The Best vampire books featured here are innovative and often believable, with various authors developing their own intriguing stories that add depth to the bloodthirsty.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the most famous vampire books. Spanning from romance to horror to fantasy classics and young adult novels, that will send chills down your spine and have you turning pages quicker than you can say.
“Team Edward or Team Jacob?” Continue your spooky reading spree with novels about witches and werewolves. Regardless of which book you read, you might want to consider sleeping with the lights on.
Furthermore, Except for energy vampires, the undead world has mainly remained a work of fiction. Tracing the history of vampires reveals that mythological beings aren’t wholly based on folklore.
Additionally, the vampire genre’s popularity in pop culture has spawned a slew of vampire films, hit soap operas (Vampire Diaries or True Blood, anyone?), and, of course, Twilight, which premiered on Netflix on July 16, 2021.
And many of these films were inspired by books. Well, some of the best vampire books of all time are;
1. The Vampyre by John William Polidori
John William Polidori, the author of the first entire vampire fiction published in the United Kingdom, was Byron’s physician in 1816.
Additionally, Polidori’s vampire (named Ruthven after the Byron-analogue in Glenarvon, Lady Caroline Lamb’s roman à clef on her affair with the poet) was subsequently inspired by Byron. Byron’s unfinished fragment likewise inspired the Vampyre.
However, the story’s history makes it an intriguing study of the vampiric features of literary influence and borrowing. Furthermore, Ruthven is also the birthplace of the Byronic vampire concept, which would serve gothic writers well for the next two centuries.
2. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
A discovery of witches is one of the best vampire books to read. A Discovery of Witches has regained popularity due to the newest television series. While the show is many things, Harkness’s books are also a lot of pleasure to read. Furthermore, Diana Bishop is a scholar descended from witches who prefers to stay away from magic.
However, she discovers a document in the library that aids her in unintentionally unleashing a swarm of demons, witches, and vampires on the library, all in search of the text, which has long been a prized possession. Additionally, Diana establishes an alliance with vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont and breaks the enchantment.
3. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Domingo is just a regular child on the street. Atl is a vampire from the Aztec Empire who has ties to a tribe. So it certainly complicates things when Atl sees Domingo and notices a good snack, while Domingo sees Atl and is instantly smitten.
Meanwhile, there’s the issue of the vampire gangsters chasing after both of them — and the cop who ends up after them by accident. Certain Dark Things dishes it up with enthusiasm, rich legend, and breathless action, and it’s a formula for some very bloody danger.
4. Varney, the Vampyre by James Malcolm Rymer
Varney the Vampyre is one of the best vampire books of all time. He was the first vampire novel published in the United Kingdom, and it was initially a “penny dreadful” – cheap serialized fiction.
Varney is a colossal tome with over a thousand pages. He is a bit of an outcast: he rarely kills his victims and is typically discovered as a vampire before carrying out his terrible designs.
For those intimidated by the novel’s length, the opening chapter can be enjoyed on its own as a well-executed representation of a vampire attack.
Furthermore, the setting has it all: a stormy night, an old house, a sleeping innocent, and a vampire with long fingernails rapping on the glass.
Moreover, Varney is reborn after hanging in a Frankenstein-like scenario, many scenes of Varney adopting transparent disguises. And a great lot of violence from the novel’s true villain. The restless mob – is among the novel’s later highlights.
5. Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Vampire erotica for lesbians? There’s nothing else to say. A no-nonsense college freshman joins the attractive sisters of the Alpha Beta Omega house in Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Better Off Red, only to discover that they’re a cult committed to six vampiric demons.
Furthermore, Ginger stays in the sorority circle because she is smitten with the vampire queen. But will she be able to defend the people she cares about when trouble comes knocking?
6. A Small Charred Face by Kazuki Sakuraba
Japan produces some fantastic horror and paranormal literature, and A Small Charred Face is one of the best vampire novels.
It takes a unique approach to the subject of vampires, going far beyond the standard cliches. However, a Small Charred Face is broken into three parts, each serving as a standalone story within a bigger story.
Mistah, a Bamboo (vampire), saves Kyo when he is orphaned and takes him in. Mistah and another Bamboo, Yoji, do their best to grow Kyo before realizing they plan for him.
7. Fevre Dream by George R.R Martin
If you only know GRRM as the creator of this decade’s juggernaut, Game of Thrones, be prepared for a violent and fascinating tale of vampirism.
However, the narrative of a struggling riverboat captain who is approached one day by a potential business partner is told by GRRM in Fevre Dream.
But Abner Marsh has no idea that he is about to enter an agreement that will have global ramifications, even as he begins to think that his client — a mysterious aristocrat who is unusually pale — is not who he claims to be.
8. The Blood of The Vampire by Florence Marryat
The blood of the vampire is one of the best vampire books. This novel was released the same year as Dracula, and reading them both is an exciting experience.
Additionally, the story portrays modern anxieties of sexually transmitted illnesses and hereditarily polluted blood, as well as nineteenth-century ideas on race and female sexuality.
Furthermore, Sexual women are depicted in a more sympathetic light than in Dracula, and excessive coldness is chastised – one character nearly loses her fiance due to her public defiance.
Meanwhile, the reluctant, unsuspecting vampire who is shocked when she finds her nature is also explored in this tale.
9. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What would society look like if vampires roamed the earth? In her work Certain Dark Things, Silvia Moreno-Garcia addresses this subject in great length. Vampires are outlawed in the book’s depiction of Mexico City.
Furthermore, the rest of the earth is inhabited by feuding clans of terrifying bloodsuckers who see humans as a meal. In this reality, an odd friendship develops between a vampire named Atl and a street cleaner named Domingo.
Expect a fast-paced journey through a carefully crafted environment with a mix of Mexican mythology, and vampire myth reduces.
10. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Carmilla is one of the best vampire books ever. It is also one of the earliest pieces of vampire fiction, even older than Dracula, and any severe vampire enthusiast should add it to their reading list.
Meanwhile, the ever-popular vampire stereotypes were created and molded-in stories like these. It tells the narrative of Laura, a lonely woman who lives with her father in an isolated castle.
Additionally, a carriage appears one night, carrying Carmilla, a mystery woman who likes to stroll around at night. Laura experiences odd nightmares and feels weaker and weaker as she falls under Carmilla’s spell. Like all good classic vampire legends, Carmilla is full of sexual tension and gothic romance.
11. Dracula By Bram Stoker
A centuries-old count aims to cross Europe and conquer Britain with the power of his blood in a realm far, far away. Professor Abraham Van Helsing and a small group of human beings in London prepare to confront him – and destroy him.
However, if you haven’t already, travel to Transylvania and enter a decaying castle to meet Dracula, the epic novel that first immortalized the contemporary vampire in the popular imagination.
12. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Historian is one of the best vampire books of all time. Vampire books usually deal with the delights of reading and study, and Dracula is one of the most frequently referred works from the twentieth century onwards.
Some post-Dracula Draculas have a competitive element, with too much emphasis on claiming a new insight into the vampire and mythos.
In contrast, Kostova pays tribute to Dracula while presenting a creative take of the myth. She accomplishes an engaging, well-informed examination of Stoker’s narrative and the historical Dracula.
13. Crave by Tracey Wolff
Twihards, be aware! If you’re missing Bella, Edward, and the rest of the Forks gang, you’ll want to pick up Crave, Tracey Wolff’s paranormal YA series’ first volume.
Additionally, Grace moves to Alaska with her uncle, who runs an elite boarding school for influential, non-human teenagers, when her parents are killed in a horrific accident.
Furthermore, Grace receives a cold reception from her classmates as the only mortal to walk Katmere’s hallowed halls.
Things appear to be looking up when she falls for Jaxon, a charismatic teen vampire, but does she have what it takes to be a part of his world? What’s more, does she even want to?
14. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice
There’s still a place on this list of the best vampire books for one more classic, and that classic has to be Interview with the Vampire. Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles only books one, so there’s plenty more where it came from.
Our narrator, Louis, narrates the account of how he became a vampire after being indoctrinated and turned to live by Lestat (Rice’s most famous invention).
Louis leads a hectic life in New Orleans until he feels compelled to seek out similar people. However, meeting others similar to him might not be the solution Louis is seeking.
15. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due, an expert in black horror and a master of her trade, introduces the African Immortals series with My Soul to Keep.
Once again, this series takes a new approach to vampires, deserving of a spot on a list of the best vampire books.
Additionally, Jessica marries David, a beautiful and caring husband, and father. On the other hand, Jessica can’t place her finger on what it is about him.
She eventually discovers that David is immortal, having surrendered his humanity for the ability to live eternally 400 years ago.
Furthermore, David’s eternal comrades want him to return, but he intends to keep Jessica and their child with him. This book is horrific at times, but it’s also a riveting read like Let The Right One In.
16. Image of Emeralds and Chocolate by K. Murry Johnson
Image of Emeralds and chocolate is one of the best vampire books of all time. If The Gilda Stories wasn’t enough to pique your interest in black and queer vampire literature, Image of Emeralds and Chocolate is an excellent place to start.
For not being afraid to push the boundaries of what vampire fiction can be, K. Murry Johnson’s debut deserves a place among the best vampire books.
Additionally, Eric is a high school senior enrolled in a university creative writing program. When he is assigned Marquis LeBlanc as a writing partner, he dreams of love becoming a reality.
Marquis enrolled in the course as therapy for his severe depression, but when he meets Eric, he falls in love. Additionally, he must choose whether or not to reveal his secret. This is the book for you if you enjoy vampire romance.
17. The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
If you’re looking for a black, queer vampire story, I have the book for you. The Gilda Stories, first published in 1991, was groundbreaking in conveying its level, and it still has the same impact today.
In the 1850s, a young woman flees enslavement and is adopted by a lesbian vampire pair.
Additionally, Gilda grants her agreement to be transformed into a vampire when she is old enough, and she is tasked with abiding by the code her guardians live by you must leave something behind in exchange for the blood you consume.
Furthermore, Gilda uses her vampire psychic abilities to assist others, solving their problems as best she can. Gilda learns to confront her painful past as the year’s pass, and she forms her own family.
