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Best Vampire Books

 

Vampires have experienced a huge renaissance the past couple years (with the release of the Twilight Books by Stephanie Meyers). However, those who have been weaned on vampire books such as 'Twilight' are sorely missing out on the really good vampire fiction out there.

That’s not to say that Twilight books are “bad” (they are meeting a market need for certain people) but they are certainly not complex books by any means and they certainly don't do anything "new" in the genre. Such books are for kiddies and the supermarket crowd -- fine for the average person, but not for the discriminating reader/

If you are tired of reading all the crappy, derivative vampire books on the market or you simply want to branch out of your Twilight phase and experience OTHER vampire novels that are delectable, then read this list of the best vampire books in the genre, period.

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#1. Fevre Dream (George R.R. Martin)

Martin is well known for his amazing A Game of Thrones, but less so for this highly atmospheric Vampire fiction.  Fevre Dream is what you get when you mash Mark Twain with Dracula.

The book merges history with myth. Vampires hunt each other up and down the Mississippi river during the great riverboat days of the 1800’s leaving a large body count of innocents along the way. The tale is not really about vampires though, but of the struggle for acceptance and friendship. It's the story about the struggles of friendship (literally) in a landscape that's inimical to it.

If the premise of this novel sounds interesting, that's because it is. This is a unique novel by all accounts and the fact that Martin can merge so two unlikely subjects together into something that's not only workable but outstanding, shows the genius of the writer.

This book is mesmerizing on all levels. Martin is a superb writer and this is one of his best works to date. This is the most complex, most interesting, and bast damn vampire tale you'll ever read.

#2. I am Legend (Richard Matheson)

Few books have been as influential as this one. Before I am Legend, vampires were trapped only on the pages of Gothic novels. Richard Matheson crafted vampires into the realm of science fiction.

The premise centers on Robert Neville, a man who wakes up one morning to find the world has ended; he’s the last man alive, with the rest of humanity turned into hordes of undead who by night continually attack his house (or I should say fortress). It's a novel about man's unrelenting will to survive in the face off all adversity. And a tale about being alone and enduring isolation without the prospect of ever ending that very isolation. This is a rich novel folks that everyone should read.

Don’t think because you’ve seen the feature film based off the book that already know the story. The film in no way matches the spin tingling chill present throughout the entire book.

 

#3. Salem’s Lot (Steven King)

King is one of the most unrecognized writers on the planet. Oh, I know he’s made millions from both his books and movie deals, but the literary world has continually given him the snub.

King single handily reboots the entire vampire myth to a modern day setting with his book. Without a doubt, Salem's Lot is one of King’s best books (and that’s saying a lot since King has quite a fair share of them) and arguably a vampiric masterpiece.  

Like with any classic “King” novel, there is a small community of people who are on many levels disconnected from each other. It is this very disconnection that shelters a lurking evil.

With loving detail, King builds up the community. You get the day to day sense of the community – both the goodness present and the inherent flaws. But it's a town with dangerous secrets, with hidden closets and locked doors, a town where evil things can lurk beneath the light of the ordinary. It's a place where the ordinary can become extraordinary. A place where the uncanny can happen.

With Salem’s Lot, King builds a house of dominos and in one unrelenting chapter, tears it all down. So sit down and enjoy the feast. It’s going to get bloody. This is one freaky novel folks, doused with all the King goodness you could ask for. Read it and be scared.

 

#4: Dracula (Bram Stoker)

This is THE progenitor of the entire vampire genre. While this is not the best vampire book in terms of style, originality, or plot (Stoker was a mediocre writer in terms of style at best), this is the book that put  vampirism on the map in a big way. It spawned countless derivative and brought the vampire myth into public consciousness. Yes, I Dracula is technical not the first modern vampire story written, but it's the story that caught the public's eye and spawned an entire industry.

As few other novels have ever had the lasting pop culture influence that Bram Stoker’s book has had. And for this reason alone, you should read it. And you know what, first-of-the-vampire-works-aside, the story itself also a pretty damn good tale to boot. Worth reading? Oh yea.

 

 

#5: Vampire$ (John Steakley)

From the moment you jump Vampire$  to the moment you finish, it’s vicious action without apology.

Steakley make the vampire myth completely believable within the realms of his novel. No nonsense about turning into bats or any of that. No lovey dovey human and vampire harlequin nonsense with a handful of vampires with bad hair really being "decent guys" despite the fact they drink blood for sport. No, in this book vampires are just purely evil, purely vicious, murdering bastards. This book is as close to action perfection that you're going to find.

It's vulgar, edgy, and as good as it gets when it comes to reading about vampire killing. It's also got some of the best male camaraderie and bonding you'll read in a book (the non gay kind).

The book follows a group of professional vampire killers. They love to drink, swear, and carouse, and they have the full backing of the Catholic church to kill some vampire ass. There was a movie made by John Carpenter based on this book. Forget it ever existed! Vampire$ is a thousand times better than that wreck of a movie. So if you want a kick ass vampire novel that doesn't scrimp out on vulgarity and raw action, Steakley's Vampire$ is the best you're going to find.

#6: Children of the Night (Dan Simmons)

I’ve heard it said that it’s impossible for Dan Simmons to write a bad novel; I agree. A man with many talents (his Hyperion is considered one of Science Fictions most beloved novels), Simmons turns his unique skills to the Dracula tale. This books is great because not only does Simmons tell a fantastic thriller tale, he also flips the Vampire mythos upside down. The novel has one of the most convincing scientific explanations for vampires that I’ve yet read about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#7: The Keep (F. Paul Wilson)

This novel’s a fun one. Combine Nazis and Vampires in this piece of horror fiction. Captain Klause Woerman is told to hold a small abandoned keep in the heart of the Transylvanian Alps. When his men start disappearing, all hell breaks loose.
For readers looking for Vampire fiction with a horror sting to it, The Keep is up there with the best. It’s a riveting page turner that takes some of the classic vampire lore that we are all used to and adds a whole new twist to it. Just don’t read it at night when you are alone. Especially if there’s a forest nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

#8: The Last Vampire (Christopher Pike)

If you've read Twilight, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and company take note, this is the novel you ’ve been looking for.  It is in fact one of the best vampire stories out there, if you like some of those aforementioned books. The Last Vampire is, as the title suggests, the story of the last vampire.  The star of the show is Sita, a 5000 year old vampire who’s falling in love with a human who resembles here old (vampire) lover.  This is her struggle to find peace.

The Last Vampire is a series, but it’s one of the more intelligent and interesting vampire series on the market. I hands down prefer this to the new vampire books flooding the market.
Interview with a Vampire (Anne Rice)

This is one of the best novels featuring vampires in the modern era.

 

#9: Fledgling (Octavia E. Butler)

For a powerful vampire novel that tackles some of life’s important issues. Fledgling is not your standard vampire novel. So if you are expecting Twilight 7, don’t waste your time.

Rather, it’s an intelligent novel about society, about its prejudice, it’s power, and the transformation it causes.

It’s not very often that something new happens in the time worn vampire fiction genre. However, Butler manages to instill something unique into the genre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#10: Vampire Earth (E.E. Knight)

Humans have been conquered and now the vampires rule. That’s the premise of E.E. Knight’s wonderful Vampire Earth series. Vampire Earth is a skillful blending of different genres. It's one of those books where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.

The book (series in fact) follows the life of David Valentine, a man who's parents have been murdered by agents of the Kurians, otherworldly "vampires" that have enslaved humanity. The world is not as you know it, but rather a post apocalyptic wasteland that's been corrupted and conquered by the alien overlords. Into this world is born Valentine

For those of you who like your books gritty, you won't have too much to complain about when reading this novel. The action is absolutely vicious and heart pumping when it happens. This books is all about survive by any means possible.

It’s not the most sophisticated of the vampire books in the vein of say Butler’s Fledgling. There is no hidden depth the the novel, no subtext message present (other than maybe "life would suck to be conquered by an alien vampiric race). But all that other stuff doesn't matter when you read the book.

 

 

Other Recommendations

If you want a vampire detective series or if you like Twilight, read Sookie Stackhouse

If you want vampire books full of teen angst and romance, look at the Twilight series.

If you want a classic vampire tale, read Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire. In fact, Rice has arguably been the one of the major catalysts behind the rise of the current vampire craze. The Sookie Stackhouse and the Twilight series are all heavily influenced by Rice’s works in fact.

If you want vampire novels with a lots and lots of passionate sex, read Laura K Hamilton’s Anita Blake series

If you want a fun vampire series that’s as crazy and weird as it is fun, read Brian Lumley’s Necroscope