FF Friday

This is an eclectic collection, containing several short stories, a couple of extracts from full-length novels, and the full text of J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. There are all sorts of vampires, from the merely misunderstood to the out and out evil; the settings range from Countess Báthory's Hungary to outer space, via nineteenth century Louisiana; the styles are equally eclectic. I wasn't convinced about the inclusion of novel extracts, which felt a bit unsatisfying to me (while still not really motivating me to go out and find the books).

But overall this was an interesting sampler, and I particularly enjoyed Pam Keesey's introduction, where she gives an overview of the lesbian vampire genre on the page and and the screen. It would be interesting to see an updated edition: this book is getting on for three decades old now, and my assumption (possibly incorrect) is that there would be quite a lot more to add.