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Gilded Nightmares – Timeless British Library Books
Visions of the Vampire: Two Centuries of Blood-sucking Tales
The vampire is one of the great enemies of humanity, a nightmarish figure who feeds on the living in order to sustain themselves. Born from ancient folklore, writers in the 19th century gave form to the vampire as we know it today. Still haunting our subconscious in the 20th century, a new wave of writers continued to develop the imagery and traditions of the vampire—and the vampire continued to evolve. From John Polidori’s iconic short story "The Vampyre" and tales of parasitic female companions to experimental and freshly thrilling takes by Robert Bloch, Angela Carter, and Anne Rice, this new collection sets out to present the enrapturing range of the vampire story and our undying fascination with the monster at its heart.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 25, 2021
Visions of the vampire..
First off, the book i have is called "two centuries of immortal tales", not "blood sucking tales" but apparently it is still the same book so no real complaints there. Mine sounds nicer anyway
Jk
My summary is that it was good. This was my halloween-read and it fit pretty well for the occasion. They weren't really scary or anything, but a lot of them were good. Either way, the book is beautiful with the shiny red text on black and i appreciate having a collection of vampire stories.
Now I will do a review (some long, some short) of each of the 14 novels,
there might be some
SPOILERS beyond this point idk;
1st. "The vampyre", by John william Polidori.
I kind of enjoyed it. It was a bit weird to get into for the first couple of pages. But it was good, unfortunately didn't give me any real "passion" when reading.
5/10.
2. "Wake not the dead" by Ernst Raupach.
An interesting take on the vampire. But i thought it was sad. Obviously it's sad for Walter to feel such grief for having lost his love and i understand the feeling of wanting his love back no matter what, but for her to be awakened from death and forced into "sin" is just wrong. I am not religious, but i do believe in something similar to a soul and to be forced to be appathetic, to murder people and be with someone without choice does not sit right with me. Walter didn't know that she would be a vampire and that those things would happen, but even without that it would still feel wrong because he didn't know Where he took her from. He doesn't even really know if it's really her soul in the body, or if it's just something that mimicks her perfectly.
Anyways, the story was well written and I would rate this,
8/10.
3. "The white maniac" by Waif Wander.
I really liked this story, the "flow" was good and it continued to catch my interest. And maybe it was intended by the author for Blanche to be a vampire, but to me it felt more like an unfortunate mental illness. None the less, would give this story,
10/10.
4. "The family of the Vourdalak" by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy.
I would recommend this and will probably read again sometime. The kind of story that sticks with you.
10/10.
5. "Good lady Ducayne" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
It was a good story but i don't know why it was chosen to be in this book.
According to the old lady herself she was born when Louis XVI was guillotined, 1793, and this story was published in 1869, so not extremely old in my opinion. I think she was just obsessed with staying young.
But obviously she was old for the times she was living in, but not old enough to be questioned if she was a vampire or not. Which by the way no one did.
The only time they even mentioned "vampire" was with a mosquito, so i dont know why it was in this book.
And sure they did drain Bella's blood, but i can't see any proof that it actually did any good. It seemed to only be the doctors experiements.
7/10
6. "Luella Miller" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I don't know what to think of this, it was good but not very special.
5/10
7. "The room in the tower" by E. F. Benson
Enjoyable,
8/10
8. "Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker
It was good, but i didn't understand the ending so it will get
6/10
9. "The Cloak" by Robert Bloch
I feel like it would have been better if it was longer, but it was still ok.
6/10
10. "Over the river" by P. Schuyler Miller
Meh.
5/10
11. "The lady of the house of love" by Angela Carter
It was beautiful in it's descriptions and the astethic that was painted by these words in my mind. But the story itself was ..odd. so in other words; i liked the "images" but not so much the storyline
6/10
12. "The master of Rampling Gate" by Anne Rice
I wanted to like this more than i am because Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors, but this story didn't really do it for me.
6/10
13. "The advocate" by Suzy McKee Charnas & Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The definiton of a story that tries too hard to be something it's not. It had a few glimmers of underlying hope that it was going to redeemed itself later in the story, but just as quickly the hope was destroyed.
This was overall really boring and annoying. Which was sad, because the underlying story could have been really good and i can see what they failed so miserably at trying to do.
Two hours after i finnished reading this story and i was literally about to fall asleep i realized what this novell is. It's the kind of unfinnished story people upload on some random site on the internet to see if people like it, and if it's well recieved THEN the author will put actual work into the story and rewrite everything and add the rest of the story that was missing from the orignal.
2/10
14. "Let the old dreams die" by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Right on the first page i got distracted by two words and i had to pause to check if this was taking place in Sweden, the names "Blackeberg" and "Islandstorget" both rang their little bells and i wasn't sure if it was Swedish or Norwegian, or maybe even Danish. But it was indeed taking place in Sweden. And me being a judgemental prick when it comes to swedish litterature immediately had my doubts about this novel, but i was pleasantly surprised.
I don't think i can put into words how much this story hit home. I won't say it's my favorite story, but is was really sweet and it was absolutely beautifully painted. This is the kind of story that reminds me of why i love words. Yes, words.
But I will have to try to find this story in swedish though, since most stories are often better in their original language.
9/10
First off, the book i have is called "two centuries of immortal tales", not "blood sucking tales" but apparently it is still the same book so no real complaints there. Mine sounds nicer anyway
Jk
My summary is that it was good. This was my halloween-read and it fit pretty well for the occasion. They weren't really scary or anything, but a lot of them were good. Either way, the book is beautiful with the shiny red text on black and i appreciate having a collection of vampire stories.
Now I will do a review (some long, some short) of each of the 14 novels,
there might be some
SPOILERS beyond this point idk;
1st. "The vampyre", by John william Polidori.
I kind of enjoyed it. It was a bit weird to get into for the first couple of pages. But it was good, unfortunately didn't give me any real "passion" when reading.
5/10.
2. "Wake not the dead" by Ernst Raupach.
An interesting take on the vampire. But i thought it was sad. Obviously it's sad for Walter to feel such grief for having lost his love and i understand the feeling of wanting his love back no matter what, but for her to be awakened from death and forced into "sin" is just wrong. I am not religious, but i do believe in something similar to a soul and to be forced to be appathetic, to murder people and be with someone without choice does not sit right with me. Walter didn't know that she would be a vampire and that those things would happen, but even without that it would still feel wrong because he didn't know Where he took her from. He doesn't even really know if it's really her soul in the body, or if it's just something that mimicks her perfectly.
Anyways, the story was well written and I would rate this,
8/10.
3. "The white maniac" by Waif Wander.
I really liked this story, the "flow" was good and it continued to catch my interest. And maybe it was intended by the author for Blanche to be a vampire, but to me it felt more like an unfortunate mental illness. None the less, would give this story,
10/10.
4. "The family of the Vourdalak" by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy.
I would recommend this and will probably read again sometime. The kind of story that sticks with you.
10/10.
5. "Good lady Ducayne" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
It was a good story but i don't know why it was chosen to be in this book.
According to the old lady herself she was born when Louis XVI was guillotined, 1793, and this story was published in 1869, so not extremely old in my opinion. I think she was just obsessed with staying young.
But obviously she was old for the times she was living in, but not old enough to be questioned if she was a vampire or not. Which by the way no one did.
The only time they even mentioned "vampire" was with a mosquito, so i dont know why it was in this book.
And sure they did drain Bella's blood, but i can't see any proof that it actually did any good. It seemed to only be the doctors experiements.
7/10
6. "Luella Miller" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I don't know what to think of this, it was good but not very special.
5/10
7. "The room in the tower" by E. F. Benson
Enjoyable,
8/10
8. "Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker
It was good, but i didn't understand the ending so it will get
6/10
9. "The Cloak" by Robert Bloch
I feel like it would have been better if it was longer, but it was still ok.
6/10
10. "Over the river" by P. Schuyler Miller
Meh.
5/10
11. "The lady of the house of love" by Angela Carter
It was beautiful in it's descriptions and the astethic that was painted by these words in my mind. But the story itself was ..odd. so in other words; i liked the "images" but not so much the storyline
6/10
12. "The master of Rampling Gate" by Anne Rice
I wanted to like this more than i am because Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors, but this story didn't really do it for me.
6/10
13. "The advocate" by Suzy McKee Charnas & Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The definiton of a story that tries too hard to be something it's not. It had a few glimmers of underlying hope that it was going to redeemed itself later in the story, but just as quickly the hope was destroyed.
This was overall really boring and annoying. Which was sad, because the underlying story could have been really good and i can see what they failed so miserably at trying to do.
Two hours after i finnished reading this story and i was literally about to fall asleep i realized what this novell is. It's the kind of unfinnished story people upload on some random site on the internet to see if people like it, and if it's well recieved THEN the author will put actual work into the story and rewrite everything and add the rest of the story that was missing from the orignal.
2/10
14. "Let the old dreams die" by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Right on the first page i got distracted by two words and i had to pause to check if this was taking place in Sweden, the names "Blackeberg" and "Islandstorget" both rang their little bells and i wasn't sure if it was Swedish or Norwegian, or maybe even Danish. But it was indeed taking place in Sweden. And me being a judgemental prick when it comes to swedish litterature immediately had my doubts about this novel, but i was pleasantly surprised.
I don't think i can put into words how much this story hit home. I won't say it's my favorite story, but is was really sweet and it was absolutely beautifully painted. This is the kind of story that reminds me of why i love words. Yes, words.
But I will have to try to find this story in swedish though, since most stories are often better in their original language.
9/10
September 4, 2025
Reading a book about vampires in Ireland, the spiritual home of the literary vampire. A wonderful variety of vampires to be found here, including an early example of a weaponised incompetence, energy vampire (the undoubtedly most common kind)
April 2, 2021
Review in the April 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?revie...
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04...
Three Word That Describe This Book: enlightening, broad, fun
Draft Review:
This carefully constructed, academically framed anthology begins with Polidori's novella marking the beginning of the vampire menace trope in 1819 and goes through to a John Ajvide Lindqvist tale from 2011. Showcasing the breadth of vampire literature over time to underscore its enduring appeal, this anthology illustrates how vampires have stood as both entertainment and commentary on universal human issues and concerns. Many of the included authors are names today’s readers will know such as Bram Stoker, Robert Bloch, and Angela Carter, while others are creators whose names have been lost to history such as Mary Elizabeth Braddon, but no matter the author, the focus of the editors was on finding hidden gems, stories that were long out of print, tales that when strung together highlight the breadth of tone and storytelling style of the subgenre, making the volume both a useful entry into the vampire menace cannon and a fun read.
Verdict: A perfect anthology for most libraries that provides an enlightening and broad introduction to the popular vampire menace trope as surveyed over two centuries with plenty of treasures for fans new and old to discover.
More Notes:
This is an academic, carefully constructed anthology meant to showcase the breadth of vampire literature while also underscoring its enduring appeal and the monster's ability to stand in as a commentary on many human issues and concerns. Authors are names most readers will know and yet the stories are gems, hard to find, out of print, etc....
But mostly, it was fun to read. So many different takes on "vampires" and yet, it all fit together.
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04...
Three Word That Describe This Book: enlightening, broad, fun
Draft Review:
This carefully constructed, academically framed anthology begins with Polidori's novella marking the beginning of the vampire menace trope in 1819 and goes through to a John Ajvide Lindqvist tale from 2011. Showcasing the breadth of vampire literature over time to underscore its enduring appeal, this anthology illustrates how vampires have stood as both entertainment and commentary on universal human issues and concerns. Many of the included authors are names today’s readers will know such as Bram Stoker, Robert Bloch, and Angela Carter, while others are creators whose names have been lost to history such as Mary Elizabeth Braddon, but no matter the author, the focus of the editors was on finding hidden gems, stories that were long out of print, tales that when strung together highlight the breadth of tone and storytelling style of the subgenre, making the volume both a useful entry into the vampire menace cannon and a fun read.
Verdict: A perfect anthology for most libraries that provides an enlightening and broad introduction to the popular vampire menace trope as surveyed over two centuries with plenty of treasures for fans new and old to discover.
More Notes:
This is an academic, carefully constructed anthology meant to showcase the breadth of vampire literature while also underscoring its enduring appeal and the monster's ability to stand in as a commentary on many human issues and concerns. Authors are names most readers will know and yet the stories are gems, hard to find, out of print, etc....
But mostly, it was fun to read. So many different takes on "vampires" and yet, it all fit together.
March 12, 2022
Time to catch up on reviewing!
I got this book as a Christmas present from someone, who knows I'm *obsessed* with vampire stories. I love them! So having a short story collection of vampire stories is just what I want!
I did struggle a little bit with the first stories, due to the "older" English writing, which was a bit difficult to understand, but it was a fun challenge! I enjoyed pretty much all the stories, but skimmed one in the end. It wasn't really that interesting, and I couldn't get into that story. I however LOVED the last one the most.
I would definitely recommend it to any vampire lover out there, it is also perfect as a gift!
I got this book as a Christmas present from someone, who knows I'm *obsessed* with vampire stories. I love them! So having a short story collection of vampire stories is just what I want!
I did struggle a little bit with the first stories, due to the "older" English writing, which was a bit difficult to understand, but it was a fun challenge! I enjoyed pretty much all the stories, but skimmed one in the end. It wasn't really that interesting, and I couldn't get into that story. I however LOVED the last one the most.
I would definitely recommend it to any vampire lover out there, it is also perfect as a gift!
May 18, 2021
Just as it says: two centuries of short stories about vampires. It’s a good mix and the book design is really gorgeous.
February 17, 2022
What it says on the tin. Two centuries of the most influential vampire stories in one volume. Goes from Polidori to Linqvist. Of course you will see stories from old favorites like Bram Stoker, Angela Carter, and Anne Rice.
Spoiler Alert:
In "Family of the Vordalak" Adult vampire yeets a child vampire at an escaping human and it is the greatest thing I have ever read in my life. Why is there not more of this in vampire literature? Baby vampire missles- now that is terrifying.
Spoiler Alert:
In "Family of the Vordalak" Adult vampire yeets a child vampire at an escaping human and it is the greatest thing I have ever read in my life. Why is there not more of this in vampire literature? Baby vampire missles- now that is terrifying.
November 7, 2022
A wonderful selection of very different vampire stories. It is interesting ti see which tropes carry through and how they're played around with, and which fade as the years go on. I was also happy to read Dracula and Salems Lot while reading this, and was able to see the inspiration points and connections between the various works. I didn't love all the stories but I think that's indicative of a good collection: not everything in it was for me which means some of it was for someone else, suggesting a higher chance there's something for everyone. Altogether a great introduction to the wonderful world of vampire fiction.
May 28, 2024
Visions of the Vampire is a collection of fourteen selected short stories which together detail the evolution of the vampire in fiction from the origin of the modern vampire story in John William Polidori's The Vampyre to modern incarnations by such excellent writers as Anne Rice and John Ajvide Lindquist. As an avid consumer of vampire media of all types, it was a great pleasure to discover some of the lesser-known gems of the vampire genre, and I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Some of the my favourite stories included Good Lady Ducayne by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (stories employing the concept of the vampire for allegory or social commentary are a particular weakness of mine), Over the River by P. Schuyler Miller, The Lady of the House of Love by Angela Carter, and The Master of Rampling Gate by Anne Rice. And this was actually my first time reading Let the Old Dreams Die by John Ajvide Lindquist, the continuation to Let the Right One In, which I originally read many years ago and absolutely loved. I own the 2008 Swedish movie adaptation, but reading Let the Old Dreams Die really made me want to purchase my own copy of Let the Right One In to re-read it. Highly, highly recommended.
October 10, 2022
This was a pretty great collection of short stories. On one hand it is really interesting to see the progression of vampire stories through the years however I found the second ish last half that was the closer to modern stories a lot less interesting.
I'm really glad I have this book as a point of refrence but I didn't enjoy all tge stories in here equally.
I got this on the last day my favorite bookstore was open and I'm glad I purchased this as its a beautiful book but im not entirely sure if I would have bought and enjoyed it as much otherwise.
I'm really glad I have this book as a point of refrence but I didn't enjoy all tge stories in here equally.
I got this on the last day my favorite bookstore was open and I'm glad I purchased this as its a beautiful book but im not entirely sure if I would have bought and enjoyed it as much otherwise.
January 19, 2024
Nicely presented hardcover, but for someone like myself who has a bookcase full of vampire anthologies the contents are mostly predictable. For a reader new to the genre it will be interesting to see Polidori's The Vampyre and Bram Stoker's Dracula's Guest leading up to modern writers like Anne Rice to show the development of the vampire in fiction, but if you want unearthed rarities you'd do better to seek out something like Richard Dalby and Robert Eighteen-Bisang's Vintage Vampire Stories, or a collection of tales from the old pulp magazines called Weird Vampire Tales.
January 6, 2022
Fantastic walk through the ages with some standout stories with enough variety of theming to keep you on your toes. Different perspective, different heroes and different twists and turns.
Out of all of them there was but one I ended up skipping.
A great book for a "story per evening". A must for any vampire lover.
Out of all of them there was but one I ended up skipping.
A great book for a "story per evening". A must for any vampire lover.
February 10, 2025
Beautiful design and out of the 14 stories 13 were top quality. It is both a fantastic way to delve into vampire lore as well as to become acquainted with a heap of new authors. The short story "Advocated" fell short and I did not even finish it. Subpar quality in every regard.
Highly recommended, especially if you have a soft spot for vampires!
Highly recommended, especially if you have a soft spot for vampires!
February 22, 2022
great selection of stories that show the diversity of the vampire myth. it was also very interesting to see how the figure of the vampire and what it represents has changed. my favourites were the family of the vourdalak, the room in the tower, and over the river.
February 11, 2024
This is a great collection of classic and more recent vampire short stories. The book itself looks stunning and the selection is a great introduction to vampire stories or an opportunity for enthusiasts to finally have all these tales in one place.
October 13, 2024
Good collection of short stories for the vampire obsessives in your life. I would have appreciated a more global selection to understand how vampires are perceived in different cultures, and maybe also intros to each story to expand on the context.
March 5, 2025
I really loved this collection, every story hit a different note with me and really encapsulated the spectrum of vampiric literature and what it means to us. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in vampires and the human condition.
November 3, 2025
always a bit hard to judge a short story collection hey? I liked most of them well enough, some I liked a lot, the last two were a bit shit - I don't read short stories to get a random 0.5 sequel to an established world and it annoys me to no end when that's what I'm given
July 17, 2021
The stories in the first 200 pages are 5 star worthy , gothic classics, but then they move to modern vampire stories, 3 star worthy at best. Includes Mary Braddon, Bram Stoker, Benson and others
January 22, 2022
Brilliant anthology
Specially loved the story by Anne Rice and the cloak by Robert Bloch
Specially loved the story by Anne Rice and the cloak by Robert Bloch
March 29, 2022
A very fine collection of little known short stories.
December 31, 2022
A great collection of vampire stories spanning 200 years since Polidori and which shows how the genre has developed.
October 6, 2023
Really enjoyable for any vampire lover! All of the stories were very different which I loved - stopped it from feeling samey!
February 18, 2025
this is a gorgeous hardcover to own, and a wonderful collection of stories for those that want to explore beyond the archetypes presented to us in the cinematic history of the vampire 🦇
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews