What are your thoughts about vampire stories?

alonwhite99 · Post by **alonwhite99** » 23 Dec 2016, 19:11

The only vampire "love" story I have read would be the Twilight series. I loved it, however, its not really my thing. I think they are cheesy and its a awkward fetish...if you will to be attracted to the undead.

franny · Post by **franny** » 24 Dec 2016, 00:35

I haven't read many vampire stories. I picked up Twilight a few years ago, read a page then put it back down. Recently however, I read Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I enjoyed many aspects of it, even if it was a little dense because of its age. It does seem like the wild popularity of vampire stories can make them redundant and cliche, but at the same time I think that vampires' deeply rooted role as a part of folklore in so many cultures make them almost irresistible material. A monster that is near human, or once was human, cheating death by preying on the lives of others. Stoker's Dracula also plays into a lot of sublimated sexual fantasies, fears and taboos. Once "infected" by the Count vital, voluptuous Lucy goes from chaste and innocent to a sexually desirous creature who tempts men and feeds on the blood of children. Lucy is an object of sexual desire, but becomes undesirable to the men in the story when she claims agency over her sexual prowess. She is further depicted as a baby killer to excite disgust in the reader at a sexually active woman, even if they are also titillated. I think a lot of the sexual taboos and sublimated fantasies in Stoker's famous novel have carried over into the modern vampire frenzy, maybe that is part of what makes them so appealing. Either way, while I think vampire stories have the potential to be cliche and tiring, I think they also have the potential to be thrilling and full of metaphor and dark intrigue.

Rebekah16Longi · Post by **Rebekah16Longi** » 24 Dec 2016, 04:25

I love vampire stories honestly all the ones that I've read this far we're simply beautiful although I haven't read as many as most. My favourite would be MARRIED TO THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS which is a book I found on wattpad that was just amazing as it captured the concept of vampires being these dark and ancient beings and the idea of yeng and yang. THE LIGHT THAT TAMES MY DARKNESS

lovereading2 · Post by **lovereading2** » 24 Dec 2016, 14:29

I think they're great. You never know who's read what. If someone writes a vampire story similar to something already popular or written, it could be the first one a reader checks out. They wouldn't know that it's "been done." But I do think there are still new angles to take. We're creative.

losingsleepoverbooks · Post by **losingsleepoverbooks** » 24 Dec 2016, 16:10

I think some vampire stories are redundant. For example, if the books include the idea that vampires only come out at night and are burned in the sun, chances are there are thousands like them and they are not very original. Don't get me wrong, I love supernatural books including books about vampires. One book which is a part of a series is a refreshing vampire story and it is the book "Relentless" by Karen Lynch. This series is about demon hunters, demons, and vampires. I love this book because there are so many evil creatures that were introduced, which made the story that much more interesting. It is definitely original! Anyway, this book is also a romance novel, but not in a cliche way. Overall, I would recommend this series if you like supernatural thrillers.

enigmaticsoul · Post by **enigmaticsoul** » 24 Dec 2016, 18:20

Love them, especially if they have historical context with a place I'm familiar with.

angelbeats1 · Post by **angelbeats1** » 25 Dec 2016, 15:57

It honestly depends on the individual story. If written badly, a vampire story can be so cliche and overrated. If written well, a vampire story can be a fun read. I like the sense of wonder that comes along with supernatural stories.

Rachel1019 · Post by **Rachel1019** » 25 Dec 2016, 16:30

I have read quite a few vampire books. They are becoming so common now, that hardly any are books that I find unique anymore. I thought that the idea of having a vampire come to life every morning and die every night is definitely interesting. It kept me reading the book, and really loving it.

Charles1980 · Post by **Charles1980** » 25 Dec 2016, 20:00

Vampire stories are not redundant, nor can they ever be. Reason being is everyone has a new view point or a new story line. Some lines are a little worse than the other for me. I grew up Reading the Vampire Chronicles and fell in love with them. I have read the entire book shelf from all sorts of authors and either found them a little too bland but still interesting, to involved and exciting. Unfortunately I couldn't stomach the concept set by Stephanie Meyers on sparkling Vampires. A lot of vampire stories focus their attention to the drama side but she really put a whole new twist and made this teen drama real slow, repetitive and for me boring. I do like to say i have an open mind, but this is one book series i just could not finish. I read the first half way through the second and never finished the rest.

All and all Vampires will always be around because they are one of the great classics and can never be killed off, no matter how the author designs it. A new author will resurrect them from the dead to carry on where the last author left off or even better, create it a new path.

AA1495 · Post by **AA1495** » 25 Dec 2016, 22:56

caliwagon18 wrote:I have read a lot of different vampire stories, mainly in the young adult genre (which may be why I have issue), and I really feel that they are overdone, too similar to one another, and too cliche. The books and series I have read about vampires have almost all focused too much on the love and romantic relationships in the books. It almost felt like I was just reading the same book over and over. I think they could be great, if they found a new focus rather than romance.

That's makes sense! I don't usually read books with vampires. I tried reading a few but couldn't finish them!

Jhyman10 · Post by **Jhyman10** » 25 Dec 2016, 23:24

As long as the stories seem to have an original plot line, I am definitely willing to give them a chance. The author's writing style and story development is what is most important to me. The "Twilight" series was my first venture into the paranormal genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the series, which encouraged me to read other books in the paranormal genre. This genre is now one of my favorites!

va2016 · Post by **va2016** » 26 Dec 2016, 02:39

I am so scared of vampires, and I don't want to deal
with them at all - in fiction or in real!

mariarhys · Post by **mariarhys** » 26 Dec 2016, 10:50

Even from the writers of legend, we have always had books offering up different descriptions and versions of the "oupyrs" otherwise known as vampires. They interest us in ways that point to how people in general are interested in the concept of death and the opportunity to experience the life of the undead, whether he be in Bram Stoker's world of lonely vampires, or in the more modernistic, pseudo-rockstar glam of the shining creatures that are featured in Stepheny Meyer's Twilght saga. By and by we also notice that these creatures of the night are starting to not only walk in broad daylight glittering like they were studded in diamonds, which was far from the shrunken, shriveled and pale glam that was famous in Dracula, but also maintaining the inevitable obssession with a certain "soul-mate", or ultimate love. So, yes, vampires may look different but often, the themes underlying remains almost constant; These creatures living in hiding is brought back to life by a mortal beloved who either ends up dead, or in a whirlwind romance with a beautiful, immortal, and blood-thirsting lover.

Rose Daugherty · Post by **Rose Daugherty** » 26 Dec 2016, 17:22

I've had my fill of vampire and werewolf stories. There are simply too many of them out there, many almost identical. I'm ready for a small-town, chatty, exciting mystery with believable characters---so believable that you truly empathize with them.

18emeraldskies · Post by **18emeraldskies** » 26 Dec 2016, 19:02

Okay let me be real. As a young girl barely scratching seventeen and obsessed with ya paranormal books the age of vampire stories completely died in the years after Twilight. I've personally given up on any books involving vampires, werewolves, and zombies. But hey, I'm open to some breakout author proving me wrong.