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This post written by Clint The House of the Vampire
by George Sylvester Viereck
So you’ve read all the popular vampire series and you still want more? Do you consider yourself a fairly good reader, who doesn’t mind slightly old-fashioned writing? Are you interested in seeing the origins of today’s vampire novels? If so, you might want to check out this old-school vampire story.
The House of the Vampire is probably the first psychic vampire novel. Psychic vampires don’t drink blood. Instead, they take energy or life force or spirit or something like that from their victims. In The House of the Vampire is about a group of artists – writers, sculptors, and painters, whose creativity and spirit are being sucked away by a psychic vampire.
Reginald Clarke is a master writer, a man who can use words like nobody else. He also happens to have fantastic taste in all other forms of art, and he tends to take in and nurture less successful artists.
Reginald’s current protege is Ernest Fielding, another writer. Ernest is currently living with Reginald and trying to write the great American novel.
Jack is Ernest’s college friend, former roommate, and best friend in the whole world. Jack is away at school during much of the story, but he plays an important role.
Ethel Brandenbourg is, or was, a painter. She and Reginald were also briefly a couple. She hasn’t really painted in years, though.
Most of the story is about nervous artists being nervous artists. They make such good victims for a psychic vampire because it’s so hard to tell when they are being drained of their energy. They’re artists, after all. Are they just being overly sensitive? Are they having (absolutely natural) trouble coming up with the next great novel or painting? Are they having their life essence stolen by a vampire? Of course, evidence starts to pile up. Ethel and Ernest think they have it figured out, but nobody else believes them.
So how does The House of the Vampire compare with the Hollywood vampire stereotype?
- Drinking Blood [xmark] The vampire sucks the creative energy out of our artists.
- Has Fangs [xmark]
- Vampires Spread by Biting [xmark] According to the vampire, it just happens. It’s how you are born.
- Amazingly Strong [xmark]
- Unkillable [xmark] As far as we know, vampires are physically pretty ordinary people. It’s all in the mind.
- Weak Against Wooden Stakes [xmark] Well, no weaker than a normal person.
- Weak Against Sunlight [xmark] Not even a little bit.
- Must be Invited In [xmark]
- Weak Against Flowing Water [xmark]
- Weak Against Holy Symbols [xmark]
- Weak Against Garlic [xmark]
- Get Confused at Crossroads [xmark]
- No Reflection in Mirrors [xmark]
- No Heartbeat/Breath/Blood/Temperature/Other Signs of Life [xmark]
- Pale, Corpse-like Appearance [xmark]
- Doesn’t Age [xmark]
- Changes Shape [xmark]
- Flight [xmark]
- Wall Crawling [xmark]
- Hypnotic Powers [checkmark] Psychic powers and a ton of charisma! What a combination.
- Sleeps in a Coffin [xmark]
- Wealthy [checkmark] Not insanely wealthy, but certainly very well off.
How about some of the more modern trends?
- Sophisticated and Elegant [checkmark] Everybody likes this vampire, and he certainly has style. Not capes and things like that, but a really good sense of normal human style..
- Angsty [xmark] This vampire doesn’t feel the least bit bad about sucking people’s energy or even killing them. In fact, he sees it as his duty.
- Dark and Brooding [xmark] A little nutty, yes, but far to arrogant and cheerful to be dark or brooding.
- Really Just Misunderstood [xmark]
- A Sucker for Love [xmark]
- Looks Young and Sexy [checkmark] [xmark] I’m not sure about young, but this vampire has the charm. Women pay attention to him. So do men.
- Fluid Sexuality [checkmark] [xmark]Well, maybe. The House of the Vampire has been called the first gay vampire novel, but I’m not familiar with the cultural norm of the early 1900s. We never see the vampire get it on with another guy, but you might infer that he isn’t altogether 100% heterosexual. You might not. It’s all in how you read it.
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Where to Find It
You can read copies online through Project Gutenberg, Google Books, HorrorMasters.com, or Wikisource.
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This post written by Clint Wake
by Lisa McMann
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Janie Hannagan has a special power, or maybe a curse: whenever someone nearby falls asleep and starts to dream, Janie is sucked into the dream. She gets tag along while somebody flies around, shows up to work naked, or falls and falls and falls. Sounds fun, right? Janie is in high school, so she gets pulled in every time somebody falls asleep in class. She works at a nursing home, so she gets pulled in every time a resident dozes off.
She learns a lot about other people this way. She knows who who has a secret crush on her best friend, for example. She knows that somebody who lives on Waverly Road is really messed up. She knows that Cable, the class slacker, has dreams about her. Then she finds herself in one of Cable’s a really messed up nightmares, and she decides to stop watching and try to fix things.
You should know a few things about this novel before you start. First, a lot of it takes place in the dreams of teenagers. You know what that means. Second, there is a lot of swearing. Third, some people are put off by the writing style. You might want to preview it at Google Books.
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Where to Find It
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This post written by Clint Dead is the New Black
by Marlene Perez
[cover name=deadisthenewblack]
The women in Daisy Giordano’s family have special powers. Her mom can see bits of the future. One sister can read minds, and the other is telekinetic. Somehow, though, Daisy missed out. She’s normal, or as near as you can get when your family runs a psychic detective agency. A lot of strange things happen in her hometown of Nightshade, California, but Daisy’s life really gets interesting when the most popular girl in her high school comes back from vacation looking kind of dead. Undead, actually, and she’s popular enough to make pale skin and custom-made coffins stylish.
Then one of Daisy’s fellow high school students is murdered. Death doesn’t seem to stop this student, though, and she shows up to a pep rally. It’s up to Daisy and the police chief’s son Ryan (the guy she’s got a crush on) to figure out what’s going on.
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Where to Find It
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This post written by Clint Below the Root
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
[cover name=belowtheroot]
The people of Green-sky, the Kindar, have a peaceful society that seems pretty much perfect. Even though they don’t have a lot of technology, the people there have everything they need. They live in the tops of giant trees and, because the gravity of Green-sky is weak, they can glide from tree to tree with the help of special clothing. Some of the people of Green-sky have psychic gifts – they can read other people’s emotions, teleport, move objects with their minds, or cause plants to grow.
There is only one problem in all of Green-sky: the Pash-shan are dangerous creatures that live underground. They are kept there, away from the rest of Green-sky, by a series of magical roots. As a precaution, though, none of the Kindar are allowed to go near the ground.
Raamo, a thirteen-year-old boy, is invited to join the Ol-zhaan, the priesthood that runs Green-sky and protects everyone from the Pash-shan. Raamo doesn’t understand why he has been chosen, but he eventually learns that he was picked because of his strong psychic powers. The root network that keeps the Pash-shan trapped underground has been weakening, and the priests hope Raamo will be able to fix it.
While he is training, Raamo meets two other new priest named Neric and Genaa. Neric suspects that the Ol-zhann are not entirely honest with the people of Green-sky. One day Raamo and Neric visit the surface, where they find a girl named Teera. Eventually, Raamo, Neric, and Genaa learn the Pash-shan are not what everyone believes, and their discovery changes the world of Green-sky forever.
Below the Root is the first book in a trilogy.There is also an old computer game that is a sequel to the trilogy. Zilpha Keatley Snyder actually helped write it, so if you are into vintage computer games, you might want to check out the Below the Root game from 1984.
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Where to Find It
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This post written by Clint Algernon Blackwood has been called the master of the English ghost story. He is often listed in the horror section, although he didn’t write what you probably consider horror. Blackwood’s stories are about the supernatural – ghosts, magic, and other strange creatures. Sometimes bad things happen, but some times they don’t. His stories aren’t terrifying in the blood and gore and monsters everywhere sense, but they are usually eerie or strange. He was a master of atmosphere and buildup,
Blackwood wrote a lot of short stories, and his themes ranged from reincarnation to romance to encounters with strange, unexplained creatures. However, almost every one of his stories has some weird element to it.
He also created John Silence, one of the earliest supernatural investigators.
Algernon Blackwood isn’t that famous among people who read modern horror, but he had a strong influence on H. P. Lovecraft and probably many modern horror writers, too.
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Where to Find His Books
You can read a lot of his books and stories online at the Penn State Online Books page.
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