A Whisper of Blood

by Ellen Datlow (Editor)

Originally published in two separate Blood Is Not Enough (1989) and A Whisper of Blood (1991)

Not all vampires shun sunlight and not all drink blood. In A Whisper of Blood you will encounter thirty-five of the most horrifying vampires you are ever likely to monsters who often walk by day, look and think very much like you, and differ from ordinary people primarily by the zeal with which they prey upon others. You won't know them when you see them - and you may not even recognize their appetite for our destruction.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

602 pages, Hardcover

Published August 11, 2008

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think writers are at their best when they're faced with structure; even something as vague as "a vampire story" forces them to adhere to or at least acknowledge elements of a shared myth, and their creativity leaps off from it in spectacular ways.

I enjoyed picking random stories to read out of this and seeing a myriad of vampire interpretations. The Ellison story stands out and The Girl With The Hungry Eyes has become a cornerstone of vampire anthologies.

[Anita Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard one because overall most of these stories were entertaining and well-written. Yet many missed the point entirely or I am being too strict in what I consider a modern vampire story. I tend to think it is the former. Many of the stories really pushed the boundary of what it means to be a modern vampire story and not in a good way. In a 'this really has nothing to do with vampires in any way, shape or form unless one redefines the notion of vampire to have nothing to do with the concept of a vampire in a context in which vampires are recognizable' sort of way. Yeah. Seriously, that mangled sentence is the mental gymnastics one must go through to find vampires in some of these stories.

A vampire does not have to suck blood to be a vampire. Most vampire fans also do not demand a strict adherence to vampire canon in order to find worth and entertainment in a vampire story. But on some level, the vampirism cannot be so postmodern in its interpretation of vampires that an audience has to analyze the story to the point of banality to find the vampiric element and too many stories in this collection demanded that sort of analysis.

Read the rest of the review here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/ire/a-whispe...

[Levi Tronnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally finished this anthology of modern vampire stories! I find that I always have trouble sticking to an anthology of stories, this was no different. The book does offer some interesting elements including a history and evaluation of the vampire myth within story telling! The collection is like a roller coaster ride with some stories being high points that are fleeting and long dull tales that seem to last for page upon page! The last story "The Ragthorn" was probably my favorite out of all, if only this one story was fleshed out into a single fictional novel I would buy it in a heart beat. Still I will give this book five stars it was enjoyable even with the low points it presented! Highly recommend for someone looking for a night table book as it is nice to read a story and then turn out the light!

[Ric Proctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly decent anthology, Ellen Datlow is one of my favorite editors when it comes to horror. The book takes a decidedly different view on vampires, which makes for some good stories, some great stories, and some bad stories. Overall, a good read, but as with most anthologies, a mixed bag to be dipped into and savored for the good over the bad.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology with traditional and non-typical vampire stories.