This book isn't a novel, but does give the reader fascinating insight into the genesis of vampire literature and the huge jump the vampire has made from mythical being to modern cultural icon.

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was celebrating its centenary the year I wrote my dissertation. I'm not sure if this influenced me, but I knew, from the moment I was asked the subject I would write about, that vampire literature was the only candidate. This book is a great read for all who wish to read the seminal vampire novel. The book isn't to the taste of all modern readers, but, if you wish for a knowledge not based on Hammer Horror or some of the poor cinematic versions of the book, then it's a must. Don't be fooled by poor imitations, the original novel is so much more than any of the films it has spawned.

I loved this book when I read it, tapping into, as it does, the world of therapy and mental illness. This vampire is for those looking for a hero. Dr Weyland is a deeply flawed human, but he is a survivor, running on instinct. He takes no joy from his existence. There is no reference to vampire mythology, how he was made or vampire society. What this book gives the reader is perceptions of truth and power within an unnatural relationship.

Think of The Colour Purple and interweave a vampire narrative. Gilda witnesses 200 years of slavery and racism in America. All that Gilda witnesses and suffers doesn't make her evil and one never struggles to empathize with Gilda. This vampire novel asks questions of society that are at times hard to answer.

Before I ever read this novel, I saw the made-for-TV version with David Soul and was blown away. I'd recommend this book to anyone for whom a novel written in 1897, like Dracula, is too far removed from our modern world. Stephen King took the vampire in its purest form and transported it to middle America and shows us what happens when old horror is introduced into the new world.

This isn't my favourite Poppy Z. Brite novel, "Drawing Blood" is, but "Lost Souls" is a gripping vampire novel. If you're looking for an easy read then this book isn't for you. Some of the truths Ms. Brite tells make difficult reading as she shows that the true horror lies in the real world rather than in the fantasy of horror. This book was written at the end of the last millennium and shows the maelstrom of emotion typical in a 'fin de siècle' novel. This novel is set in a youthful subculture of drug taking, music and blood. Blood, sex and alienated youth are the themes for this excellent vampire novel.

I'm a complete fan of the first four novels and think that anyone who reads vampire literature should read Anne Rice because her mythology and characterizations are sublime. If you ever doubted how much research a writer does, read this book; history and mythology abound.

Only one story in this collection is a vampire tale, but it's so beautiful that it is a must read book. The famous story in this book is The Company of Wolves and was made into a film in the 1980s. The Lady of the House of Love is a charmingly sad tale that takes the vampire into the realms of feminist writing.

Historical and detective novel rolled into one, not surprisingly this novel ended up as a TV series. Canada is now home for Henry Fitzroy the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. A five hundred year old vampire who decides to help private detective Victoria Nelson rather than kill after they meet. It is definitely a page-turner.

If Bridget Jones became a vampire then maybe it might be funnier than when Elizabeth (Betsy) Taylor does, but I doubt it. Elizabeth Taylor, and yes people still laugh even after she is dead, is a ChickLit vampire and the novel is just a wonderful read. In life, she's an underachiever and that doesn't change, but, in death, it transpires that Betsy Taylor is the most important vampire in the world.