Vampire Books
Last updated: August 22, 2024
Find below our collection of expert-recommended books about vampires. Professor Nick Groom told us "the Gothic novel gained momentum through the nineteenth century with a fascination with vampires and werewolves." He is the author of The Vampire: A New History: perfect for anyone interested in vampirology.
Dracula, published in 1897, is the classic vampire book, but there has been a recent revival in the popularity of vampire literature following the publication of Stephenie Meyer's YA romance series Twilight in 2005—and the subsequent film adaptations.
“Shori is a vampire. She’s not human. She’s a vampire who has been genetically modified to have additional melanin, which was taken from people of Black heritage. This allows her to withstand daylight. And that is a big thing for vampires. It gets rid of one really crucial weakness.” Read more...
The Best Books for an Introduction to Octavia Butler
Nisi Shawl, Novelist
“I like to read Dracula as one of the great novels of London. Stoker himself was an Irish immigrant to London. The Count is a central European immigrant to London. He initially moves to Carfax Abbey, in the suburbs, before gentrifying himself and moving to Piccadilly.” Read more...
Darryl Jones, Literary Scholar
“I think Ward did a fantastic job of capturing the complicated zeitgeist in America, post-9/11. This is a vampire book that plays directly into the sort of fears raised by the terrorist attack: the ‘good’ vampires fight ‘bad’ vampires, who merge into the general population and can’t be detected (except by the smell of baby powder, hardly an infallible attribute).” Read more...
Eloisa James on Her Favourite Romance Novels
Eloisa James, Literary Scholar
Salem's Lot
by Stephen King
Salem's Lot is the second of Stephen King's books, first published in 1975. King has said that this horror novel was inspired by the most famous vampire book, Dracula and what would happen if Dracula returned in the 20th century.
Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight has brought a new generation of young adults to the bloodthirsty world of vampire literature. Twilight is the first of a quartet of vampire-themed fantasy romance novels. Twilight has been compared to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings in its ability to immerse the reader in a fantasy world. The popularity of the books has meant it was adapted into a series of movies, The Twilight Saga.
“The monsters in the book are more like vampires. But the interesting thing about I Am Legend is that it is an apocalyptic survival story. The main character thinks that he is the last human being left on earth.” Read more...
Greg Garrett, Literary Scholar
The Vampire: A New History
by Nick Groom
Professor Nick Groom's (also know at the 'Prof of Goth') history and contextualisation of the vampire narrative.
