Stories of immortal bloodsuckers spanned centuries, continents, and cultures long before Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897. And while Stoker’s gothic horror novel wasn’t the first to feature vampires, it’s arguably the most famous vampire literary work and defined the modern vampire’s abilities and weaknesses (hopefully you’re stocked up on garlic).
More than 100 years later, vampires remain one of the most popular monsters in fiction. And it’s no wonder why these undead have endured.
Vampires, in many iterations, are unnaturally beautiful apex predators, silently stalking their victims in the dark like a sleek jungle cat before going for the jugular. They are something that was once human but that’s now without humanity, living on the fringes of society and consumed by hunger, feeding like parasites while grappling with their morality with every sip of blood. (Some, like the Cullen family in Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight franchise, choose to exclusively feed on animal blood, while others, such as Lestat in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, embrace their bloodthirsty instincts).
And, perhaps most enticing of all, vampires have found a way to defeat the one truth we all face: that we must die. But that immortality is also inherently tragic. As the stories below show, conquering death and living forever isn’t always pleasant.
Here are some of the best contemporary and genre-spanning vampire books that explore these ideas.
Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk, Translated by Heather Cleary
A persecuted vampire flees Europe for Argentina, where she watches Buenos Aires grow out of mud and plague while feeding on its residents. Hundreds of years after the vampire’s arrival, a woman comes into possession of a key to a crypt, and their two paths collide.
This sexy and sorrowful novel is Argentinian writer Marina Yuszczuk’s first work to be published in the U.S. And while it has lots of horror that vampire fans will eat up, Thirst is ultimately about grief—grief for loved ones lost, grief for life not going as planned, and grief for your own sense of self. It’s gloomy, yet captivating and short enough that you can devour it in a day.
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
Ana and Reid think their year of bad luck has finally reached its end after they win an apartment in the historic Deptford building in New York City. But once they move in with their infant daughter, Ana can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong with the property. Especially once she finds strange bite marks on her baby.
Commonly described as a Rosemary’s Baby and Salem’s Lot mash-up, Nestlings will worm its way under your skin. You might just find yourself looking through your windows at night to make sure that something isn’t looking back in.
The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich
When Dr. Mina Murray gets a pleading email from her estranged childhood best friend, Lucy, she leaves her London psychiatric practice and rushes home to Wales. What she finds shocks her: Lucy is weak, anemic, experiencing memory loss, and covered in a strange rash—symptoms that are eerily similar to those of Mina’s current patient back in the city. As Mina begins investigating what connects the two women, she discovers a conspiracy even more sinister than anticipated.
Inspired by Dracula and intertwined with Welsh folklore, The Madness is the first adult novel from YA author Dawn Kurtagich.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
A birthday celebration goes very, very wrong after a night out ends with besties Sloane and Naomi as two newly-turned vampires. As the women begin their new and eternal life, they must navigate not only their burgeoning thirst, but their friendship, future, and what it means to live.
So Thirsty follows in the footsteps of Rachel Harrison’s other horror tales as a fast-paced, fun, and feminist read.
Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London
Tess’ favorite book series is Blood Feud, a romantasy with vamps that are as gorgeous as they are deadly. And while Tess is well-versed in the conspiracy that Blood Feud is actually real, nothing prepares her for when one of the bloodsuckers shows up asking for her help. She soon finds herself braving an isle of vampires—and her own past trauma—in this sophomore work by the bestselling author of One to Watch.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
Nena and Néstor were inseparable as children … until one night when Nena is attacked by an enigmatic beast. Thinking his friend dead, Néstor flees, unable to face a new world without her. When events of the Mexican-American War call him home nine years later, he learns Nena survived the attack … and that the Anglos aren’t the only thing for the people of El Norte to fear.
Like Isabel Cañas’ first novel The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte is a deeply romantic and deeply spooky historical gothic tale.
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
As a half-vampire, Lydia has been able to sate her hunger with pigs blood for her entire life. But she craves more: pizza and sausages and stir fry and other meals … maybe, even, other sources of blood.
After she moves to London to pursue an internship at an art gallery, pig’s blood is much more difficult to come by—and there are a lot more humans in close quarters. Now, Lydia has never been more tempted as she wrestles with her identity and her humanity.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Patricia is a bored Southern housewife whose only escape from domestic life is her true crime book club, where she and a group of other well-to-do ladies meet to chat about all things Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. But when a handsome young man moves in down the road and Black children from a neighboring town go missing, Patrica wonders if something murderous (and, perhaps, vampiric) is lurking too close to home in this novel that explores gender norms and white privilege.
My Soul To Keep by Tananarive Due
Jessica’s life is right on track. She has a job as an investigative journalist, a daughter she loves, a dream book deal, and the “Mr. Perfect” husband, David. Despite appearances, things aren’t so picture-perfect under the surface. Her husband has a bloody, centuries-old secret that threatens everything Jessica holds close.
We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller
When disco-loving Amber meets centuries-old vampire Nicola at a nightclub in 1979, they form an instant connection. Nicola gives Amber immortality, and the two pledge to spend eternity living a glamorous, nightlife-centric lifestyle.
Despite the promises, things don’t go as planned. Amber wants out of their friendship—but leaving Nicola isn’t so simple.
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