Thirty-five uncanny and erotic tales of vampires written by supernatural fiction’s greatest mistresses of the macabre.
"Fashions change, and the urbane vampire created by Byron and cemented in place by Stoker has had to move on . . . Are you, like me, ready for the new dusk?" —Ingrid Pitt, from her Introduction
Prepare to arm yourself with garlic, silver bullets, and a stake. Featuring the only vampire short story written by Anne Rice, the undisputed queen of vampire literature, and boasting an autobiographical introduction and original tale by Ingrid Pitt, the star of Hammer Films' The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula, this is one anthology that every vampire fan—vampiric feminist or not—will want to drink deep from.
From the classic stories of Edith Wharton, Edith Nesbit, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon to modern incarnations by such acclaimed writers as Poppy Z. Brite, Nancy Kilpatrick, Tanith Lee, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and Angela Slatter, these blood-drinkers and soul-stealers range from the sexual to the sanguinary, from the tormented Good to the unspeakably Evil. Among those memorable Children of the Night you will encounter are Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Byronic vampire Saint-Germain, Nancy A. Collins' undead heroine Sonja Blue, Tanya Huff's vampiric detective Vicki Nelson, and Freda Warrington’s age-old lovers Karl and Charlotte.
Nominated for the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild Award, and now revised and updated, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women fulfils the bloodlust of the somnambulist horror fan, delivering the ultimate bite.
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Publishers Weekly
Got garlic? Silver bullets? A handy stake or a cross? Vampire fans take heart. Despite naysayers who believe the genre has been literally sucked dry of all creativity and originality, British horror maven Jones has assembled an impressive volume packed with period classics and fresh takes before and after the 21st century. This toothsome anthology opens with Anne Rice's only vampire short story, "The Master of Rampling Gate," a traditional romantic piece from 1986; other selections meet, or surpass, this fine beginning. One of the best original tales is "Outfangthief," a stylish debut from Gala Blau, about lost children, a topic also brilliantly explored by Roberta Lannes's "Turkish Delight." Melanie Tem's "Lunch at Charon's" and Nancy Kilpatrick's "La Diente" feature biting social commentary. "Forever Amen," by Elizabeth Massie, provides a magical time-traveling twist. Outstanding reprints include "Jack," by Connie Willis, exploring WWII; "Aftermath," by Janet Berliner, a dark biblical piece; Kathryn Ptacek's "Butternut and Blood," a Civil War horror; and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's elegant Saint-Germain tale, "A Question of Patronage." But the most exciting reprint has to be Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "Good Lady Ducayne," an 1896 novella published a year before Bram Stoker's Dracula. Apart from a few anemic originals and dubious reprints, this is a robust anthology sure to satisfy even the most jaded blood thirst. (Nov. 1) Forecast: The misleadingly cheesy jacket art may attract Buffy fans, who will discover the rich, literary tradition of which the teenage female vampire-fighters on the small screen form only the latest popular manifestation. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
From the Publisher
Nominated for the 2002 World Fantasy Award
Nominated for the 2002 British Fantasy Award
Nominated for the 2001 International Horror Guild Award “Vampire fans take heart. Despite naysayers who believe the genre has been literally sucked dry of all creativity and originality, British horror maven Jones has assembled an impressive volume packed with period classics and fresh takes before and after the 21st century. . . . a robust anthology sure to satisfy even the most jaded blood thirst.”
— Publishers Weekly , starred review
"Broad in scope and very lively. . . . Fun, ghoulish stuff."
— Booklist
"Jones, King of the Horror Editors, opens the lid on the first-ever collection of vampire stories by women. . . . This ladies’ night out counts among its top names: Anne Rice (the Queen of Blood’s only vampire short story, from a 1984 issue of Redbook ), Poppy Z. Brite (loathsomely blistering in “Homewrecker”), Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tanith Lee, and Nancy A. Collins (“Vampire King of the Goth Chicks”). . . . Fangs for the memories."
— Kirkus Reviews
“If there could be like, a King of Anthology Editors, it would be Stephen Jones . . . no one knows how to put together a great combination of short literature like Jones. He’s like a really good DJ, except of stories, not music.”
—Vampires.com
“[The] latest offering from Jones, most respected of British horror editors . . . Jones performs his usual exemplary job in this massive volume.”
—Barry Forshaw, Starlog
“A superb collection of vampire stories.”
—Shirlie Leighton, BITE ME Magazine
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