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Women of the Night
One for the road -- Stephen King
Snow, glass, apples -- Neil Gaiman
In darkness, Angels -- Eric Van Lustbader
Cookie lady -- Philip K. Dick
Food chain -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Victims -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Cafe spring rain -- Nancy Holder
Bite-me-not, or fleur de fur -- Tanith Lee
Queen of the night -- Gene Wolfe
Yrena -- P.D. Cacek
Sister death -- Jane Yolen
Carpetbagger -- Susan Shwartz
This town ain't big enough -- Tanya Huff
Claim-jumpin' woman, you got a stake in my heart -- Esther M. Friesner
Faith like wine -- Roxanne Longstreet
Do not hasten to bid me Adieu -- Norman Partridge.
Snow, glass, apples -- Neil Gaiman
In darkness, Angels -- Eric Van Lustbader
Cookie lady -- Philip K. Dick
Food chain -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Victims -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Cafe spring rain -- Nancy Holder
Bite-me-not, or fleur de fur -- Tanith Lee
Queen of the night -- Gene Wolfe
Yrena -- P.D. Cacek
Sister death -- Jane Yolen
Carpetbagger -- Susan Shwartz
This town ain't big enough -- Tanya Huff
Claim-jumpin' woman, you got a stake in my heart -- Esther M. Friesner
Faith like wine -- Roxanne Longstreet
Do not hasten to bid me Adieu -- Norman Partridge.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books163 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 20, 2019
Women of the Night is an anthology featuring female vampires, edited by the late Martin H Greenberg. The stories in this collection are strong ones, so I can give this book five stars without hesitation. Let the obligatory name dropping begin: featured are stories from Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Tanya Huff, Nancy Holder, Jane Yolen, Philip K Dick, and Eric Van Lustbader, among others. My favorite tale is probably the Gaiman selection "Snow, Glass, Apples" which was a real delight.
March 5, 2020
Many of these stories were not my cup of tea. A few were of relative value.
Stephen King’s “One For the Road” was relatively well written but didn’t really have anything new to it- a traditional sort of “stormy evening by the fire” sort of story.
Norman Partridge’s “Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu” was a bit interesting in that it gave the Quincey character from Stoker’s “Dracula” more of a story and that Lucy was “revived” (re-undeadified?) in the Wild West of all places, which was a nice ending for her- I’ve never liked what was done to Lucy, vampire or no. Though I have to say that Dracula’s being intimidated by “a gleam in Quincey’s eyes” needed more explanation. Quincey’s being a “somebody” was interesting for a change... but you cannot just write Dracula being intimated by a supposed human without some more explanation!
The story that -almost- made this collection worth checking out was Tanya Huff’s “This Town Ain’t Big Enough” about a female vampire who used to be a cop. She has found a way to still have a relatively good relationship with her boyfriend, and comes to find a new way to use her detective experience in her new life. An interesting character, I think a longer story could be written about her.
Stephen King’s “One For the Road” was relatively well written but didn’t really have anything new to it- a traditional sort of “stormy evening by the fire” sort of story.
Norman Partridge’s “Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu” was a bit interesting in that it gave the Quincey character from Stoker’s “Dracula” more of a story and that Lucy was “revived” (re-undeadified?) in the Wild West of all places, which was a nice ending for her- I’ve never liked what was done to Lucy, vampire or no. Though I have to say that Dracula’s being intimidated by “a gleam in Quincey’s eyes” needed more explanation. Quincey’s being a “somebody” was interesting for a change... but you cannot just write Dracula being intimated by a supposed human without some more explanation!
The story that -almost- made this collection worth checking out was Tanya Huff’s “This Town Ain’t Big Enough” about a female vampire who used to be a cop. She has found a way to still have a relatively good relationship with her boyfriend, and comes to find a new way to use her detective experience in her new life. An interesting character, I think a longer story could be written about her.
May 20, 2022
This is a short story anthology featuring many famous authors all with the theming of strong female vampires. Each story takes place in a different place, with different narrators, different characters, and different theming.
Stephen King has the first short story and of course it's a continuation of 'Salem's Lot. I've also read Neil Gaiman before, and saw his writing style clearly. The rest of the authors I have heard of before, even have books in my library written by them, but have yet to read anything substantial from them. So it was a nice introductory snippet for those authors for me.
I found the variations in the short stories kept me reading, that and the genre has always been interesting for me, its too bad we didn't get any classic Anne Rice in this anthology. The variations in even the vampire's limits was interesting too. Some could be in the sun, some couldn't, some needed blood, some didn't, some were more beastial, some were even religious.
I've always enjoyed the short story collections from Stephen King, and while he didn't write the entirety of this one, it's still up there for me. I enjoyed reading it for many reasons.
Stephen King has the first short story and of course it's a continuation of 'Salem's Lot. I've also read Neil Gaiman before, and saw his writing style clearly. The rest of the authors I have heard of before, even have books in my library written by them, but have yet to read anything substantial from them. So it was a nice introductory snippet for those authors for me.
I found the variations in the short stories kept me reading, that and the genre has always been interesting for me, its too bad we didn't get any classic Anne Rice in this anthology. The variations in even the vampire's limits was interesting too. Some could be in the sun, some couldn't, some needed blood, some didn't, some were more beastial, some were even religious.
I've always enjoyed the short story collections from Stephen King, and while he didn't write the entirety of this one, it's still up there for me. I enjoyed reading it for many reasons.
May 24, 2017
A very interesting collection of short stories. Greenberg did an excellent job in choosing several of these, since the readers knowledge that every story was supposed to be about a vampiress created a great sense of anticipation as you read. It was not always obvious where the story was going or who would turn out be the blood-sucking starlet. I also appreciated that the genres varied greatly story to story; not every vampire story is a horror story. I especially enjoyed Tanya Huff's "This Town ain't Big Enough" and Roxanne Longstreet's "Faith Like Wine" as my favorites, for very different reasons. Huff's heroine was fun enough that I hope I can find more of her story in a series, and Longstreet took such an unusual angle to the topic that I couldn't help but admire it. The total diversity in story-telling in the collection is quite respectable, though, and I don't think there was a poor story in the lot of them. A fun collection that was meant to be read around Halloween, but oh well. Time got away from me.
December 19, 2023
All the reviews on this book are not true a lot of the stories in this book are boring except for the Stephen King story in the beginning. I liked the last story a little more than I thought I was. But this is not a 4 or 5 star book. Really read it for yourself then you can see what I'm talking about there is not a lot of horror in this book at all. I was really disappointed..
October 16, 2019
"Women of the Night," is a collection of 16 short vampire stories written by various authors. There were some really good stories and some not so good. But overall a good read.
June 1, 2024
Excellent collection of stories all centered around female vampires. Purchased for the Stephen King story but the Neil Gaiman story and the one by Roxanne Longstreet are just as good if not better
October 12, 2015
With all the anthologies I’ve been reviewing, I’m surprised it took me this long to cover one edited by Martin H. Greenberg (1941-2011), who curated more than a thousand SF/F/Horror anthologies during his career. He was an excellent packager: If you wanted a book about alternate universe Elvises, he could find you a dozen decent to outstanding stories, even if he had to call a few authors to write them to order.
In this particular case, the theme is “female vampires” of various sorts. The introduction by John Helfers talks about how they have been relatively underrepresented as opposed to male vampires, but their literary pedigree is nearly as long.
The sixteen tales open with “One for the Road” by Stephen King, a sequel to Salem’s Lot. A tourist managed to strand his family in what used to be Jerusalem’s Lot during the middle of a Maine blizzard. He’s finally managed to find help, but it may be too late for his wife and child. Spooky, but really requires you to have read the previous book for full effect.
The oldest story is from 1953, Philip K. Dick’s “The Cookie Lady.” A young boy visits a nice old lady who offers him cookies and likes to listen to him read. She’s a different kind of vampire. Notably, the boy’s parents are right to be concerned, but for the wrong reasons–in a non-horror story, they’d be the bad guys.
As one might expect from the usual treatment of female vampires in fiction, there’s quite a bit of sexual references in the anthology, unfortunately including rape and pedophilia. There’s also a fair amount of violence (what, you thought all blood donors were voluntary?)
Neil Gaiman’s “Snow, Glass, Apples” is an interesting twist on the Snow White tale, but I found it less transgressive than just kind of icky. Still very well written.
“Sister Death” by Jane Yolen is better, I think, twisting together the myth of Lilith and the Holocaust. Some very evocative imagery.
There’s a wide assortment of female vampires; sometimes villains, sometimes victims, and one or two are the heroes of their stories. I think a couple of these have their endings muted because we know that there is a female vampire to begin with, even if within the story it’s a surprise.
The final story is “Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu” bu Norman Partridge. It’s a take on the Dracula novel, some parts of which are true in the story, and others made up by Bram Stoker. Quincey Morris returns to Texas to fulfill a promise he made to Lucy, no matter how much blood it’s going to take. There’s a bit of suspense at the end–is Quincey too late?
It’s a good line-up of authors with some nice stories, it would make a pleasant Halloween present for a vampire fan.
In this particular case, the theme is “female vampires” of various sorts. The introduction by John Helfers talks about how they have been relatively underrepresented as opposed to male vampires, but their literary pedigree is nearly as long.
The sixteen tales open with “One for the Road” by Stephen King, a sequel to Salem’s Lot. A tourist managed to strand his family in what used to be Jerusalem’s Lot during the middle of a Maine blizzard. He’s finally managed to find help, but it may be too late for his wife and child. Spooky, but really requires you to have read the previous book for full effect.
The oldest story is from 1953, Philip K. Dick’s “The Cookie Lady.” A young boy visits a nice old lady who offers him cookies and likes to listen to him read. She’s a different kind of vampire. Notably, the boy’s parents are right to be concerned, but for the wrong reasons–in a non-horror story, they’d be the bad guys.
As one might expect from the usual treatment of female vampires in fiction, there’s quite a bit of sexual references in the anthology, unfortunately including rape and pedophilia. There’s also a fair amount of violence (what, you thought all blood donors were voluntary?)
Neil Gaiman’s “Snow, Glass, Apples” is an interesting twist on the Snow White tale, but I found it less transgressive than just kind of icky. Still very well written.
“Sister Death” by Jane Yolen is better, I think, twisting together the myth of Lilith and the Holocaust. Some very evocative imagery.
There’s a wide assortment of female vampires; sometimes villains, sometimes victims, and one or two are the heroes of their stories. I think a couple of these have their endings muted because we know that there is a female vampire to begin with, even if within the story it’s a surprise.
The final story is “Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu” bu Norman Partridge. It’s a take on the Dracula novel, some parts of which are true in the story, and others made up by Bram Stoker. Quincey Morris returns to Texas to fulfill a promise he made to Lucy, no matter how much blood it’s going to take. There’s a bit of suspense at the end–is Quincey too late?
It’s a good line-up of authors with some nice stories, it would make a pleasant Halloween present for a vampire fan.
February 22, 2009
Martin Greenberg is a fantastic editor, and his talent lies in showcasing a very wide range of writing styles centered around a common theme (in this case female vampires.) The end result is usually a collection where each story is vastly different from the previous one. I gave the collection four stars instead of five because I was baffled by the inclusion of one story I simply could not bring myself to finish.
There are stand-out stories from Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolfe, and Philip K. Dick. The best story (in my opinion), involved a female vampire who, along with Mary Magdelene, was a member of Jesus Christ's entourage. The author, Roxanne Longstreet, weaves a superb tale that is simply unforgettable.
I was surprised by how quickly I read the book. Instantly riveted the moment I picked it up, I reached the last page wishing that I had another books worth of material to read. Women of the Night is gothic/vampire writing at it's absolute best.
There are stand-out stories from Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolfe, and Philip K. Dick. The best story (in my opinion), involved a female vampire who, along with Mary Magdelene, was a member of Jesus Christ's entourage. The author, Roxanne Longstreet, weaves a superb tale that is simply unforgettable.
I was surprised by how quickly I read the book. Instantly riveted the moment I picked it up, I reached the last page wishing that I had another books worth of material to read. Women of the Night is gothic/vampire writing at it's absolute best.
February 10, 2011
I read four of the tales (King's, Gaiman's, Dick's, and Yolan's) during some down time in a library. "One for the Road" was a creepy enough entry into the mythos of 'Salems Lot, but ultimately it didn't pack enough punch. I don't generally care much for retellings of classic tales (probably because the author in me feels like they're too easy) but "Snow, Glass, Apples" was clever and satisfying. In fact I didn't fully realize it was Snow White until about halfway through--and I like that it wasn't obvious. "The Cookie Lady" drifts from my mind like the ashes carried by the wind at the end of the tale. "Sister Death" was quite ambitious for a 10-page tale, tackling both biblical and holocaust topics, but ultimately it was pretty effective as the parent in me felt great sadness by the end.
May 10, 2012
Martin Greenberg assembles a selection of tales that center around the female of the vampire species. Filled with notable authors, it is actually the lesser-known stories that seem to pack the most punch. Stephen King returns us to Salem's Lot in the midst of a blizzard, as a stranded driver seeks out his lost family. Neil Gaiman's twist on Snow White is always good; a shame I had read it before in one of Gaiman's collections and knew what was coming. Roxanne Longstreet mixes vampirism and religion is her tale, as a centuries-old woman encounters a possible prophet for the ages. The final tale, contributed by Norman Partridge, brings us full-circle with the events following Bram Stoker's "Dracula" - and how love can transcend time. As a whole, the collection is a unique look at the portrayal of female vampires; here's hoping the women of the night return with more tales to tell.
July 19, 2009
16 short stories. The underlying theme of female vampires is inspired. Some stories are great, some are good and some are terrible but the few that I didn't enjoy were more than made up for by the ones I liked. I do enjoy a good short story. This has made me seriously consider going out and picking up an early S. King short story collection. I am sure rereading those will be fun, fun, fun. I think it is exactly what I'm in the mood for.
September 10, 2008
The stand out short story in this compilation is "Snow, Glass, Apples" By Neil Gaimen. Gaimen's retelling of a classic fairy tale with a new sinister twist was nothing short of genius. Other tales included lack his creativity but still provide the sensuality, mystery and horror that one craves from Vampire tales.
May 28, 2012
I felt the anthology's best stories were by Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Tanith Lee, and Roxanne Longstreet. The Stephen King story was as expected - very atmospheric and creepy. The rest of the stories were okay, but not really memorable for me. There was an entry by Tanya Huff, for those who are fans fo her work.
July 20, 2013
I had high hopes for this book when my husband bought it for me a few years or so ago, but it was very disappointing when only two of the stories were worth reading. As far as anthologies go, they are usually let downs so... having two okay stories makes this one of the slightly better ones I suppose. If the price is right and you love vampire stories, it's worth picking up.
February 24, 2009
Remembering not to devour short stories, but to savor them one at a time.
Lovely bites.Lord of the Silent
Lovely bites.Lord of the Silent
January 23, 2009
Pretty good anthology of short stories with female vampires. I have read a few of these already though in other collections.
May 8, 2009
Hit and miss because it's a collection... but some stories were great- and some really scary! eek! worth a flip-through if you're into the genre.
November 3, 2010
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Afterall, it's my Rachel Caine before she officially became my Rachel Caine!
December 23, 2010
This was really great. The stories were different and all of pretty amazing quality.
December 27, 2012
None of these hit the mark for me. Short stories are usually either gems or duds- it's difficult to build a good tale in just a few pages.
December 7, 2012
not my favorite on this issue...
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June 8, 2014Spooky stories! One standout story was by Tanith Lee. More fairy tale then scary story, both lovely and eerie.
July 15, 2014
Quite a few entertaining short stories with Stephen King's being the best . A solid read .
April 24, 2009
I bought this book cuz Stephen King wrote a short for it...impressive!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews