The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula

by Eric Nuzum

The undead are everywhere. They're not just in movies and books, but in commercials, fetish clubs, and even in your breakfast cereal. Bloodsuckers have become some of the most recognizable bad guys in the modern world, and Eric Nuzum wanted to find out why. He was willing to do whatever it took ―even drinking his own blood―in his quest to understand the vampire phenomenon. And he found the answer in Goth clubs, darkened parks, haunted houses, and . . . chain restaurants.
In The Dead Travel Fast , Nuzum delivers a far-reaching look at vampires in pop culture from Bram to Bela to Buffy, and at what vampires and vampirism have come to mean to us today. And the blood? Let's just say it doesn't go with eggs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Vampires, Horror, History, Humor, Pop Culture, Travel

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2007

About the author

Eric NUZUM is a writer, cofounder of podcasting company Magnificent Noise, and creator of iconic podcasts. He is considered a leading “go-to” expert in audio, podcasting, radio, and spoken word entertainment. He led NPR’s initial podcasting efforts in 2005 and remained that effort's leading creative and strategic force for a decade. As a creator, he developed some of NPR’s most successful podcasts, including TED Radio Hour and Invisibilia. He continued his track record of success during his tenure as Audible’s leader for short-form content and podcasting, creating such recognized podcasts as Sincerely X (another co-production with TED), The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson, and Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel. He is also the author of Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Music, A Lost Scrap of Paper, and What It Means to be Haunted (2012), The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula (2007) and Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America (2001). Nuzum was awarded the National Edward R. Murrow Award for News Writing and his work has appeared in a few publications you’ve heard of and many more that you haven’t heard of. Eric is based in the New York City metro area.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all 71,206 words. Then again, I wrote all 71,206 words.

[Emily M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book when I was re-arranging my bookshelves, and wondered, given how much I like vampires, why I didn’t remember ever finishing it. Whelp…turns it’s because – while funny or informative in places – this book exudes disdain for both vampire media and those who love it. And, given that vampires seem to have particular appeal to the misfits and the marginalized (as the author actually points out!) this gets ugly at times.

We start out entertainingly enough with Nuzum recounting how, to get into the spirit of his investigation, he tried drinking his own blood, threw up all over the bathroom, and and concluded: “I am a total fucking idiot”. (The remaining actually-funny bits are similar personal misadventures). So I figured this was going to be an edgier version of Bill Bryson and his even more unprepared buddy hiking the Appalachian Trail. Mr. Bryson…I’m so sorry!

Because what I hit not long thereafter was a stretch of maybe 15 pages in which the author:
A) Makes some pretty classist comments about the intelligence of some folks auditioning to work at a haunted house. Which isn’t a degree-requiring job…and at least THEY knew the interviewers were obviously wanting a demonstration of a monster scream, not a scared-little-girl scream!
B) Meets with a bunch of black “psy” vampires and reveals that he’s gotten the “another stupid white person question” expression enough times to recognize it, but apparently not learned how not to do the things that elicit it.
C) Misgenders someone at the same event (Pro tip: If all of someone’s friends refer to them as “she”, maybe don’t call them “obviously a feminine man” )

At that point, I put the book down for over a month. But, again, I love vampire stuff and have trouble DNF-ing a book at 25% or less. And there was a trip to Romania coming up, and I was morbidly curious about whether things would improve or somehow get worse. So I brought it on a camping trip (with a backup book in case I really couldn’t stomach it).

Long story short: it did not get better…but the hate reading did make me zip right through the rest! It’s hard to say what the low point was, but the very ableist talk about the attendees of a “Dark Shadows” con is a good contender.

Nuzum also kept going on about his disappointment that self-proclaimed vampires or vampire enthusiasts didn’t seem to have much to say in response to his questions. Well:
A) I suspect if you asked, say, football fans out of the blue to explain what makes their favorite sport entertaining, you’d probably not get anything more coherent.
B) People often don’t want to talk to someone who is giving off vibes that they think that person’s special interest makes them pathetic weirdos!

Some statements are just BAFFLING. For instance, Nuzum says that, just because Bram Stoker was clearly in love with certain men…that doesn’t mean he was gay. I mean, that’s technically true, but I have zero faith that the rest of that thought was “because he could also be bisexual, or asexual-but-not-aromantic” or something like that. Then he goes on like a chapter later to quote the letter Stoker wrote to the definitely-gay Walt Whitman that even Nuzum can’t deny is some of the gayest shit you’ll ever see. Including one passage of Stoker giving an incredibly detailed physical description of himself (eg. how much he weighs naked), and also: “How sweet a thing it is for a strong healthy man with a woman’s eyes and a child’s wishes to feel that he can speak so to a man who can be if he wishes father, and brother, and wife to his soul.”
I mean, there’s certainly evidence of Stoker having a lot of internal conflict about his own identity and feelings, and you can’t say certain things for sure about historical figures and blah blah…but the denial up front (instead of, say, a quick caveat after the letter) is what gets me.

Baffling in a different way: Setting out to write a book about vampires and how they got to pervade popular culture and TRYING TO AVOID ANNE RICE!! I don’t care if you don’t like her writing style; that’s like trying to write about elves and whining about having to read Tolkien! (Also, while the ‘Interview with the vampire’ movie did tone down the gay/bisexual vampires stuff relative to her books, if you think it removed it entirely…you and I clearly watched different movies).

Also, Nuzum claims that, in Dracula, Lucy and Mina are just slutty-girl vs. good-girl caricatures, and NO THEY’RE NOT!! (click for ‘Dracula’ rant) While the movies tend to peg Lucy as “the slutty one”, in the book she isn’t at all. She is pretty and charismatic, which is how she ends up getting proposals from three different dudes at once, but she just picks one and lets the others down gently in such a way that all of them remain willing to risk themselves for her or each other. She is never blamed for becoming Dracula’s victim, and her being a good person in life is why her becoming an evil vampire is so tragic. For her part, Mina is very clever – she and Van Helsing basically solve the whole plot together – and it is only the men leaving her out of discussions to spare her “womanly heart” that puts her at risk of sharing Lucy’s fate. Even after Dracula bites her she is actively part of the plot, realizing that she can now sense where he is, which is what allows the strapping young dudes to go kill him. You, sir, were just expecting to see shallow caricatures, just like you believed…some dude…that literally none of the dancers in the vampire titty show cared about or had anything to say about vampires!

ANYWAY…I obviously don’t recommend this book Especially to vampire fans of literally any marginalized identity. Or Romanians. (For god’s sake, man, what made you think Romanian doctors wouldn’t know how to treat an infected thumb? After you JUST made fun of another tour member for not taking an anti-nausea pill from a Mexican doctor?)

Instead, if you want to learn more about the history of vampires, I DO recommend checking out Maven of the Eventide on YouTube. For instance, she has a read-through-with-commentary of ‘Carmilla’, a book that pre-dates ‘Dracula’ containing the first lesbian vampire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92lsc...
She also discusses movies, the new “Interview with the vampire” TV series, and holds a “vampire book club” live stream series.

For more on “Bram Stoker and the fears that built Dracula” (including xenophobia toward Eastern Europeans and the infamous trial of his associate Oscar Wilde), Kaz Rowe has a video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoTMb...

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avoid this. I thought it would be an interesting history lesson on the origins of vampire stories and how they have been adapted to modern society, instead it is just another ego-fest for some thirty something hipster who needed a subject so that he could write about his (not very interesting) adventures.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering much the same ground as the previous book I read on the subject, Vampire Forensics: Uncovering the Origins of an Enduring Legend, but in a much more succinct and personal (read: snarky) manner, The Dead Travel Fast is an entertaining romp through the author's explorations of the vampire. Part scholarly essay on the origins of the vampire--from the history of vampires in folklore and fiction to the evolution of the creature from a thing to be feared in the dead of night to a thing to be desired and emulated in the light of day--part personal journal detailing his travels both in the United States and abroad as he searches for the answer to his question: What is it about the vampire that inspires such lust in people? From wannabes to true believers, from tour guides to tour groups, Eric Nuzum unearths many fascinating characters, all of whom share one passion, that of the vampire, to a varying degree of pity-inducing fervor. And while you can tell that Mr. Nuzum spends the entire book rather bewildered by this phenomenon, he is never quite mean or condescending about it; he maintains a sense of wry sarcasm or gentle teasing towards his subjects, staying just this side of smug self-superiority. (Okay, maybe he slipped over the edge a couple of times, but really, who wouldn't considering some of the circumstances he got himself into?)

It's quite obvious that though the author probably had his fair share of geek moments growing up, they were probably of the marching band/school newspaper/AV club type. While those groups were still far below the radar of the popular kids--cheerleaders and jocks, prom royals and school rulers--they were still social activities. Nuzum has probably never felt nor dealt with the isolation of being a loner, an outsider, a non-joiner, exactly the type of person who would be drawn to the glamour and strength which the idea of a vampire represents. Not that I'm speaking from experience, mind you- pardon me, my cape got caught under the wheels of my deskchair. *rip* That's going to cost me a pretty penny to repair. Anyway, as I was saying, I might not quite understand the lure of dressing up in fangs and a corset to attend a nightclub packed with similarly dressed individuals, but I can understand the desire to associate with something that has come to represent sex, power, and success over your enemies and/or your lovers.

In the end, Eric Nuzum's book is an enjoyable and informative tour of the vampire and its transformation from a hideous and diabolical fiend to a kid-friendly, ubiquitous cult icon.

On a side note: One of the author's quests was to watch every vampire movie ever made, which amounted to something over 200 titles. He didn't quite make it. However, he lumped one movie in with several others and said they were all vampire pornos. The movie I'm speaking of is called Rockula and I take exception to his categorization. Rockula is not a porno. It is a fine example of 1989 B-movie cheese. Starring Dean Cameron, Toni Basil, Thomas Dolby, and Bo Diddley (yes, that is correct, the Bo Diddley), it is a movie which aspires to be a rock opera about a vampire and his true love, but falls far short. Nevertheless, for the over-the-top '80s production value alone, it is a hoot to watch. The saddest part is that it is only available on VHS; I can only hope that someday soon it'll get the DVD release it deserves.

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous, slightly desperate exploration of vampires, from their popularity in Halloween haunted houses to Sesame Street's The Count. Includes some background info on the book Dracula and its supposed inspiration, Vlad Tepes.
I think the author got pretty sick of all things vampire before he was finished writing - and his disdain for fans of the "Dark Shadows" soap opera wasn't pretty. Don't look for any in depth analysis here, just one man's journey exploring vampires in pop culture.

[Jessie Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part-pop culture essay, part-memoir, The Dead Travel Fast explores why vampires continue to fascinate people and how they fit into popular culture. Author Eric Nuzum tells us this project started a challenge to watch every vampire flick in existence and evolved into interviews with vampire scholars, vampires enthusiasts, professional and amateur haunted house staff, exotic dancers in Las Vegas who play vampires, and people who think they're real-life vampires.

It's an interesting premise, yet I found the execution was lacking. For a book about vampires in pop culture, the analysis runs between "not-particularly-original-but-okay" to "kinda-painful." It was usually closer to "kinda-painful" whenever race or sexuality was brought up, mostly because the analysis was too shallow to explore these intersections in any interesting way but also because it didn't seem like the author was comfortable with these discussions. For an example, look at the paragraphs talking about how some scholars believe Bram Stoker might have been in love with other men... I agree with a lot of the points raised by the author yet these paragraphs smack of "no-homo" and left a bad taste in my mouth. The author also repeatedly misgenders one of his interview subjects in one of the earlier chapters, which is just... no.

Sometimes the sarcastic and self-deprecating humor is funny, but other times it feels overdone. It's also hard to side with the author when he portrays many of his interview subjects as bizarre (and I'm not just talking about the IRL vampires he interviews but some of the scholars and Dark Shadows fans too) when his book opens with him trying to drink his own blood.

There was enough interesting tidbits that I kept reading, but this pop culture stuff never felt like it went anywhere and the memoir stuff didn't particularly grab me.

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little book looking at the vampire in (pop) culture and our obsession with it. From Dracula to Count Chocula, as the subtitles says. Fun right? And it is for the most part. A very lighthearted and humorous tone, this doesn't go deep but is filled with cute little facts that Nuzum digs up, like that there is actually a Transylvania County in Georgia that is also home to rare white squirrels or that George Bush can be traced through ancestry.com to be related to Vlad Tepes. These little tidbits throughout the book, often included as footnotes, were my favorite part. My husband and me talked a lot about this book and these fun facts while reading and it was a blast to do so during spooky month.

Nuzum travels to Romania to follow Vlad, the Impaler's, story, he goes to London and Whitby to dive deeper into Bram Stoker's life and his influential novel "Dracula", he meets with real life "Vampires" and even tries to become one himself. All with an easy tone, often only surface scratching but for what this book is trying to be that is likely enough. Don't expect a deep analysis of the phenomenon vampire, this is more the assembly of some light info mixed with personal experiences by the author during his research journey. I can get behind that kind of easy reading.

What bothered me though was Nuzum's obvious lack of passion for the subject matter and sadly often little respect for the people who are indeed enthusiastic about vampires in one form or another. For example, he embarks on the project to watch every vampire movie which is ambitious and I don't blame him for giving up at some point. What I found puzzling was his lack of enjoyment of ANY of them. At some point he admits of only having given a single movie 3* (out of 5*), everything else is below that, and yes, the genre has stinkers and peculiar entries but he can't find a single one to love? Even when he admits that something is well done and entertaining, as when he talks about watching "Buffy", he says he got into it and enjoyed the witty writing and plot but failed to see anything deeper in it while simultaneously acknowledging the contributions to feminism in Horrorfilm, underlying coming-of-age metaphors and philosophical themes that even universities teach about. But no, he didn't get that, it's still not good, he doesn't understand why people are into, he still had to tear it down to agree. When he sits down with co-workers who claim to be fans of the show no one can say anything profound, similarly when he goes to "Dark Shadow" conventions he fails to see the connection people make with the show until someone else points it out to him. Instead he shares stories of people he interviews who can't say anything else to him but "they simply like the show". And you know what, Eric, maybe that's on you? You are the common failed denominator in these interactions. I can give very passionate monologues and discuss themes of my favorite movies and Buffy 'til your ears bleed but if someone comes with a lackluster attitude and thinly veiled mocking of my passion for something, I will likely not open up but say something short along the lines of "well, I like it". This stuff can be personal and why would someone share why they as an outcast to society decided to identify as a vampire to someone like you who doesn't even pretend to take it seriously?

So, yeah, his lack of interest in the subject, his failed enthusiasm started to annoy me the more I read. I am all for keeping things light, I am all for some good humor and making fun of yourselves and not taking things too seriously. But balance is the word, buddy. People who read this book are likely somewhat into vampires, the movies, the culture, or both, and realizing the author of this book is really not can be disheartening. Even when he was traveling he seemed to be a bit annoyed that he had to go. Again, no problems with some jokes but come on, you are traveling through Romania to Vlad's castle, a little bit excitement would be nice. Balance! He seemed to enjoy his time in England though there is that.

Which leaves me with a very middle-ish impression and middle-ish level of enjoyment. Liked the assembly of facts, more and more did not like how the author presented his journey (which is actually surprising since I loved his voice in the more personal but still slightly paranormal memoir "Giving Up the Ghost" that I read a few years ago). So I guess it's a trade off. This was a good moment for me to read this, on the back of reading "Dracula" and watching a live orchestra performance for "Nosferatu": I am in my vampire phase right now and I haven't been since my go to costume was a vampire for a few years during primary school. But maybe that's also why I judge Nuzum a little harsher....

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author spent a fair chunk of this book complaining that no one would let him interview them. Pro tip: when writing a book about a particular subject, try not to be such a smug dick about (a) your belief that it's stupid and valueless and (b) your belief that the people who enjoy it are losers and rejects. That attitude is why the author got zero useful interviews. people who enjoy things that are generally mocked by dude-bros (of which I'm convinced the author is one) typically don't appreciate said assholes invading their safe spaces and pestering them with snide, dickish questions. Also, the author desperately needs a fact checker. The plot details of many of the works he discusses (the section on Buffy being the worst offender) contain glaring and easily corrected inaccuracies.

To top it off, the author is one of those condescending twats who like to pat themselves on the back for being such good intellectuals that they don't own a television, unlike the rest of us IQ-deficient plebes.

Hard pass.

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the author give a reading and couldn't pass the book up!!! The book is (very) light gonzo journalism, and the author throws himself into the study of vampires. If you get a chance to see him give a reading, I'd recommend it. He's a funny guy, and his style is just endearing.

Tons of silly trivia, funny anecdotes, and actually interesting information. I was really captivated by the universal vampire myth, and fascinated by the Eastern European obsession that is so culturally intrenched.

A great "Halloween read," some passages might even be appropriate and fun for middle school or high school. If you have even a passing interest in vampires it will be an entertaining and quick read.

[GaP · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read through the myths, history, and subculture of The Vampire. Why do they fascinate us so? Eric Nuzum decided to find out. The most captivating aspect for me was his search for "real" vampires and the performative theater that surrounds the lifestyle. He also relates the time he did the Dracula Transylvania tour. Just an entertaining read. And now I'm ready to read Bram Stoker's DRACULA for the first time.

[Mina Lobo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best that can be said is that it's an easy-to-read, mildly entertaining collection of anecdotes from a man researching vampires (for some reason--likely because they were so hot in the mid-2000s). Unfortunately, the anecdotes are more about the man and his experiences researching vamps than about vampires proper. (Or improper, I don't discriminate.) As well, much attention is given to vampire-adjacent trivia that fails to enlighten. There's a lot of back-and-forth of hopping from idea 1 to idea 2, then back to idea 1 again--was that meant to stimulate interest by creating a cliffhanger-sensation? The writing style is often stilted; the author seems as averse to contractions as vamps are to garlic. If I weren't reading this for research purposes I'd have DNF'd it and, generally, would suggest anyone seriously interested in learning about vampires read the (admittedly drier but) excellent "Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality" by Paul Barber. As for "The Dead Travel Fast" (what a disservice was done to this terrific title! and cover art!!!), it's the kind of book I'd recommend if you're out of town on business some October and staying at a B&B for a while, where they have a quaint little "library" of books you're invited to peruse during your stay and you think as you make your way to your bed, "Yeah, why not?"

[Alicia]

This was a really interesting research book on vampires. The author’s tone and personality really shone through. I could tell when he was frustrated or burnt out about the topic of vampires and when he was generally interested in trying it uncover some sort of information. But, I did appreciate the humor and sarcasm and his ability to not take himself too seriously.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I thought this would be, however, the title does fit what's inside: the author does essentially end up stalking vampires. I enjoyed the chapter about the Dracula tour in Transylvania the most. I'll definitely not be going on that tour!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be a fun read. So much research, being stood up by 'vampires,' traveling to the birthplace of vampires, dressing as a vampire, interviewing vampire experts to finally tell us that vampires are........ real or not🤔

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was under my recommendation since I read Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead a few years ago, which I really enjoyed. However, this did not come anywhere close to enjoyment. I'm not sure the author liked his subject or people in general. He starts off the book with the plan to drink blood, which has very gross results. He wants to work in a haunted house and is surprised he doesn't get the role since everyone else isn't college educated and are surely felons. He follows this by calling the manager every week to wear down his will. We get the list of every vampire movie and tv show, but he doesn't like any of them. He tries to meet up with people who call themselves vampires, who most of the time don't appear, and when they do, you're subjected to some cringe-worthy moments on race. Nuzum even makes a trip to Romania, but all we seem to learn is Butch Patrick, of Eddie Munster fame, falls asleep everywhere and likes to hit on young women and there was a woman named Elaina, a vegetarian who only eats Pizza Hut and no one seems to like. The chapter is followed up with a discussion on a vampiric adult revue in Las Vegas. There's some more bashing of tv and movies. I decided I would bump up a star because I did like the bit about the early myths of Greek vampires and there was a brief bit on Victorian literature, mostly Bram Stoker. The last quarter or so of the book I skimmed to the end and couldn't understand why the author wrote this book unless he just ultimately wanted to rant on the subject.

[Clare Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, a book that made me snigger on the train ride to and from work. I need to stop reading funny stuff on the train.

I liked the book a lot, though I did not feel it was very in depth at all-- my favorite bits (of course) were when the author went tracking down Vlad Dracula and went to England to research Bram Stoker. It was clear the guy did his research, but the book is short and written more for humor than as an in-depth study; the philosophical bent seems more tacked-on than anything. The last few pages read like giving up, when he admitted how laborious writing the book had been-- it sort of ruined the whole thing for me, thinking he hadn't liked the experience as much as I'd liked reading his book. When he was funny, he was damn funny.

I also felt like he was a bit all over the place; the writing is kind of disjointed. Again, informative, but not very smooth. "Once I was a vampire in a haunted house and did you know vampires dislike the smell of garlic because apparently vampires had rabies and anyway so I was working in this haunted house and they held down the lid on my coffin and also once Bram Stoker wrote a long mash note to Walt Whitman and people think he's kinda gay and that Whitman was the basis for Dracula." Seriously, that's kind of how it felt.

But it was still fun to read.

Favorite bits: the Orthodox monk on the lake in Romania, driving around in his powder-blue dinghy; the Poli-Grip; the Bite show in Las Vegas; his being spoiled for every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start with the positive. Nuzum can be a very fun writer and there is a section of the book where he travels to Transylvania on a vampire tour. What follows is a wacky fish-out-of-water sequence with one zany scenario after another. That type of travelogue where the narrator finds themselves out of sorts is fun reading but it's really not what I was hoping for about vampire mythology and pop culture.

Most of the book is spent describing how awful every vampire book and film is and how strange and unseemly every person obsessed with vampires is.

Nuzum will point out time and again that vampires are a significant part of our culture and hold a great deal of symbolism bound up in our fears and desires but when he runs down every single piece of vampire fiction it just gets a little wearisome.

The way he treats the people he interviews was what really soured me on the experience. He is (in my opinion) openly rude and hostile to several of the people he interviews. Part of the book also depends on the idea that we think Nuzum is hoping to actually meet "real" vampires (as opposed to mere mortals who dress up like them). But this conceit doesn't work because at no point is the reader thinking "I wonder if he will find a real vampire." There are many books on vampires, I picked this one up because it was quoted in Margot Adler's Vampires R Us and I was interested in the fact that it seemed to cover modern fiction and films. Ultimately this one was a waste for me.

[Ondine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at half-priced books because I was looking for a fun quick read, and it mostly delivered. I'm not familiar with any of Nuzum's other work. Some of the hijinks he got into while doing research on vampires were a lot of fun to read (glueing his mouth together while putting in false fangs, going on a campy tour of Romania with a bus full of weird people, trying to become a vampire in 6 easy steps). I also enjoyed the historical background around vampire lore, particularly all the detail about Vlad Dracul, Bram Stoker's personal life and legacy, and Bela Lugosi's career. There were times where I was painfully aware of the authors' white straight guy way of seeing the world---- like, why was it so remarkable that he met a group of Black vampires? Being around a bunch of Black folks into goth shit is "Weird" probably cause this guy has never reflected on his racial bias and preconceived notions about what Black folks are like. And while I laughed during his description of working for an evening as a vampire in a haunted house (the ab crunching was funny), I wasn't feeling it when he described the group interviews for the haunted house because it felt like he was looking down on working class folks. So yeah, sometimes the book was a little cringey. As I said at the beginning though, good quick read if you want to be entertained.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure here: I am friends with the author of this book, and, as I really have absolutely no interest in vampires, I can't say I would have read it but for that. I also have to admit to a little trepidation in reading it in this age of social networking — by putting it in my currently-reading shelf, I'd announced to the world (primarily everyone on my friends list) that I was reading it, and what happened if I didn't like it?

Thank goodness I really enjoyed it. Yes, it's a book about vampires, their lore and their lure, but it's as much about the journey to find out about them. And that journey is at times hilarious, ironic, and a little scary, but mostly it's a lot of fun to read. So there's my verdict — you can not really care about vampires at all, and still enjoy this book. If you ARE interested in vampires, then absolutely snap this one up.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

What could have been an interesting look at what draws people to the vampire mythos ended up being filled with thinly-veiled contempt for anyone who finds vampires interesting. Apparently an obsession with vampires is only acceptable if you're intent on ridiculing others' obsessions. Nuzum declares that followers of "Dark Shadows" are overweight, disabled losers but fans of "Buffy" (which ends up including him) are all right. People who play "Vampire: the Masquerade" probably live in their mothers' basements while they plot to (really) kill each other, but dragging your wife off to England to find where Bram Stoker may-or-may-not have conceived the idea for his infamous novel is okay.

Nuzum's contempt for everyone made this an irritating and difficult read.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given my own obsession with ridiculous vampire romance novels, I was drawn to the tongue-in-cheek exploration of vampire culture promised by the book jacket and I was not disappointed.

It's fitting that there is a Chuck Klosterman endorsement for the book, because it reads very much like Kloserman's own work. Despite the ridiculous situations and people he encounters, Nuzum's narrative simply goes along for the ride. Is it possible for someone to be pleasantly patronizing?

I think this book gets extra stars from me for practically printing what runs through my head as I indulge in my own guilty pleasure of vampires. I do wish to hear his take on the current Twilight horde. But the book came out just a few years too early.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have assumed that when authors select a topic on which to write, they would attempt to pick one that interests them or for which they have some affection. The authors thinly veiled contempt and mockery of all that he experienced permeated the book and left a bad taste in my mouth. Because of his mockery, I felt he did not deal with the more interesting questions on the attraction of vampires for a large portion of the population, instead brushing the topic off as the territory of nerds and those who lacked the validation of being popular during their school years. Even the most snarky and sarcastic essayists and writers have some underlying affection but there was none in this book.

[Joy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, very engaging for the most part. I just wish the author himself was a bit more interested in and respectful of the subject and the people involved. I enjoyed most of the snarkiness and jokes but at a few points, it did just feel a bit more like bullying than fun writing. The tour in Translyvania was great, and I am definitely going to annoy my friends with the facts I learned from this book for a while. [Random note: after realizing this is the same guy who wrote a book on music censorship I really enjoyed a few years ago, I might check out his ghost book too.]

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for anyone who's ever loved tales of vampires and likes to bore their friends with little bits of pop culture minutia (like the fact that Bela Lugosi had to phonetically sound out his lines in the stage production of Dracula because he hadn't learned English yet, to name just one). His research often results in moments of hilarity, but he covers a lot of ground in this book, including the history of our fear of vampires as well as our captivation with the subject.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Nuzum's nonfiction book "The Dead Travel Fast" is a sober, disturbing, hilarious, and uplifting book about our culture's fascination with vampires. If you think about it, vampires are everywhere (from "Twilight" to breakfast cereal: Count Chocula), and popularity of bloodsuckers has not really wavered since Bram Stoker published "Dracula" over a hundred years ago. Love them or hate them, vampires provide a plethora of topics to discuss, which Nuzum does very entertainingly in this book.

[Noran Miss Pumkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will write a complete review later--there was some things lacking, as well as many gems with this book, which I thought was going to suck, and discovered it had some great depth, but missed the mark on other areas. Needed to Include the often mentioned Vampire film list in the back of the book.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the writing to be pretty uneven. Although some of these vampire encounters would make great bar stories, as a whole the book didn't flow well. While the author clearly had a great time exploring the vampire culture, what comes across is a fairly flaky narrative. It has amusing moments to be sure, but would have been better told over a beer or two than a bookshelf.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eked out three stars because I appreciate any and all references to Buffy and there was some decent Bram Stoker and Bela Lugosi back-story. Otherwise, Nuzum's contempt for his human subjects and total lack of the slightest academic rigor (seriously, not a single source note in the whole book) made this a very slight and self-indulgent effort.

[Keri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be an interesting read and in the beginning it was. The more I got into it the harder is was to get motivated to continue reading, but I persevered. There were a few factual tidbits that were interesting, like the one about Sesame Street's Count (it actually made me laugh out loud) but otherwise that's it.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice social history of vampirism.