What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Vampire #1
The Last Vampire
Lost on a camping holiday abroad, Henry Hollins and family find themselves camping near a crumbling castle called Alucard. Noting the reverse spelling of the name, Henry explores the castle where he meets Count, who sometimes changes into a fruit bat, is vegetarian and quite appalled by his ancestor's antics.
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1982
11 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Willis Hall
91 books10 followersWillis Hall was an English playwright and radio and television writer who drew on his working class Leeds roots in much of his material.
His most famous creation was probably Billy Liar (1960), co-written with life-long friend and collaborator Keith Waterhouse, and based on the latter's novel. His rise to fame had come from his play about British soldiers in the Malayan jungle The Long and the Short and the Tall.
He wrote more than a dozen children's books, including a series about a family called the Hollins who meet a vegetarian vampire called Count Alucard. He also wrote a book, Henry Hollins and the Dinosaur. His membership in the Magic Circle was a source of inspiration for these books. He also wrote 40 radio and television plays, as well as contributing to many TV series, including The Return of the Antelope and Minder.
He wrote a musical about the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge, and others based on the books Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. He also wrote Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure.
His most famous creation was probably Billy Liar (1960), co-written with life-long friend and collaborator Keith Waterhouse, and based on the latter's novel. His rise to fame had come from his play about British soldiers in the Malayan jungle The Long and the Short and the Tall.
He wrote more than a dozen children's books, including a series about a family called the Hollins who meet a vegetarian vampire called Count Alucard. He also wrote a book, Henry Hollins and the Dinosaur. His membership in the Magic Circle was a source of inspiration for these books. He also wrote 40 radio and television plays, as well as contributing to many TV series, including The Return of the Antelope and Minder.
He wrote a musical about the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge, and others based on the books Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. He also wrote Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Read
December 13, 2022Mein Einstieg in die Geschichte war etwas holprig, denn der Humor darin wirkte schon etwas verstaubt auf mich. Auch gab es viele Wiederholungen, die wohl witzig sein sollten, mich aber eher nervten. Im Verlauf der Geschichte wurde es dann aber besser und es gab tatsächlich einige Szenen, die mich schmunzeln ließen. Auch die vielen Zeichnungen im Buch fand ich total süß.
January 24, 2023
Giving this four stars more for nostalgia than how I actually felt reading it this time. I guess it's a 3.5.
As a child and young adult, I thought this novel was comic genius. Reading it at least a decade later, probably much longer, it isn't really my kind of thing any more. It's about a British family who are on a disastrous European camping holiday and stumble into the middle of a horror setting, with mistrustful villagers on one side, a lonely vegetarian vampire on the other and a bunch of hungry wolves thrown into the middle. The humour is entirely derived from poking fun at archetypes and a hell of a lot of farce. It's very traditional British humour, which I apparently find a bit annoying now. There's no depth at all. I was shocked that Henry and the Count only spend one scene together before we head into the finale. I thought that friendship was the basis for the whole story! Also it struck me as odd that the Count is supposed to be a descendant of Dracula, yet the castle described bears no resemblance to that from Dracula. Instead the setting is clearly inspired by old movies. There are some nice moments however. It is well written, it just isn't my sense of humour any more.
Anyway, it spawned an entire series of vampire sequels, and I'm not sure if this was the first Hollins family book, but they certainly turned up again in a later book or two.
As a child and young adult, I thought this novel was comic genius. Reading it at least a decade later, probably much longer, it isn't really my kind of thing any more. It's about a British family who are on a disastrous European camping holiday and stumble into the middle of a horror setting, with mistrustful villagers on one side, a lonely vegetarian vampire on the other and a bunch of hungry wolves thrown into the middle. The humour is entirely derived from poking fun at archetypes and a hell of a lot of farce. It's very traditional British humour, which I apparently find a bit annoying now. There's no depth at all. I was shocked that Henry and the Count only spend one scene together before we head into the finale. I thought that friendship was the basis for the whole story! Also it struck me as odd that the Count is supposed to be a descendant of Dracula, yet the castle described bears no resemblance to that from Dracula. Instead the setting is clearly inspired by old movies. There are some nice moments however. It is well written, it just isn't my sense of humour any more.
Anyway, it spawned an entire series of vampire sequels, and I'm not sure if this was the first Hollins family book, but they certainly turned up again in a later book or two.
March 2, 2023
Het boek dat ik las was De laatste vampier van Willis Hall. Een jongen met de naam Henri Hollins gaat op vakantie met zijn ouders naar het kasteel Alucard in dit boek.
Een super leuk boek en het verhaal was wel mooi maar voor mij leest het boek niet echt snel.
Spannende momenten, ups en downs zijn zeker te vinden in dit boek en gelukkig eindigt het goed zoals in elk boek.
In het algemeen is het wel een top boek, zeker een aanrader.
Een super leuk boek en het verhaal was wel mooi maar voor mij leest het boek niet echt snel.
Spannende momenten, ups en downs zijn zeker te vinden in dit boek en gelukkig eindigt het goed zoals in elk boek.
In het algemeen is het wel een top boek, zeker een aanrader.
June 1, 2015
The Last Vampire used to be one of my favourite books as a child, and even now it still has a soft spot in my heart. Simply put, it follows the story of the mild-mannered vampire Count Alucard, as he befriends Henry Hollins and his parents during one of their family holidays.
As children’s stories go, this is one of the better ones, and it’s actually as entertaining for adults as it is for children. The kind of horror involved is a play horror, and so it’s not going to scare the youngsters if you read it to them right before bed, and you’re going to feel fairly relaxed yourself. The great thing about it is that it’s also a part of a series, so if you enjoy this then there’s more where that came from.
As children’s stories go, this is one of the better ones, and it’s actually as entertaining for adults as it is for children. The kind of horror involved is a play horror, and so it’s not going to scare the youngsters if you read it to them right before bed, and you’re going to feel fairly relaxed yourself. The great thing about it is that it’s also a part of a series, so if you enjoy this then there’s more where that came from.
September 5, 2016
I just love these kind of books! As a child the genre of fun-n-fear or Gys og Grin, as they are called in Danish was my absolute favorite. Quirky, weird stories with supernatural and magical element to them are always a hit with me! And this book is no exception!
There is just some form of childhood logic over the fact that – of cause, Vampires are people too. And who says they all drink blood, some of them can live of blood oranges (like in my favourite series of books in this genre) or perhaps just fruit in general, like Count Alucard does in this book. And who says that wolves are mean, perhaps they are just at cuddly as cats and dogs (as children believe most animal to be).
There is just some form of childhood logic over the fact that – of cause, Vampires are people too. And who says they all drink blood, some of them can live of blood oranges (like in my favourite series of books in this genre) or perhaps just fruit in general, like Count Alucard does in this book. And who says that wolves are mean, perhaps they are just at cuddly as cats and dogs (as children believe most animal to be).
June 7, 2015
A bedtime read with a lovely sense of fun. When the Hollins family take a camping holiday in Europe, they find themselves lost in a dense pine-forest and forced to camp in the shadow of a derelict castle, the Castle Alucard. Surrounded by ravenous wolves, camped next to the abode of the reclusive Count Alucard, last descendent of the infamous Draculas and a confirmed vegetarian, the Hollins family is also about to beseiged by a mob of fear-stricken villagers.
January 21, 2016
42 WORD REVIEW:
A quintessentially middle-class English family encounters the last (vegetarian) vampire in this YA comedy of happenstance and misunderstanding. By fleshing out every character — even the wolves! — Willis Hall both draws attention to, and disabuses his readers of, the vampire tropes of legend.
A quintessentially middle-class English family encounters the last (vegetarian) vampire in this YA comedy of happenstance and misunderstanding. By fleshing out every character — even the wolves! — Willis Hall both draws attention to, and disabuses his readers of, the vampire tropes of legend.
June 1, 2023
Ik ben al mijn onschuld verloren toen ik als 11jarige op de laatste bladzijde te weten kwam dat Alucard omgekeerd Dracula spelt. Voor schut, ja, zo stond ik... daar, hulpeloos en alleen.
Ik schudde het ongemak van me af... of alleja, dat probeerde ik toch. Met grote passen liep ik het klaslokaal uit, iedere god vervloekend... hop het Altenapark in. Daar vond ik Maria, tentoongesteld in de rots, haar beeld(je) teistert mijn ogen nog altijd en elke keer als ik ze sluit.
Zoals ik achtervolgd word door haar verschijning! Wakend en dromend prent het zich in mijn ziel. Hier! Ik weet niet hoe ik het moet uitdrukken. Zodra ik mijn ogen sluit, is zij er, als een zee... als een afgrond die zich voor mij, in mij uitstrekt, houdt ze mijn denkvermogen vast.
Ik gilde het uit:
"Nooit meer zal ik nog bezoedeld worden!
Ik heb gefluisterd,
geschreeuwd,
gejammerd,
geweend.
Mijn ziel ontbloot en... ach, wat maakt het uit
Wat is een mens, die hooggeroemde halfgod?
Schieten zijn krachten niet juist dan tekort als hij ze het meest nodig heeft?
Ik zag een asteroïde uiteenvallen toen ik die ene zin las
Als heldere ledematen die over een zwarte hemel strijken
Wat is de kans hé?
Hoe vaak kijkt een mens pal naar boven?"
Ik schudde het ongemak van me af... of alleja, dat probeerde ik toch. Met grote passen liep ik het klaslokaal uit, iedere god vervloekend... hop het Altenapark in. Daar vond ik Maria, tentoongesteld in de rots, haar beeld(je) teistert mijn ogen nog altijd en elke keer als ik ze sluit.
Zoals ik achtervolgd word door haar verschijning! Wakend en dromend prent het zich in mijn ziel. Hier! Ik weet niet hoe ik het moet uitdrukken. Zodra ik mijn ogen sluit, is zij er, als een zee... als een afgrond die zich voor mij, in mij uitstrekt, houdt ze mijn denkvermogen vast.
Ik gilde het uit:
"Nooit meer zal ik nog bezoedeld worden!
Ik heb gefluisterd,
geschreeuwd,
gejammerd,
geweend.
Mijn ziel ontbloot en... ach, wat maakt het uit
Wat is een mens, die hooggeroemde halfgod?
Schieten zijn krachten niet juist dan tekort als hij ze het meest nodig heeft?
Ik zag een asteroïde uiteenvallen toen ik die ene zin las
Als heldere ledematen die over een zwarte hemel strijken
Wat is de kans hé?
Hoe vaak kijkt een mens pal naar boven?"
October 27, 2025
This was a very nicely written book with cute illustrations.
The Hollins family have deserted their normal summer holiday plane of driving to the beach. Instead they are on a motoring and camping trip of Europe. As Emily's map skills are non existent they end up lost. Not even knowing what country they may be in, the pull up in a spooky pine forest with a deserted castle on a hill.
But is it deserted? NO! Count Alucard is hiding in the castle. He is vegetarian, but knows he can't convince the villagers of that. Henry, our child protagonist, makes friends with him and a fun romp ensues.
This book is very well written, humorous and quite excellently devised to appeal both to the adult reading it and the small child hearing it. The adult will enjoy Hall's ironic description of the people and their foibles while the child can giggle at Mrs Hollins believing the wolves to be doggies.
A worthy final book for SpookTober.
The Hollins family have deserted their normal summer holiday plane of driving to the beach. Instead they are on a motoring and camping trip of Europe. As Emily's map skills are non existent they end up lost. Not even knowing what country they may be in, the pull up in a spooky pine forest with a deserted castle on a hill.
But is it deserted? NO! Count Alucard is hiding in the castle. He is vegetarian, but knows he can't convince the villagers of that. Henry, our child protagonist, makes friends with him and a fun romp ensues.
This book is very well written, humorous and quite excellently devised to appeal both to the adult reading it and the small child hearing it. The adult will enjoy Hall's ironic description of the people and their foibles while the child can giggle at Mrs Hollins believing the wolves to be doggies.
A worthy final book for SpookTober.
September 21, 2017
De familie Hollins is op vakantie in Europa wanneer ze verdwalen in een groot, donker dennenwoud. Zijn dat wolven die huilen tussen de bomen? En wie woont er in het schijnbaar verlaten kasteel waar ze hun tent opzetten?
Heerlijk hoe dit boek is geschreven. Je hebt geen moment het gevoel dat de schrijver het tegen kinderen heeft; ook volwassenen kunnen zich helemaal wentelen in de humor verborgen in de beschrijvingen van de stereotype dorpelingen, de trieste graaf, de hongerige weerwolven en de naïeve familie Hollins. Ik las het al als kind - een grote Tiener Bibliotheek fan hier - dus het was ook een beetje een sprong terug in het verleden voor mij.
Heerlijk hoe dit boek is geschreven. Je hebt geen moment het gevoel dat de schrijver het tegen kinderen heeft; ook volwassenen kunnen zich helemaal wentelen in de humor verborgen in de beschrijvingen van de stereotype dorpelingen, de trieste graaf, de hongerige weerwolven en de naïeve familie Hollins. Ik las het al als kind - een grote Tiener Bibliotheek fan hier - dus het was ook een beetje een sprong terug in het verleden voor mij.
Read
September 11, 2020I read this book when I was eight, loved it, read it about six times, forgot the name (The book was missing a cover. Don't you just love school libraries?) and suddenly remembered it two minutes ago. Don't remember much about it except that the vampire is a vegetarian (not sure how that worked but there was probably some sort of explanation which I can't remember-or my eight year old self was an idiot.) I think I would still like it if I read it today. I remember being quite puzzled about the ending (school library book-was missing a few pages but as we've already established, my eight year old self was an idiot)
July 11, 2022
“He could just make out the thick large letters: ‘The Castle Alucard.’ And above the words there was carved the same strange bird-like figure with outstretched wings that he had seen on top of the crumbling gateposts at the other side of the forest.”
This I could see being an interesting children’s book for the 1980’s, but it does not come close to aging any better than milk does. It was boring, drawn out, cliche, and worst of all, felt longer than it actually was. What was a fairly short story felt like reading a textbook or a dictionary. It was so cut-and-dry that I had to start inventing better scenarios than what was actually unfolding in front of my eyes.
This I could see being an interesting children’s book for the 1980’s, but it does not come close to aging any better than milk does. It was boring, drawn out, cliche, and worst of all, felt longer than it actually was. What was a fairly short story felt like reading a textbook or a dictionary. It was so cut-and-dry that I had to start inventing better scenarios than what was actually unfolding in front of my eyes.
June 7, 2022
Immer noch so niedlich, wie ich es in Erinnerung hatte, auch wenn es aus heutiger Sicht ein paar blöde Klischees beinhaltet (wie das zwar zum Humor beitragende englische Überlegenheitsgefühl, das letztlich aber nie wirklich angezweifelt wird, oder der Putzfimmel der Mutter, auch wenn der alle rettet). Überrascht hat mich ein bisschen, wie wenig aus der Sicht des Kindes erzählt wird in diesem Buch, das hatte ich ganz vergessen. Henry wird eine Nebenfigur in seiner eigenen Geschichte. Aber ich mag es und es hat eine schöne Botschaft.
January 7, 2024
tenía la sensación de que me había gustado cuando chica así que decidí revisitarlo pero me decepcionó. depende mucho en que los personajes simplemente son estúpidos, lo cual aburre después de un rato. tampoco se trata del vampiro, incluso las últimas 30 páginas son lo único interesante de todo el libro, lo demás es mucho relleno. supongo que está bien como libro infantil, pero creo que pudo haber sido más creativo.
5/10 ⭐️
5/10 ⭐️
Read
January 3, 2019Es un libro muy divertido, lo que más le gustó a mi hermano son las aventuras que pasa el Conde Alucard con la familia Hollins. Asimismo, los diálogos son muy ingeniosos.
A pesar de que se recomienda para mayores de 10 años, desde los 8 años va bien, conserva una ilustraciones muy curiosas.
A pesar de que se recomienda para mayores de 10 años, desde los 8 años va bien, conserva una ilustraciones muy curiosas.
June 11, 2022
Op mijn 8 dit boek voor het eerst gelezen. Ik was er volledig weg van! Nu, als volwassene, kwam ik dit boek terug tegen tijdens een verhuis en werd ik overspoeld door herinneringen. Ik heb het na al die jaren met zeer veel plezier nog eens opnieuw gelezen! Aanrader!
September 20, 2018
Me encanto es divertido
September 20, 2018
Ein wunderbares Kinderbuch. Schräg, amüsant und ganz leicht unheimlich, wodurch es eine hervorragende Halloween-Grusel-Lektüre für junge Leser wird.
October 24, 2019
I gave this a 5 for the drawings alone. I loved this book as a kid, because the dogs were just so cute!
May 5, 2020
One of my favourite books from childhood. The illustrations and story are so warm and funny. It deserves to be more popular and I’m very glad I happened upon it by chance in the school library.
September 2, 2022
Totally silly but a funny quick read which I found in a holiday cabin.
October 17, 2022
Muy bueno
March 3, 2023
For school ( I don’t know the date I started it)
March 30, 2023
Was enjoyable, but not as funny or exciting as I remember from my childhood. Still keen to find the sequel and read that with my son.
May 24, 2023
Jeder in diesem Buch hat höchstens zwei Gehirnzellen, aber ich liebe es trotzdem. Oder vielleicht gerade deswegen.
December 21, 2024
J'ai dû le lire pour les cours, et je pense pas que je l'aurais fais sinon.
December 5, 2025
This was my absolute favourite book as a child and I’ve read it about 20 times. My most read book.
Love love love it.
Love love love it.
June 10, 2016
¿Alguien se ha dado cuenta de que me encantan los vampiros? Pues, sino es así se los aclaro: Me. Encantan. Los. Vampiros
Puede que para algunas personas esto les haya parecido algo repetitivo pero, a mi me ha encantado. Es un libro dirigido a niños de 10 años, me divertí y disfrute un montón leyéndolo. Los personajes son geniales, sobre todo Emily Hollins, Dios mío, ame a esta mujer.
Al final, me ha dejado pensando, como solo los buenos libros lo hacen. Porque este en particular tiene una 'moraleja' entre lineas y es que, a veces juzgamos demasiado rápido a las personas, nos dejamos llevar por las apariencias y antes de siquiera dejarlos abrir la boca para decir unas cuantas palabras, ya les estamos clavando una estaca en el corazón.
Casi lo olvido, las ilustraciones, son una obra de arte. Fieles a la historia y en el lugar perfecto.
"Llevaba el negro pelo peinado hacia atrás y tenia los ojos bordeados de rojo. Vestía traje negro, camisa almidonada y lazo negro al cuello. Un medallón de oro colgaba de una cadena sobre su pecho, y se cubría los hombros y la espalda con una capa negra con vueltas escarlata."
Puede que para algunas personas esto les haya parecido algo repetitivo pero, a mi me ha encantado. Es un libro dirigido a niños de 10 años, me divertí y disfrute un montón leyéndolo. Los personajes son geniales, sobre todo Emily Hollins, Dios mío, ame a esta mujer.
Al final, me ha dejado pensando, como solo los buenos libros lo hacen. Porque este en particular tiene una 'moraleja' entre lineas y es que, a veces juzgamos demasiado rápido a las personas, nos dejamos llevar por las apariencias y antes de siquiera dejarlos abrir la boca para decir unas cuantas palabras, ya les estamos clavando una estaca en el corazón.
Casi lo olvido, las ilustraciones, son una obra de arte. Fieles a la historia y en el lugar perfecto.
Read
October 25, 2011"El boom de la literatura de colmillos sigue rescatando títulos olvidados en nuestras estanterías durante largo tiempo. Es el caso de El último vampiro, de Willis Hall, que Noguer nos presenta en sus novedades. La familia Hollins, compuesta por el matrimonio Albert y Emily Hollins y por el pequeño Henry Hollins, se encuentran de vacaciones. Pero, para desgracia de Mr. Hollins no se encuentran tranquilamente veraneando en su acostumbrado hotel Miramar en Cockleton-on-Sea, sino que están de camping por Europa. ¿Por qué demonios habrán abandonado Inglaterra para ir de tour por Europa? Desde luego nunca debió hacer caso a su esposa Emily cuando trajo todos aquellos llamativos y estúpidos folletos de vacaciones de la agencia para convencerlo. --> Sigue leyendo la reseña (y muchas más) en http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.com"
April 23, 2011
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did; I've read and enjoyed another book by Hall (Dragon Days), and for the most part this is a delightful read, full of delightfully demented characters and hilarious incidents. However, there seems to be a point at which Hall simply lost interest and gathered in all the threads to quickly bring the book to a rather unsatisfactory ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews