Diary of a Vampire

by Gary Bowen

The chilling, arousing, and ultimately moving memoirs of an undead - but all too human - soul. Bowen's Rafael, a red-blooded male with an insatiable hunger for the same, is the perfect antidote to the effete malcontents haunting bookstores today. Diary of a Vampire marks the emergence of a bold and brilliant vision, firmly rooted in the past and present.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, LGBT, Gay, Fiction

232 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Beta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 90ies, where vampires didn‘t sparkle, gay sex was still dirty and AIDS killed more than a bloodsucker ever would. The sex was amazing! The story well told. All in all a perfect no nonsense vampire book with all the body fluids and a vampire who was after all, just a man. A little sleepy, a little hungry, a little horny. ;)

[Dante · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been struggling to write this review, partly because I don't write reviews, but also because I've been reevaluating what my expectations for this book were. This is an erotic gay novel with themes of horror, but I was mostly drawn to it for the main character Rafael and his struggles. I enjoyed the first half immensely, with Rafael grappling with the loss of his lover, the struggles of being a vampire, and his yearning for the company of another. Rafael's character intrigued me from the start, I really enjoyed the writing and representation of vampires in this, as well as the few moments of genuine horror. The latter half of the book wore me out, it felt like Rafael lost the thoughtfulness that really made his character so interesting. It became entirely messy drama that gave me a headache to read. As for the erotic scenes which were certainly well written, I struggled to read. Rafael has the ability to shapeshift, which for the most part had felt very unique opposed to the other (limited) vampire fiction I've read. But in this case, his current partner (Also his nephew, which is very uncomfortable) convinces him to shapeshift into a woman, and wants to have sex like that. Not only was Rafael uncomfortable with this, it was difficult to read as a gay trans man currently in his transition. An ongoing theme is Rafael getting involved with men who were previously only involved with women and often being a toxic and difficult relationship. Perhaps from the viewpoint of the author it was shedding light on internalized homophobia and some of what is explicitly stated to be sexism by Rafael, only it didn't hit the mark and was painful to read. As a book written by a gay man, for gay men, it generally just seems like a major turn off regardless of associated trauma. Beyond that, I wish there had still been a focus on Rafael as a character. His thoughts on life, recovering from trauma, overall growing as a person and being able to return to his career of composing and performing music. The ending is of a hopeful future, but it didn't tie up the story nor did I like the direction it had gone in. I had been excited to read Diary of a vampire, some parts were very thoughtful and enjoyable but I'm still disappointed.

[S.E. Martens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rafael is such a hot mess of a character. For a while I couldn't tell if he was even really supernatural or if the more outlandish powers (e.g. shapeshifting into a puma!) were all in his head.

His internal narration is all about how strong and powerful he is, but he is constantly being captured, hurt and denigrated. It almost falls into 'so bad it's good' territory, on account of it being fast moving and so bonkers you can't look away.

Here's a good quote, though:

"I would rather have an interesting life than an easy one." (p. 184)

[Kathei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book back in 1996 and it sat on one of my bookshelves for over twenty years. Maybe I just had too many books to read that year; I honestly don know.

Anyway, when I came across "Diary of a Vampire" last month I immediately began reading. I would have missed a great story if it hadn't tumbled off my shelf when it did. Loved the book, it was different from so many of the vampire books I’ve read. This vampires memoir felt “real”, his intense craving for a sexual connection and his absolute need for shared passion was captured explicitly in his diary.

This was the best vampire novel I’ve read this year.

[Tasula · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALLY REALLY good vampire story.