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The Rivals of Dracula: A century of vampire fiction
Contains the following stories:
Conversion by Ramsey Campbell
The Mysterious Stranger by Anonymous
The Vampire of Kaldenstein by Frederick Cowles
The Guardian of the Cemetery by Jean Ray
Count Magnus by M.R. James
The Undead One by E. Everett Evans
The Horror Undying by Manly Wade Wellman
The Bat is My Brother by Robert Bloch
Blood Brother by Charles Beaumont
Something Had to be Done by David Drake
Night Life by Stephen Utley
Further Rivals of Dracula.
Vampires of the Silver Screen.
A Checklist of Vampire Films.
Conversion by Ramsey Campbell
The Mysterious Stranger by Anonymous
The Vampire of Kaldenstein by Frederick Cowles
The Guardian of the Cemetery by Jean Ray
Count Magnus by M.R. James
The Undead One by E. Everett Evans
The Horror Undying by Manly Wade Wellman
The Bat is My Brother by Robert Bloch
Blood Brother by Charles Beaumont
Something Had to be Done by David Drake
Night Life by Stephen Utley
Further Rivals of Dracula.
Vampires of the Silver Screen.
A Checklist of Vampire Films.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2017
THE RIVALS OF DRACULA is the first of three themed horror anthologies by the late, great editor Michel Parry, a man second only to Peter Haining in his prolific output in the horror genre in the 1970s. The others in this trilogy are THE RIVALS OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE RIVALS OF KING KONG. The collections are all very good, collating classic material and pulp-era tales into satisfying mixes.
This book kicks off with Ramsey Campbell and his CONVERSION, in which genre cliches give way to a massive twist. It's one I guessed en route, but the quality of writing makes it a superior read. Next up is an anonymous tale from Germany written in 1860, THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, which feels like a proto-DRACULA and is very good indeed. Frederick Cowles contributes THE VAMPIRE OF KALDENSTEIN which is very much a DRACULA copy with all of the trappings present and correct; it's fun and stylish to boot.
THE GUARDIAN OF THE CEMETERY is by Jean Ray and involves a homeless man taking on a strange job as the titular character. What follows is a solid pulp horror effort, surprisingly gruesome and nihilistic for its time. The reliably great M.R. James is featured in COUNT MAGNUS, in which a travel writer visiting Sweden encounters the titular terrifying local. The authenticity of the European locations is outstanding, as you'd expect from an author famed for his painstaking attention to detail.
E & H. Heron were writers in one of my favourite sub-genres of the form: the psychic detective story. THE STORY OF BAELBROW sees famed sleuth Flaxman Low visiting an old house in East Anglia where a maid died of fright. It's comfortably familiar, and a real treat for this reader. Next up, THE UNDEAD DIE sees E. Everett Evans (great name) writing a dark love story set in a ruined castle, notable for presenting the vampire in a sympathetic light. The story is packed with evocative description. Manly Wade Wellman was another great from the pulp era and THE HORROR UNDYING begins with some old documents being discovered beneath the floorboards. Wellman's prose is exceptional and the tale itself genuinely disturbing.
THE BAT IS MY BROTHER is one by the prolific Robert Bloch. It's a traditional short effort lifted by the author's strong command of the English language - he's never written anything I've not enjoyed. BLOOD BROTHER sees Charles Beaumont tackling the vampire myth on a scientific level and is the one story I actively disliked - it's too predictable. SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE is David Drake's nihilistic, Vietnam War-era vampire story with harsh attention to detail. Finally, Steven Utley's NIGHT LIFE is a short and gruesome anecdote about a cultured vampire turning up in New York to cleanse the city of its seedy inhabitants.
This book kicks off with Ramsey Campbell and his CONVERSION, in which genre cliches give way to a massive twist. It's one I guessed en route, but the quality of writing makes it a superior read. Next up is an anonymous tale from Germany written in 1860, THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, which feels like a proto-DRACULA and is very good indeed. Frederick Cowles contributes THE VAMPIRE OF KALDENSTEIN which is very much a DRACULA copy with all of the trappings present and correct; it's fun and stylish to boot.
THE GUARDIAN OF THE CEMETERY is by Jean Ray and involves a homeless man taking on a strange job as the titular character. What follows is a solid pulp horror effort, surprisingly gruesome and nihilistic for its time. The reliably great M.R. James is featured in COUNT MAGNUS, in which a travel writer visiting Sweden encounters the titular terrifying local. The authenticity of the European locations is outstanding, as you'd expect from an author famed for his painstaking attention to detail.
E & H. Heron were writers in one of my favourite sub-genres of the form: the psychic detective story. THE STORY OF BAELBROW sees famed sleuth Flaxman Low visiting an old house in East Anglia where a maid died of fright. It's comfortably familiar, and a real treat for this reader. Next up, THE UNDEAD DIE sees E. Everett Evans (great name) writing a dark love story set in a ruined castle, notable for presenting the vampire in a sympathetic light. The story is packed with evocative description. Manly Wade Wellman was another great from the pulp era and THE HORROR UNDYING begins with some old documents being discovered beneath the floorboards. Wellman's prose is exceptional and the tale itself genuinely disturbing.
THE BAT IS MY BROTHER is one by the prolific Robert Bloch. It's a traditional short effort lifted by the author's strong command of the English language - he's never written anything I've not enjoyed. BLOOD BROTHER sees Charles Beaumont tackling the vampire myth on a scientific level and is the one story I actively disliked - it's too predictable. SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE is David Drake's nihilistic, Vietnam War-era vampire story with harsh attention to detail. Finally, Steven Utley's NIGHT LIFE is a short and gruesome anecdote about a cultured vampire turning up in New York to cleanse the city of its seedy inhabitants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2025
[Severn House] (1977). HB/DJ. 1/1. 188 Pages. Ex Library; no details, bar “SECONDARY” stamped in green ink upon the upper page edges and a large, black “9” on the inner front board. Purchased from Richard Dalby’s Library.
A (largely) red wrapper and purple cover frame the blood drinking to come.
In his Introduction, Michael Parry (1947-2014) states:
“My main consideration in assembling this collection has been to select stories which have seldom, if ever, been anthologised, but which maintain the same high standard by the better-known…” (p. 12.)
On the whole, this is a dismal failure, the quality of the new and lesser known pieces is dire.
“Conversion” - Ramsey Campbell [4/20]
“The Mysterious Stranger” - ‘Anonymous’* [12/20]
“The Vampire of Kaldenstein” - Frederick Cowles [11/20]
“The Guardian of the Cemetery” - Jean Ray [10/20]
“Count Magnus” - M.R. James [12/20]
“The Story of Baelbrow” - E. & H. Heron [6/20]
“The Undead One” - E. Everett Evans [0/20]
“The Horror Undying” - Manly Wade Wellman [6/20]
“The Bat is My Brother” - Robert Bloch [0/20]
“Blood Brother” - Charles Beaumont [0/20]
“Something Had to be Done” - David Drake [0/20]
“Night Life” - Stephen Utley [0/20]
* An 1860 translation of “Der Fremde” (“The Stranger”) by Karl von Wachsmann (1787-1862). This was initially published in “Erzählungen und Novella” (“Stories and Novellas”) (1844).
Ends with a short reading list (“Further Rivals of Dracula” (p. 178.)) and “Vampires of the Silver Screen” (pp. 179-190).
Additional biographical and bibliographical notes would have been welcome.
A (largely) red wrapper and purple cover frame the blood drinking to come.
In his Introduction, Michael Parry (1947-2014) states:
“My main consideration in assembling this collection has been to select stories which have seldom, if ever, been anthologised, but which maintain the same high standard by the better-known…” (p. 12.)
On the whole, this is a dismal failure, the quality of the new and lesser known pieces is dire.
“Conversion” - Ramsey Campbell [4/20]
“The Mysterious Stranger” - ‘Anonymous’* [12/20]
“The Vampire of Kaldenstein” - Frederick Cowles [11/20]
“The Guardian of the Cemetery” - Jean Ray [10/20]
“Count Magnus” - M.R. James [12/20]
“The Story of Baelbrow” - E. & H. Heron [6/20]
“The Undead One” - E. Everett Evans [0/20]
“The Horror Undying” - Manly Wade Wellman [6/20]
“The Bat is My Brother” - Robert Bloch [0/20]
“Blood Brother” - Charles Beaumont [0/20]
“Something Had to be Done” - David Drake [0/20]
“Night Life” - Stephen Utley [0/20]
* An 1860 translation of “Der Fremde” (“The Stranger”) by Karl von Wachsmann (1787-1862). This was initially published in “Erzählungen und Novella” (“Stories and Novellas”) (1844).
Ends with a short reading list (“Further Rivals of Dracula” (p. 178.)) and “Vampires of the Silver Screen” (pp. 179-190).
Additional biographical and bibliographical notes would have been welcome.
March 19, 2023
In meinem Leben habe ich schon viele Horrorkurzgeschichten gelesen und diese gehören definitiv zu den schlechteren. Ich selbst hätte mit Sicherheit eine bessere Auswahl zusammenstellen können. Vom Inhalt her sind alle Kurzgeschichten - bzw. hier auch teilweise Novellen - wenig variabel, was vielleicht auch daran liegen mag, dass die Vampirthematik allgemein einfach billig und "trashy" ist.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews