Reviewed by Amanda Craig

 

VAMPIRES ARE STALKING the charts after a rest in their tombs. With Stephanie Meyer’s debut novel, Twilight, poised for bestsellerdom with its chaste yet intensely erotic description of a teenager’s love-affair with a vampire, Darren Shan’s 12-volume Saga of Darren Shan — of which the latest volume is Sons of Destiny — racing to the big screen and Demons of the Ocean, part of Justin Somper’s Vampirates series one of the top-selling titles of 2005, vampires are suddenly the next big thing.

Since Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, vampires have held the popular imagination. The vampire never dies, becoming increasingly complex and intriguing.

 

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I really quite like Vampire books, and am intrigued by the number which are now appearing for children.

The Darren Shan series is ace, I've read the first 3 and thoroughly enjoyed them. The Justin Somper went down a storm with the kids at a local school when we took him along to talk to them. i've not had chance to read his book yet but it does sound quite appealing.

My favourite adult vampire books tend to vary. I quite like reading Laurell K Hamilton, although her most recent one was at least a third sex, rather than following the vein of the previous books (no pun intended!). Kelley Armstrong is good, although she writes more about different sorts of supernatural women, rather than just vampires. The few Anne Rice I've read were interesting but I've only read 2 or 3. I've also got a book of short stories which I like dipping in and out of, its The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories for Women