying. This is a serious book, so if you are looking to laugh at them or make fun of their views or you think this is part of a role playing game, I suggest you look elsewhere.

I gotta give a huge thumbs up for this book. I have been going nuts reccomending this book to many members of the local Vampire Community as well as the Pagan community, and anyone who is interested in knowing more about Living Vampires. For the first time the Vampire Community has a book that is written by well respected members of that community, as opposed to an outsider looking in. Some such books have had a rather biased view of the community, either treating it as a freakshow or as some dangerous bunch of nuts. This book doesn't. This is a well written piece, meant to inform and educate. It's not a bunch of 14 year old EMOs or power ranting that "Vampires will rule humanity" It does pull the veil off some of the more shadowy areas of the culture, putting up the Black Veil and other works to the mainstream (or anyone who picks up the book at a bookstore). If you are someone in or outside the Vampiric community, don't be quick to overlook this book. This has some great resources for a lot of younger communities (such as where I live) who don't know as much about it. Even if you have been around for a while, it's well worth the read. The differences in points of view alone are worth reading. Many thanks to Michelle for being able to pull this together in such a fashion.

I am not a Vampire (at least not that I can tell!) What I am however is a seeker of knowledge. Michelle Belanger and Co have revealed a sub culture that has been in the underground for quite awhile and as a result has an unfair bias attached to it. This book helped me gain an insight to something that would otherwise have remained hidden. There are many different types of people in the world, Michelle has gracefully and eloquently revealed yet another faction to this. What I found about this book was simply this: you may or may not be a Vampire (Vampyre). However, after reading this you will no longer be ignorant of what a real Vampire is. There are many different people and thus views posted in the book, so many of the houses and groups and different types of vampirism are represented here. Hope this helps in enlightening the mind as well as opening them. Happy reading!

When I first looked at this book and glanced at it's table of contents, I thought many of these essays could probably be found free on the Internet,...if people knew where to look for them. Then I saw three people from House Lost Haven (based in my area) were represented in it, and I decide I had to buy it. I'm so glad I did! I think it's a fantastic source for anyone who wants to learn more about what real vampires think about real vampirism. This is not the stuff of fiction or role-playing games. The people in here don't come across as weirdos or crazies, either, in my opinion. These are real people, each with their own ideas and views on this controversial, elusive and intriguing subject. The structure of the book is neat and easily readable, in small bites of a few pages at a time. The definitions given at the end of each essay are helpful for anyone not familiar with the terms used. The short background on each author at the begining of the essay also provides a way for interested readers to find out more about them and read more of what they have to say with a simple Internet search. One complaint that been raised by some self-professed vampires about Belanger's writings is that she tends to favor the psychic vampire's point of view over that of the sanguine vampire. This anthology, by showing the varried views of vampires of all sorts provides a more balanced perspective. So far my only complaint is with one comment on the book jacket. "THE CODE OF SILENCE HAS BEEN BROKEN" is just way too melodramatic and not, in my opinion, an accurate portrayal of the current vampire community. For most vampires now, I think it's not so much a code of silence that keeps them silent about this side of their lives as it is simple common sense. The average person doesn't believe in this stuff and doesn't really want to believe in it. If a real vampire were to tell someone they were a vampire, the person they told would probably think they're crazy. This book, then, gives vampires and "normals" a way to share ideas on this strange and fascinating subject in a way that feels safer for everyone.

The vampyre community has long been secretive and underground. In a noble and respectful manner, notable vampyre Michelle Belanger has now compiled the premiere anthology of the culture. Packed with information that dispels common myths, provides explanations to the most difficult questions, and reminds readers of the importance of ethics, this outstanding tome brings greater awareness and spiritual connection to a long-misunderstood way of being. True vampyres are not parasites, black magicians, or freaks of nature; nor do they base their lifestyles in fantasy role-play. This book makes clear who vampyres truly are, by providing honest, well-researched, and reality-based information. I recommend this anthology not only to vampyres and those who think they may have the gift, but to individuals of all walks of life who wish to understand this very real aspect of spiritual and cultural diversity. --Raven Digitalis