Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead »

Nancy Kilpatrick has written, edited and published a large number of books, much of which involves vampires. Nancy writes dark fantasy, horror, mysteries and erotic horror under her own name. Her nom de plume is Amarnatha Knight, and her newest pen name is Desiree Knight (Amarnatha’s younger sister!). She edits books and stage plays and non fiction, including the book The Goth Bible (St. Martin’s Press – October 2004). Nancy has won the Arthur Ellis award for best mystery story, and is a three-time Bram Stoker finalist, and five-time finalist for the Aurora Award.

New Vampires have evolved, and they are coming for you! Kelly Armstrong, Tanya Huff and twenty-two other dark fantasy and horror writers come together to re-imagine the future of vampires in this new collection of all-original short fiction – one of the most unusual and original vampire anthologies ever assembled.

VOYA

This anthology offers readers a wide variety of vampire short stories, written by twenty-five Canadian authors, delving into the different mythos of vampirism,. Beginning with an in-depth introduction by editor Kilpatrick, the book is compiled by an obvious fan of vampire lore. With the exception of one mistake, ("Kojak" is not about a vampire hunter) the introduction will give readers plenty of other vampire reading and viewing options. The twenty-five authors are fairly unknown, at least here in the United States. The most well-known are Tanya Huff and Kelly Armstrong. Among the stories, readers will find a tween girl reaching puberty and vampirism; Lillith, the so-called mother of vampires; vampire corporations; and more. While initially excited to read more horror-natured vampire stories, I found this selection ultimately fell flat. Many, like Tanya Huff's "Quid Pro Quo," felt as if they were a tiny part of a larger story. Others, like Jennifer Greylyn's "Mother of Miscreants," were creative, but forgettable after a day. The short stories are geared toward adult readers, but teens who need more vampires beyond the various teen novels and The Eternal Kiss (Running Press, 2009) short story collection, edited by Trisha Telep, will find more vamps here. Reviewer: Kristin Fletcher-Spear