good vampire books

[Rachel]

I really like vampire books, but after the Twilight series got so ridiculously big, everyone was publishing vampire books. I liked Bram Stoker's book. I'd like to read adult books about scary vampires with a little bit of sensuality, but not some silly romance. Thanks.

[Darcy]

Have you read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles? The first is Interview with the Vampire. Also, They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon is quite good.

[Laura]

Definitely Anne Rice. Also might want to check out The Vampyre by Tom Holland - I haven't read it yet but it's on my list. It has Byron in it, so I am guessing it will be a bit sexy. Into The DArk by Victor Kellerher is a retelling of Dracula by his servant. Anno Dracula by Kim Newman maybe. I have also heard good things of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Again, I have not read the last two. Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls is a very modern punk kind of one, quite a lot of sex and violent, maybe not so sensual. But very dark, not silly at all.

If you want more here is a list, I can't say whether most are good or not http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/12...

Hope this helps :)

[Krystal]

I have a few vampire books (non-Twilight-esque) on my shelves that I enjoyed:

The Society of S

Sunshine

The Dracula Dossier: A Novel of Suspense - I haven't read this one yet but it's on my list.

Fledgling

and I of course second all suggestions for Anne Rice, her vampire books are fantastic.

[Pamela]

Another vote for Anno Dracula, which is set in the 1800's. It's a great book. There are several sequels which I haven't read yet.

[Kitty]

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

[Laura]

The Radleys by Matt Haig also sounds fascinating!

[Tess]

I love the "Love at Stake" romance series - book 1 is How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
They are silly campy romance novels and really aren't that great, except that the vampire/paranormal world is really interesting. I really wish she'd would stop writing romance novels and just write a vampire book.

[Caroline]

Rachel, I haven't read this yet, but a fellow GR member praised it, and I thought it sounded good so added it to my own TBR: Kiss of the Vampire.

[Tess]

This is YA, but I found it really good even when I reread it a year ago, so you might want to try it. Don't judge the author based on that terrible "Blood and Chocolate" book/movie... this is way better & was her first book.

[Caroline]

Tess, I have that book and want to read it. It's very slim, so I imagine it could be read in a weekend or even a day.

[Tess]

Caroline wrote: "Tess, I have that book and want to read it. It's very slim, so I imagine it could be read in a weekend or even a day."

Excellent - yes, it was a pretty quick read as an adult

[Feliks]

'The Pearlkillers' (collection of 4 novellas) has a good vampire story. Rachel Ingalls, author. She writes in the style of Shirley Jackson.

[Tess]

has lots of stories. Japanese, but not manga. Great movies, too.

[Sarah]

Read "Companions of the night" by Vivian Vande velde. YA novel but sooo good. You'll love the main character.

[Carly]

Check out the Vampyre by Tom Holland, Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Lefanu,Hunger-Whitley Striber, John Polidori. I think Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a vampire story.

[Sara]

New Amsterdam is good. The vampires are of the more traditional type (no sparkles, at least!).

[Ashley]

One of my to-reads: Let the Right One In

[Caroline]

Ashley wrote: "Let the Right One In"

Sufficiently creepy

[D.M.]

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Saint Germain books might be good.

[Lindig]

For grim not-funny vampires, try

Trystam Kith

There are two titles in the Trouble in the Forest series.

[Amanda]

Evernight by Claudia Grey was amazing!!

[Kenny]

The strain trilogy by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan is very good.

These vamps don't sparkle!

[Matīss]

You can try Blindsight.
Very interesting view on vampires. It is hard sci-fi novel, won Hugo in 2007. Many scientific references and cool interpretation of them. I loved the way author explains vampires fear of cross, it was really amazing.
Book is freely available at authors page and on goodreads, too.

[Robert]

If old-school fantasy vampires are OK, try I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire

[Robert]

Barbara Hambly's James Asher series, starting with Those Who Hunt the Night=Immortal Blood? - "Who's been killing the vampires of London, tearing open their coffins to let in lethal sunshine as they sleep--and then drinking their blood?"

Vicky Nelson's blood investigations series, by Tanya Huff; starting with Blood Price? - "Former Toronto homicide detective Vicki Nelson witnesses the first in a wave of supernatural killings in the city, and becomes deeply involved in the ensuing investigation"

Night Road, by A.M. Jenkins? - "When Cole is asked to take a newly created heme out for training his usual caution may not be enough. If Gordon can't cut ties with his old life and accept his new limitations, Cole will have to discreetly dispose of the kid - the same way a mad dog would be put down for the safety of society."

Peeps=Parasite Positive, by Scott Westerfeld? - "Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he's infected the girlfriends he's had since Morgan--and all have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. And it's Cal's job to hunt them down before they can create even more of their kind. . . ."

[Shanna]

The Quick

[Robert]

Cirque du Freak series is so amazing!

[Shawna]

Human Enough

[Pony]

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires