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Ah, the golden age of vampire fiction. Or rather, the sparkly-diamonds age of vampire fiction. The “aughts” (early 2000s) when Edward Cullen prowled the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest and Kate Beckinsale karate-kicked werewolves while wearing skin-tight leather jumpsuits that glistened like a black trashbag. When Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise vied for our hearts with their Parisian wigs and too-bright eyes. When moody teen vampires ruled, while we pined and slowly suffocated beneath a noxious, glittering cloud of too much Love Spell.

Yes. Well. Those aren’t the vampires I’ll be introducing to you today. No shade against the overly-sexualized, beautiful, even sparkly vampires of yesteryore, but allow me to instead introduce ten vampires of a different breed. The bloody, brutal, voracious albeit suave breed.

Below you will find ten vampire books I think every (dark) fantasy and gothic fiction reader should have on their shelf. I’ve included my favorite vampire novel of all time.

Be careful though. . . these books bite.

10 Vampire Novels to Sink Your Teeth Into . . .

A Discovery of Witches by Deb Harkness. A professor uncovers a hidden alchemical manuscript that contains a prophecy involving all magical creatures (humans, witches, vampires, daemons). Her discovery draws a powerful vampire to her side. He should be her enemy. Instead, he ends up protecting her from her own.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin. A huntswoman investigates a murder that leads her to an ephemeral kingdom ruled by vampires. She isn’t sure if he is her ally, her enemy, or something more. Will he help her uncover the person behind the murders plaguing her kingdom? Or will she fall prey to darkness? This book is a fantastic gateway from fantasy to vampire thrillers.

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. This book is a must-read supernatural Western horror. Set during the Mexican- American War, this book feels like Como Aqua Para Chocolate meets Midnight Mass. A rancher’s daughter is thrust into close contact with a romance from her past: the vaquero Nestor. But something sinister stalks the night on the Texas-Mexico border. . . something far scarier than war.

The Historian by Elisabeth Kostova — This book is one of my all-time favorite books and arguably my favorite vampire novel, period. The Historian bounces between past and present as a troubled father races to protet his daughter from a menancing remnant of his past. Think dark academia Dracula.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Inspired by Russian folklore, this book is a whimsical nightmare about a young woman Vasilisa who befriends Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who reaps the souls of the dead. Danger and change threaten Vasilia’s way of life . . . and soon the dead themselves crawl from her nursery tales and into her village. She must call upon long-hidden gifts — and Frost himself — to save her people. The audiobook, in particular, is stunning.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson. A sapphic retelling of Dracula, told from the point of view of his wives. This book is a poetic quick read that is alternately hauntingly beautiful and achingly dark.

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. This is one of my husband’s favorite books. A man and a boy return to their hometown of Salem’s Lot to confront an unspeakable evil that lurks within its clapboard houses. I’ve never been a major Stephen King junkie. . . but I do like this one. And Mark may have disavowed and divorced me had I not included it.

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland. This book is literary horror all the way. Achingly beautiful, it lingers with you long after you put it down. An immortal art teacher must reckon with a dark presence from her past. One that seeps into her delicately-balanced life as the headmistress of a prestigious preschool in New York. This book is about the haunting, insatiable appetities of humanity more than anything else. Absolutely beautiful!

Dracul by Dacre Stoker. Inspired by notes and texts left behind by Bram Stoker himself, this book is a prequel to THE vampire novel, Dracula. A young Bram notices peculiar behavior in his loving caretaker Ellen Crone. When she mysteriously disappears from his life, he mourns her loss. But years later, Bram’s sister insists she spotted Ellen abroad… and a nightmare creeps back into their lives. This book is a must-read for vampire horror fans. In true Stoker fashion, it will have you questioning, “Wait. . . was some of this real?”

Scythe and Pen by A.C. Hobbs (aka, me). A Gothic Jazz Age vampire fantasy. A prince, a journalist, and a gangster form an unlikely triumvirate with one goal: to catch a rogue killer that is terrorizing their city. Peaky Blinders meets Sinners in this grimdark urban fantasy that blends bloodthirsty monsters with political intrigue. Is this a shameless self-promotional plug? Maybe, but this IS my newsletter so . . . Perhaps one should expect such behavior.

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Honorable Mentions:

Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Empire of the Vampire by Neil Gaiman

John Eyre by Mimi Matthews (a Dracula meets Jane Eyre rewrite)

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

Do you have a favorite Gothic horror, literary horror, or vampire novel to share? Drop it in the comments and I’ll check it out. I may even drop a review here!