THE VAMPYRE

by Tom Holland

Infamous poet Lord Byron comes to life with incendiary brilliance in this spellbinding blend of gothic imagination and documented fact. Wandering in the mountains of Greece, the supreme sensualist is drawn to the beauty of a mysterious fugitive slave; soon he is utterly entranced, and his fate is sealed. He embarks on a life of adventure even his genius could not have foreseen; chosen to enjoy powers beyond those any vampire has ever known, Byron traverses the centuries and enters a dark, intoxicating world of long-lost secrets, ancient arts and scorching excesses of evil. But Byron's gift is also his an all-consuming thirst that withers life at the root, damning all those he loves.

With its impeccable scholarship and breathtaking storytelling, THE VAMPYRE is a wonderful combination of fact and fantasy.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Historical

37 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Tom Holland is an English historian and author. He has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, on many subjects from vampires to history.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before interrupting the post graduate studies and moving to London.

He has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4. His novels, including Attis and Deliver Us From Evil, mostly have a supernatural and horror element as well as being set in the past. He is also the author of three highly praised works of history, Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium.

He is on the committee of the Society of Authors and the Classical Association.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

i can't help it, i love byron. i have about 30 books here that fictionalize his life and work and discourtesies. and most of them look like cheap romance novels, but i love that clubfooted bastard even when they are bad. and this one is bad. byron as a vampire?? how could this story go off the tracks, you wonder?? well, it does. pretty spectacularly. i own the sequel too, and i will read it because i cannot resist! i'm just glad i can read pretty quickly, so i am able to indulge myself these little diversions from good taste and sensible reading. someday soon i will embark upon my byronathon and read all these old mass markets with their blue-tinted pages and see if any of them deserve to be back in print, or if it was meant to protect us all...

come to my blog!

[Overhaul · Rating 3 out of 5]

El famoso poeta y libertino del siglo XIX, Lord Byron, viaja a Grecia y se convierte en el vampiro más formidable del mundo, entrando en un mundo oscuro y embriagador de artes antiguas y abrasadores excesos del mal, en este libro poco convencional del autor de Banquete de sangre..

Deambulando con su amigo Hobhouse por las montañas de Grecia, Byron se siente atraído por la belleza de un misterioso esclavo fugitivo cuyo cuerpo pálido y delgado y ojos ardientes con flecos negros despiertan su lujuria; pronto Byron queda completamente fascinado y su destino está sellado. El sensualista supremo se embarca en una vida de aventuras que ni siquiera su genio podría haber previsto: la del vampiro más formidable del mundo.

Elegido para disfrutar de poderes más allá de los que cualquier vampiro haya conocido jamás, Byron se adentra en todo un mundo oscuro y embriagador, atravesando siglos de secretos perdidos hace mucho tiempo, artes antiguas y abrasadores excesos del mal.

Desde el Levante hasta los salones de Londres, desde los Alpes helados hasta las oscuras languideces de Venecia, bebe profundamente de terror y sexo, cada vez más desesperado por destruir su necesidad del más prohibido de los deseos. Pero sus diversiones, deliciosas y crueles, están impregnadas del rico aroma de la fatalidad.

El regalo de Byron es también su tormento: una sed devoradora que marchita la vida desde la raíz, condenando a quienes ama.

Puntuación: 2,5⭐️

Lectura pasable. Muy bien escrita pero que me recuerda demasiado a lo largo del libro a Anne Rice en "Entrevista con el vampiro" es lo mismo en un estilo muy parecido de trama. Mismas pausas al contarla e historias con otra ambientación y personajes.

Me gusta el estilo narrativo de este autor y su buena ambientación y paseo por la historia.

Se deja leer pero nada memorable. Supongo que a estas alturas del cuento habiéndome ventilado todo del género ya no me sorprende esta trama después de leer a Lestat.

Personajes curiosos aunque me gustaron más los de Banquete. Con una trama e historia que cautiva sin similitudes a otros libros.

No me ha cautivado como lo hizo "Banquete de Sangre"..✍️🧛🎩

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interview with a vampire. Rebecca, a descendant, meets her ancestor in a spooky location in London. Lord Byron never died. Inside you'll hear his story about how he became a vampire, his debaucheries, his relationship to women (even his incestuous one), the places he visited (Greece, Italy and Little Asia), his open attitude to men. You'll also meet up with Shelley (Mary too), Polidori (who wrote The Vampire). Incredibly good and literary portrait of "The Napoleon of Words". The horror isn't missing either. This book combines some old school narration and 19th century flair with classic Gothic elements. Highly recommended!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizarre book! I had it marked as horror while on my tbr shelf. After reading it, I unclicked the horror box and selected gothic. It's truly a gothic story, very similar I'm sure to Anne Rices work. The entire book is a narrative of a past life and history. While this can grow annoying, at least the life led was interesting.

I was bitterly disappointed and aggrieved by something that happened when Bryon was made Vampire, but was happy the author resolved this a bit in the end with a surprise visit. I wish it would have worked out the other way though without misunderstanding.

There were a lot of changes to the classic vampire story here but I don't wish to say them as that would spoil the surprise of the story as Byron himself finds out the true horror of being undead.

Byron by himself was an okay sort pre-vamp, but due to his nature and just him in general he's not the greatest type of person. How truly awful it would be to live an existence as they did. Not an amazing piece of literature, but still a good piece of work for someone wanting a different sort of tortured vampire story. When I say tortured I don't mean innocent vampires trying to play nice, they are cruel and matter of fact in this book. The tortured element is just part of the the horrible existence of immortality for this piece.

I'm not familiar with Byron's work and this is the first piece of fiction I've read about the author. Really dug the writer's style and it's clear he has talent with the word.

[Steffi]

Nachdem mir die Geschichte zu lange in Byrons Vergangenheit und fremden Ländern verweilte, während ich sehnsüchtig darauf wartete, dass die Handlung wieder in das London der Gegenwart wechselt, habe ich nur noch quergelesen.
Daher mag ich gar keine Bewertung abgeben, zu oberflächlich meine Lektüre.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of two very cleverly done vampire books. Two of my favorites actually. He manages to combine some notable people and fictional characters in history in a totally believable way and also creates more of a place for John Polidori than he usually manages to have. It was well done, richly textured and I might have to read one again today now that I am talking about it.

:)

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Action scenes with alot of boring scenes in between (in my opinion). It's very similar to the format of Interview With the Vampire, and brings nothing really new to the genre. I wasn't interested in the main character (Byron), so I really didn't care what happened to him. Maybe it picks up in the second half, but I'm not sticking around to find out. This just wasn't for me.

[Sheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is campy, hilariously bad. It has the worst sexy/conflicted vampire elements of Rice, but with enough nods to Byron's life to keep me going till the end (it is blessedly short as edited for audio) The reading is dramatically ridiculous.
Here is a bafflingly stupid line, to give you some flavor:
(a slave girl to an ancient vampire is tearfully offering her virginity to Byron if he will help her escape)
"I was already rakish enough to know that a woman cries in order to lubricate herself" 🙄
Plenty of similar side-eye to laugh out loud moments.
If you are looking for a quick, silly shot of vampire porn, this is the ticket.

[Amellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Том Холанд създава забележителен роман за лорд Байрон. В него е намерен балансът между готика, хорър и историзъм с вплетени биографични елементи, а този похват на писане едновременно пренася читателя в епохата на Романтизма и го кара да я анализира в съвременността. Историята на скандалния поет е разказвана в съвремието от самия него (превърнал се във вампир) пред младата Ребека, която влиза в дома му, търсейки истината за изчезването на майка си.
Байрон говори за младостта си и съпътстващите я разочарования, за търсенето на удовлетворение от живота и невъзможността да го постигне, за дружбата си с Хобхаус, за странстванията им, за приятелството си с Шели и отношенията си с д-р Полидори, чиито роман „Вампирът“ е свързан с настоящата творба в много отношения. Паралелно с историческия наратив върви и готическият, т.е. хорър елементите не са за пренебрегване – има ги подземията, чудовищата, кръвопийците, убийствата и дебненето в нощта. Не са спестени и откровено погнусяващи сцени на разлагаща се плът и кръвосмешения.
Всяка една от тринадесетте глави започва с епиграф – стихове на Байрон, извадки от писма, цитати от „Дневници“ на описващия пътуванията им Хобхаус, биографията на поета от Томас Мур, уводът към „Франкенщайн“ на Мери Шели, както и извадки от „Вампирът“ на Полидори. Те допринасят за автентичното звучене на този вариант на Байроновата история. Фолклорът също присъства осезаемо при пътуването из земята на гърците, които панически се страхуват от чудовище, които пие кръв. Любовта на Байрон към Гърция е персонифицирана в образа на прекрасната Хаиде.
Джордж Байрон не може да бъде представян другояче, освен като противоречива и скандална персона, а Том Холанд се справя с тази задача доста успешно. Ако творбата бъде четена само като вампирски роман обаче, читателят едва ли ще намери нещо оригинално, което вече да не е описвано в съответния жанр.

[Krodì80 · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'anemia del revenant

Tom Holland scrive un romanzo interessante e ambizioso, che avrebbe un sapore più marcato, se non lo avessero preceduto l'immortale romanzo di Bram Stoker e, più di recente, il bel Louis, Lestat e l'allegra combriccola ideati da Anne Rice. Raccontare la storia di Lord Byron in chiave vampirica, nonostante topoi strautilizzati e trovate-soluzioni narrative che ricordano la freschezza polverosa di una cripta, esercita comunque un certo fascino, considerati anche scorci e ambientazioni molto azzeccati, lugubremente accattivanti (la misteriosa Giannina, Missolungi, scenari sinistri lungo il fiume Acheronte, sperduti luoghi di una Grecia cupa e inaccessibile, e poi pure Venezia in perenne decadenza, Milano, Ravenna, e nobiltà varia e avariata, senza dimenticare pascià e sultani - tanto per non farci mancare nulla). In più: i fatti raccontati da Holland si intersecano con le vite di personaggi realmente frequentati dal poeta inglese (Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary e la sorellastra Claire, il medico John Polidori) ed eventi memorabili, come la famosa notte di Villa Diodati. Tanta carne al fuoco, dunque, carne al sangue ça va sans dire: ma io, francamente, la preferisco ben cotta.

[Ikram Miah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this book on my shelf for quite some time and wanted to read with the hope that I was in store for a gothic masterpiece. For the most part, the author, Tom Holland (no, not the web-slinger) had produced a narrative full of the bleak, eerie and macabre atmosphere that any true lover of the genre could appreciate. The downside comes with the cheesy action sequences between Lord Byron and his enemies matched only by his corny one-liners which instead impressing, only made me laugh.

I should also mention, in spite of being a brilliant and charismatic individual, I found Lord Byron to be a pompous prick and at times contemptible with how he treats others. My favourite characters by far were the Shelleys, who were softer and more subdued in comparison. I thought the temperament for both Percy and Mary was captured well and reflected how I would presume the real-life counterparts to be. Rebecca who serves as the witness for the plot and the gateway for which the reader is able to explore Byron’s story was brave although I also found her to be very naïve.

There is one thing I would like to ask Mr Holland if I could and that would be why he felt it was necessary to include erotic content at every conceivable chance. I can appreciate that this comes with the territory given that vampires are involved but I can’t help but feel that this should be done sparingly and with a hint of subtlety as opposed to being crowbarred in at every given opportunity.

Overall, a fairly decent read with a balanced blend of gothic and gory elements. The overarching theme of the book revolves around the question of immortality and the moral conflict man has to undergo in order to obtain it... should he desire to.

[Hanna Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has all the bells and whistles that come with classic Gothic horror, but it lacks depth.
Every single character (even the MC who is based on a real historical figure) felt like a cardboard cut out. I'm amazed The hero is such a dude, and you will be wondering what the appeal is. For example, Byron can walk down a street with all the women throwing themselves at him, and he hasn't even made eye contact. He thinks a lot of himself, does a lot for himself, has a lot of naughty fun but he's quite stupid and boring, overall. You will very much be under the impression that absolutely every man, woman and goat in the vicinity can't resist him, though.
This book was incredibly hard to rate because it is clever, it is evidently well-researched and the world building was excellent in parts, but it felt so shallow. I will say that the chapters featuring The Shelleys were more interesting, but overall, it was cramming a lot into a small space.
This novel was structured much in the same way as Rice's Interview With The Vampire but the huge difference there is how we bond with Louis as a character. I did not care enough about any of these characters as they lacked depth. Even Lestat the villain is more interesting and appealing than any of these characters in this book. Bear with me while I try and explain my thoughts, because they're complicated:
When he meets a vampire in Greece, Byron is seduced and desires the world's knowledge. The Pasha who promises him this knowledge also wants him as his companion for eternity, and Byron is into it.
I do wish Byron had also checked to see if with becoming a vampire he would also gain a bit of common sense, as that was definitely something he lacked. There is a scene where after living in the Pasha's Gothic mountain castle for a few days and seeing all there is to see about the undead and what they get up to, Byron still can't put two and two together when he visits the peasants in the nearby village and thinks they're looking a bit pale, acting strange and showing more interest in his cut palm than the coin he is trying to bribe them with. He just can't work it out. There's something fishy going on but he can't say for sure. His horse is nervous around these pointy-toothed anaemics (who weren't this pale when he saw them last week?? What happened there?) but no, Byron is still waiting for them to sit down and have a chat with him about things.
There are some elements of this book that read like an action-packed video game where the hero gets all the girls, any time and anywhere he wants, but there are some excellent descriptions of scenery, too.
I thought the entire legend about the vurdulaucha, the local suspicions and the idea of the Vampire king being a Pasha (the turks were oppressing the Greeks at this time) was excellent. The mointainside castle with a passageway into the underworld was also fantastic. I really loved that, and the legend of Lilith. This is why this book was hard to rate, because most of everything else is not that good.
I learned recently that Tom Holland did eventually quit writing fiction and moved on to writing history books instead. He is an excellent historian. The historian was alive and well in this book, but we needed the storyteller.
There are elements of this book that feel forced, and a lot of relationships between characters appeared seemingly out of nowhere, to the point where I'd have to go back a few pages and make sure I hadn't simply missed an in-depth conversation in the rose garden between Byron and this new female character he loves so much that they're actually getting married. I hadn't missed anything, things just moved very quickly.
In the blurb it's very much about Byron being lured by this mysterious, beautiful Greek slave. His love for her brings him into the Pasha's claws and he has to try and save her. That is very much part of the book but the amount of time he spends forgetting about her is impressive—it's up there with Worf failing to remember his wife in the last episode of Star Trek DS9.
I wasn't convinced that our man was capable of love, and then when it turns out everything he does is for love, I was confused to say the least. Don't get me wrong, everything was finally tied together at the end but you might find yourself sitting there thinking, 'Oh... I see' when it is all explained to you in one final passage. You will see how it is that way, but you won't feel it's particularly convincing. Then you'll have a few questions about the vast differences between female and male vampire anatomy and reproductive properties.
The language is a bit flat at times, and not once did I feel that Byron genuinely reflected on anything, or felt for anyone other than himself. Even when it comes to companionship as a vampire, he's not looking for a soul mate, he's just trying to prevent future loneliness and boredom. Funny how that doesn't change in 200 years.
The tie-in of his actual life with the events in the book was really clever—a sign of good historical fiction—but so much happens and everyone speaks the same way, about the same things etc. A lot of looking into eyes and looking away in fear, but looking again with lust etc.
Rebecca as the interviewer was also incredibly uninteresting. The format worked, but she wasn't a likeable character, nor did I particularly care if anything did or didn't happen to her.
This book did a lot of explaining, but as a vampire romp with some interesting history, I did not hate it.
I still recommend this book, despite my bipolar review.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, somewhat mixed feelings about this one. It started great; the opening scene is spooky, mysterious, creepy, frightening. Most of the book, however, is written in a form I generally dislike. Around page 30, Lord Byron starts to tell his story, in dialogue, to another character. This comprises most of the book. Who sits and talks like that? And, who sits and listens to it? Every now and then, there's a short (maybe a paragraph) break to describe Byron and his listener, but mostly it's page after page of Byron telling the story. If you want to use Byron as your narrator, why not simply write the book in first person? It would be easier (I lost track of the number of times, the quotation marks were misused) and read better. Other than that, Byron takes a long time getting to the point of telling his listener (and us, the readers) how he became a vampire. After he's turned, the book also takes a turn for the better. It's gruesome, graphic, and far more interesting than it had been up to that point. A nice twist on the vampire mythos is the specific way that a vampire becomes ageless. I won't spoil it here, but it's morbid and morally challenging. Cool. So I liked the book, but didn't love it. And...can something be done about the blurbs on the backs of books? This one promised me that "the ending is nail-bitingly terrifying" so I was looking forward to that from the beginning. I didn't find the ending particularly terrifying, and due to that blurb, it was a bit disappointing. Maybe I should just quit reading those blurbs. But nah, that's not gonna happen.

[Vedrana Vidicevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished it.It is compared to Interview with a vampire but i have to say that i feel meaningful difference from this book and Interview with vampire.When i read Interview with vampire i had to skip few pages in this case i read every letter and when i had to drop book i was sorry for it. His highest vampire,Velekh Pasha is scarier to me then any other. He walks in daylight and Bayron's first meeting with him is done inn late noon or so. Something is scary in it. He even smiled at him.I can not get bihind that moment. And how lucky was Byron's friend without knowing it that he managed to control him self and never actually attack him and feed on him though he was with him often.There are some mildly erotic moments but they are you know..."panties tingling". Haha. However ,there is bit Bram Stocker Dracula in it and bit of Interview with vampire but i enjoyed this one more.Incomparably more ,then other two.Ending is so scary that i don't like to remember it.Description of crypt is also scary in it's own way. As characters are descending in dark passages you feel as you go9 there with them. Surprising book from man who made that religious documentary that made so much noise recently.Historian writing good book about vampires .He connected history and fiction.I guess two things he likes.

[Clodia Metelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The figure of the brooding, Byronic hero and that of the vampire found their places in English literature at around the same time, both as part of the Romantic movement of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. One of the first vampire stories written in English was in fact composed by Dr. Polidori, the physician of Lord Byron himself.

In this novel, the two figures are blended, as Lord Byron, poet, lover, scandal-driven exile and freedom fighter is further cursed with an immortality, stained with vampiric thirst.

The novel is suffused with the dark, rich elements of the gothic literature of the period - brooding castles, tormented, driven hero, exotic travel,tragic heroines, twisted lusts and, of course, lots of gore.

A particularly piquant cruelty is leant to Byron's situation in that he is not only the sensitive, anguished type of vampire of more recent decades, there is also that in his nature harking back to the more brutish, deadly revenant of folklore.
An entertaining, intelligent take on both the vampire and the Byron mythos.

[Ренета Кирова · Rating 2 out of 5]

Текстът се лее, преводът е чудесен! Самата история, обаче, не е по моя вкус.
Началото ме заинтригува, започва мистично, много добре е пресъздадена готическата атмосфера. По сюжет е фикция и хорър, нямаше нищо цветно в книгата, всичко е в черни, бели и червени оттенъци. Авторът използва животът на лорд Байрон, върху чиято основа построява една фантастична история тип "Интервю с вампир" и "Дракула". Използвани са образите на Пърси Шели, Мери Шели, Полидори, Хобхаус и пътуванията на Байрон в Албания, Гърция, Османската империя, Италия, така както е в биографията на поета. От всичко това е написана история за това как Байрон се превръща във вампир и животът му като такъв. Похот, кървави сцени, убийства, кръв - всичко това четох с лека погнуса.
На тези, които обичат готиката и класическите истории за вампири, книгата може да допадне. Някои от сцените ми приличаха на "Интервю с вампир", понеже и тук Байрон разказва историята на превръщането си в кръвопиец.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was für ein tolles Buch. Endlich mal wieder ein Vampir-Buch der alten Sorte, und nicht dieser Teenager-Kram, der mich ehrlich gesagt auch immer wieder gut unterhält, haha. Es geht um Lord Byron, eine Person, die wirklich gelebt hat. Es werden Zitate von Personen um Byron herum benutzt, außerdem waren Teile der Geschichte sicher historisch richtig belegt. Byron´s Andersartigkeit wird hier erklärt, auf fantastische Art und Weise. Er ist ein Vampir. Der größte Teil des Buches ist also seine Lebensgeschichte, welche er Jahre später erzählt. Manches war für mich ein wenig zu viel. Ich will keine Spoiler nennen, ich meine das dunkle Geheimnis, welches mir doch zu absurd erschien. Ansonsten jedoch ein tolles Buch, voller Leben, Liebe, Sex, aber auch Grauen, Horror, Tod.

[Elin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a vampire book, but it was nice reading a vampire novel with the classical gothic vampire that is evil, sucks blood, kills humans and LIKES it. None of that urban fantasy crap where vampires are plain sexual beings that put a little adventure into having sex. No this is the classical gothic vampire story and I love this book. It starts off kind of slow and for a while there one thinks it will keep going the same road as Dracula, but it takes a turn - for the better - and turns the main character into a vampire.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Definitely a fever dream, but also definitely not mesmerizing. A mildly interesting take on Lord Byron's life/unlife. Favorite part is that section involving the Shelleys (Percy and Mary), and I truly enjoyed the chapter opening real quotes from Byron and company. Our main character? Irresolute, inconstant, insufficient. Sets up for a sequel, but damned if I'll read it.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rarely, if ever, have I given up on a book with fewer than 100 pages to go. I did that with this novel.

Yeah, it's yet another Interview with a Vampire knockoff, with a tormented vampire telling his tale to a willing audience. That's okay, because the vampire is Lord Byron so it's just different enough.

I even liked the first part, in which he becomes a vampire. I was engaged. It was interesting. I was digging the book.

Then he becomes a vampire and it falls apart, for 2 reasons.

1. Stupid vampire powers. It's never fully explained, but he somehow can teleport out of his body and travel somewhere else, yet still be in a solid form to drain victims. Didn't like it. He can also change his gender. Really didn't like that.

2. Sex with his sister. Sorry, I can't get into incest, and it's never clear why a vampire would want to have sex with his sister. And even more, why she's want to have sex with him. Stupid.

I actually kinda liked the twist on vampire immortality (they'll age until they drain a relative, with a child having the most allure and potency), but a vampire is a dead corpse, right? So his little sperms should also be dead, right? Which should make it hard (haha) for a dead sperm to fertlize an egg. Right?

After that, I couldn't take it anymore.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)
Tom Holland's well-researched novel on the possibilities of a Byron vampire intrigued my interest from the start. I'm a huge fan of both Byron and vampires, so--well, what could go wrong? Two of my favorite things in one novel...hahahaha....I wasn't at all nervous.

Well, I am sincerely glad I picked up this book. It's the perfect combination of fact and utter fiction to divine such a story that is both captivating and enlightening. It's not perfect, but it never stumbles, never flinches, perhaps only avoids certain aspects which the author may not have wanted to write?

The characterization of Byron in the novel surely is a familiar and interesting one, and I must say as a huge Shelley (Mary and Percy alike) fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the latter's part in the novel, it was easily my favorite part.
The book contains definite similarities both in nature and in style to that of The Vampire Chronicles, but I would definitely say that this is a wholeheartedly positive thing--it stands on its own.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A minor disappointment. I’d liked the author’s non-fiction Rubicon, and a Byron biography by another writer I read some years ago. Seemed like adding vampires might be interesting, but it really wasn’t. As all of the blurbs on the jacket mention, it owes a lot to Ann Rice. Adds very little to vampire lore. Still, some decent scares, and enough history sprinkled in with the fiction to make it passable.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is how Vampire stories should be told!! Dark & gothic!! Truly one of my all time favorite vampire novels now! I really hope there are more books by this author because be is a master at horror writing! WOW!

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why so many people are hating on this book. I thought it was wonderfully written, and the story unfolded in such a way that actually made me wonder if Byron WAS a vampire. I wish stories like this were adapted for the screen instead of endless high school vampire stories. That genre was tired in the 90s. This would actually make for a really cool anime, too.

I have a small book of Byron's poetry that I dip into from time to time, but I had absolutely no idea that his life was so controversial and strange. This book was the first glimpse I've had into the man behind the poetry. And what a man!

He was probably a really awful human and to have actually known him would probably have been to one's detriment, but there is something undeniably alluring about not giving a fuck and living life exactly the way you want to, which it seems Byron did.

I'm just so happy to have found a vampire book that wasn't conplete garbage. This was well-researched and intelligent. I really liked it. I also think it's a great introduction to Byron's life for people who don't know anything about him, obviously with a fantastical twist, but that makes him all the more fascinating.

I thought the twist at the end was pretty cool, too.

[Jennifer Freitag · Rating 4 out of 5]

So close to a 5 stars for me. Like 4.75. I really enjoyed this to the point that I was bummed when it was over. It's hard to find a vampire story with a different spin that's not only good but unique. It really has a bit of everything in it. Highly recommend - and definitely reading more by Mr. Holland.

[Bethany Pehora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough twists on the traditional myth to keep it entertaining and fresh and who doesn't love a libertine noble poet with a lust for blood?

[Ric · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

i’m sorry. i made it halfway and stopped. i realized i was not interested enough to finish. it seemed so much like a redux of Rice’s Interview but not as engaging. it is well written. it moves fairly quickly. but it lingered too long on its origin story. so i skipped ahead to see if what i had guessed the ending would hold and found i was unsurprised. oh well.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing is, this novel is ridiculous. It is a more concisely-written Interview With The Vampire with Lord Byron as the main character and the plot a strangely-paced version of Byron's life. The framing device is basically pointless and the long section in which the protagonist-that-we-all-know-becomes-a-vampire finds out about vampires and is trapped by one is as predictable as in any generic vampire story. It makes some frankly strange choices (giving a notably large amount of narrative justification for Byron's probable affair with his half-sister Augusta, for example) and somehow does a disservice to most of the historical figures it fictionalises (with the exception maybe of Percy Shelley, who is only a slight caricature of himself really).

However, I'm glad it exists. It's only natural that it does, given Byron's connection with the popular image of the vampire (and The Vampyre, the story written by Polidori and given a new meaning in this novel). Also, if it didn't, there wouldn't be a moment in fiction in which Byron tries to convince Shelley to become a vampire too by using the argument 'think of all the liberty we could fight for', presumably the main way to convince Percy Shelley anything is a good idea.

[embo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give this audiobook two stars.
The text itself is dull and lifeless, just like this portrayal of Lord Byron. It's an interesting concept with poor execution.
But! Richard E. Grant's performance is outstanding. Listen to this quick read, if only for that.

[Beca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely good but also DEFINITELY too long. Needed editing, especially the last third.