Filth Eaters

by Ito Romo

A high-strung and inventive literary horror that will delight fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Mariana Enriquez, Ito Romo’s debut novel traces the thousand-year lineage of a new kind of vampire—the mestizo Filth Eater.


Granada, 1849. After centuries of scrounging in the shadows, the vampire Radamés discovers an ancient Aztec codex that reveals the vampires of the “New World” live a more “human” life—they marry, they give birth. Spurred on by tantalizing promise of a fuller existence, Radamés glamours and schemes his way onto a ship headed for Mexico. There, in the underbelly of the forgotten Aztec city of Teotihuacán, the Andalusian vampire falls in love with a member of this ancient sect of Aztec vampires who call themselves Filth Eaters. From their union, the mestizo vampire Doro is born. 


Hopping back and forth in time from the Indus River Delta in 1099 to the Muslim Spanish empire of the 1400s to a flooded cyberpunk New York City of the future, Filth Eaters pulls at the threads of empire, greed, and climate collapse, but the beating, bloody heart of the story is our very human desire for the love that gives life meaning.The debut novel from a celebrated writer of “Chicano Gothic” stories, this surprising, gory saga turns a new page for a centuries-old genre. 

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction

125 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

Ito Romo was born and raised on the border in Laredo, Texas. His work, dubbed “Chicano Gothic” and “Chicano Noir,” shows the dark and gritty life along Interstate 35 through South Texas, where his family has lived for 11 generations. A former Professor of English Language and Literature, Romo was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2019. His books includeThe Border is Burning and El Puente / The Bridge, both published by University of New Mexico Press.He lives in San Antonio.

Reviews

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎]

review of Filth Eaters in Latino Book Review:

https://www.latinobookreview.com/filt...

[Jason Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5, rounded up on account of all the torn arteries. Some very cool stuff happening here, but it never really clicked into a higher gear than "mildly interesting" for me.

[Nicole D.]

terrible writing

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Everything in this book is historically accurate—except, of course, the vampires. Oh, and what happens in the future. But almost everything else is historically accurate." - Ito Romo

Filth Eaters takes a genre that’s been done to death (and undeath, lol) and manages to carve out something genuinely new. Ito Romo introduces a fresh breed of vampire — one that can reproduce, that doesn’t crumble under the usual folkloric tricks, and that feels more like an evolving species than a static monster.

Told in a nonlinear structure, the novel traces a thousand‑year bloodline beginning with Shandor in 1099, moving through the turning of the young Spaniard Radames in a 1400s bathhouse, and landing in 2069, where Radames’s son Doro livestreams his kills on the streets of a drowned, neon‑soaked New York City. It’s ambitious, sweeping, and often fascinating.

Romo uses this multi-century timeline to explore survival in all of its physical, emotional, and generational forms... where his characters wrestle with identity, the exhaustion of existence, and the deeply human hunger to love and be loved, even when your species is dependent on taking life in order to sustain your own.

The structure is bold, the ideas are fresh, but the emotional impact didn’t land firmly for me, and I found that I admired the concept more than I connected with the characters.

In the end, though Filth Eaters breaks new ground in the vampire genre and was a solid, intriguing read, it failed to fully sink its teeth into me.

[Niall Depaepe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is vast in its representation of time. It spans, jumping back and forth from 1491-2071 and in between. As the story unfolds we are introduced to a specific type of vampire called Filth Eaters. They consume all of the hate and filth of humanity. I found myself sympathetic for Doro and the pain he experiences as well as inflicts. The novel is about love, hate and how we pass on our generational trauma, most importantly, the trauma of those who were colonized. Ito’s writing was a good break from the dense and heavy novels I’ve been reading, and this book has me interested in checking out his other “Chicano Gothic” stories. Filth Eaters is a quick and engaging vampire story. If you’re interested in vampires I recommend taking a bite of this fresh take on the genre.

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan Coogler is the person I credit with giving me any interest in vampires, and enough confidence to tell myself I could survive whatever was in this book.

Intriguing ideas, great historical details, and lots of anguish, but it never coalesced into something with emotional resonance. Give me more! Even more gore, if it comes with more stakes — ha ha.

[Hannah (hngisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vampire novel that explores the weight of colonialism, hate, and the trauma that gets passed down. I don’t know how I got it early — I guess the bookstore messed up and put it out too soon lol. I wish it would’ve been longer and explored the future setting

[13oiRD · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get into it, right around the point where the chapters got longer. A very interesting spin on the vampire formula.

[Gov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only wish i had more 🔥