Totally necessary – topless Eric

The fourth series of True Blood has just started in the U.S.  Based on the tremendously popular Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris; this bonkers, bloody and barmy series can’t make it to our shores soon enough for me!

A real solid starter here, these 9 YA books had me gripped in my younger years (and during a re-read about 3 years ago!!) and no doubt much of my affection for the genera can be laid at this door. The Night World is the world hidden beneath our own – witches and shifters and vampires all living out their lives right under our noses. And no one ever knows. Well, other than the teenagers these books are all about obviously!!

While I really enjoyed these books during my teenage years, I also feel totally betrayed by them.
The first 10 in the series are pretty awesome – a blend of supernatural/detective/thriller sort of thing – with one of the most kickass characters ever Anita Blake (nicknamed the Executioner by terrified vampiric hoards!!). These earlier books explore a society almost identical to our own, but where vampires and werewolves have been granted civil rights. And hellooooo Jean Claude!

However, in book 10 Anita becomes possessed with a really shoddy excuse to need sex every very hours. My beloved series became smut. Pure and simple. And I don’t mean that there are occasional sex scenes. I mean the story was replaced by increasingly improbably graphic sex – with vampires, werewolves, shifters in mid-change, the underage and often regardless of consent. Nothing against erotica, it just doesn’t do it for me {ahem}, I was also a bit too young for what the series became and I really missed seeing Anita kick ass, rather then …you know…that other thing.
I resent not being able to follow Anita’s adventures any more. Well, that’s a lie – the friends that I forced the series on way back when who still enjoy it have promised to lend their copies of the books to me if Anita ever gets back on her feet…[insert smutty pun here]

{Interesting sidebar – I am not alone in my disappointment about the direction that the series has taken. The author was forced to confront negativity from her fans on her blog. I was rather shocked when she advised those of us who didn’t enjoy any more to stop reading. Then told people off for being vocal about it. But I took her advice and passed the books en masse onto a mate I thought would enjoy them.}

I discovered these books riiiight before the TV series was announced, while looking for something to help me with my Buffy cravings (SPPPPPPIIIIIIKKKKKKKEEEEE). And I’m so glad I did! Telepaths, were-wolves, shifters, vampires – heck – even faeries get an outing here! While there are some scenes of an adult nature {blushes}, the focus is much more on the characters and the momentum of the plot never falters for a second. Break neck speed throughout!

Two other series that I quite enjoyed, but not as much as the above are –
Rachel Morgan/Hollows – Kim Harrison (2004 – )
Women of the Otherworld – Kelley Armstrong (2001 –

Building on the Byronic image of Vampires; this is a Gothic love/horror story with all the elements that now define a classic in the genera. In my humble opinion, this remains a must read for anyone with the vaguest of interests as it provides the definitive template for vampires, their traits, mythology (though I’ll accept deviations when well written) and their interactions with humans.Only slight downside is that the story is terribly familiar to new initiates. You’ll have to take it on faith – there’s a reason every one uses it! Love it, Love IT, LOVE IT!!!

One of the first books out book club ever read together; this is a [fictional] biography of the real Dracula[Vlad the Impaler]! The man behind the myth. Who is probably a monster! While the subject is ostensibly vampiric; this book is more of a love letter to the legends and myths of the noble dead that abound throughout Europe. OK, so it gets a little bogged down in places. Occasionally characters fail to sound unique or distinct from one another, but as historical romps go, this one is a delight!

So, I enjoyed the Will Smith block-buster a few years ago but the story it told suuuuure didn’t fit with my reading of the book! This is one of the most influential zombie books ever (where the infected have a vampiric disease). It’s focus on humanity and society – even when the human race seem to resemble neither – is a true head spinner. It was also – as far as I’m aware – one of the first books to regard vampirism as a disease, offering a scientific-ish explanation for the transformation from human to vampire.

And on my still-to-be-read-even-though-I’ve-lent-it-to-loads-of-people pile

An immigration tale with a twist…

(No list can be complete without the Queen of Vampires herself – Anne Rice. But this one will have to be. No insult here intended – but I’ve actually only read one of her Chronicles {Interview with a Vampire} and I didn’t enjoy it at all. The story was cool enough but the writing style really turned me off. It’s like Terry Prachett – you either love him or you don’t. Enjoyed the movies though.)

For my (piss) take on the Twishite Twilight Series [and recommendation instead for the Saga of the Noble Dead books by Barb and JC Hendee], please see here!

Coz what’s the point of a post on vampires without a cheeky pic of my favourite? Spike from Buffy. Blondie Bear!