Vampires Don’t Sparkle! (2013)
What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?
Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else? Anything else?
Edited by Michael West
“A New Life” by J. F. Gonzalez
“What Once was Flesh” by Tim Waggoner
“The Darkton Circus Mystery” by Elizabeth Massie
“Robot Vampire” by R. J. Sullivan
“Beneath a Templar Cross” by Gord Rollo
“The Weapon of Memory” by Kyle S. Johnson
“The Excavation” by Stephen Zimmer
“Skraeling” by Joel A. Sutherland
“Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman
“Dracula’s Winkee: Bloodsucker Blues” by Gregory L. Hall
“I Fuck Your Sunshine” by Lucy A. Snyder
“A Soldier’s Story” by Maurice Broaddus
“Rattenkönig” by Douglas F. Warrick
“Vampire Nation” by Jerry Gordon
“Curtain Call” by Gary A. Braunbeck
REVIEWS:
“I had given up hope of ever reading a vampire tale that would affect me so much that I had to sleep with the light on and nervously peer into darkened corners or jump, heart pounding, at every creak and pop as the house settles for the night. But… I had not counted on Horror Master (again the capitals are required) Michael West to collect such an array of brilliantly bloody and violent ‘old-fashioned’ vampires… He offers, for our entertainment and enjoyment (and terror) fifteen different stories about blood ingesting, super-human creatures who yearn for your blood from fifteen different contemporary authors. There is even a robot vampire! But all these stories have one thing in common, apart from the fact that all the vampires in them are actually scary and would not appeal to any ‘tween’ that I know of; these stories suffer from originality... If you love more traditional vampires grab this book with both hands and read it. In a world of 2 and 3 star books and vampires who really aren’t, this collection is a real 5 star glorious bloodsucking creature of the night read.” ~ MikesFilmTalk
“Vampires Don’t Sparkle! is a collection of stories that have one thing in common: they all highlight the good old-fashioned vampire. The vampires here are evil, wicked, and glory in all the blood they can. There are no creatures that regret their existence, pine after mortals, or limit themselves to subsist on animal blood. These are the vampires of old, the vampires that make us humans crave the daylight and fear the darkness. Along with the twisted, fun, and Gothic darkness of these fifteen stories, a major highlight of this anthology is that a portion of the proceeds of the sales of Vampires Don’t Sparkle! are donated to cancer research as a tribute to a dear friend of West who lost her battle, as well as to his wife, who is a cancer survivor. Each story includes a bit of information on the author including their favorite vampires… totally original, inventive, current, and completely fascinating… stays with you long after the last page.” ~ Bitten by Books
“This isn’t your daughter’s vampire novel. Vampires Don’t Sparkle! is an amazing collection of fiction that features vampires at their most evil. While I’m a huge fan of Twilight, I loved this collection. I believe that ‘What Once Was Flesh’ was my favorite, but they were all so good. Still, ‘What Once Was Flesh’ had such a twist at the end that I just loved it. If you want to read a collection of stories that feature the vampire that Bram Stoker created, you need to read this book!” ~ A Girl and Her Kindle
“5 Stars! In Vampires Don’t Sparkle!, editor Michael West has managed to take the vampire and make it awesome again. He got rid of the current trend of sexy, sparkly, undead love interests that make teenage girls swoon, and instead has replaced it with something dark, something unique. Gone are the cheezy ‘I want to suck your blood’ types that 1950s B-level horror flicks brought us. Gone are the neauveau un-scary un-dead. What he’s left us with is, well, awesome.” ~ Book in a Bag
“In a world which has become oversaturated by creatures of the night, this anthology brings the topic of conversation back to the monster, back to the old-fashioned vampire of lore. The vampires in this collection are meant to be terrifying, to cause suspense, to enthrall you rather than make you squee like a teenage Twihard. There are no vegetarian vampires in this book. There are fifteen stories in this Vampires Don’t Sparkle! and each piece of this collection adds a new layer to the vampire mythos. Whether its by reimagining old tales or looking toward the future, these stories fit together in a brilliant tapestry with the common thread of the classic, fearsome vampire. I think that the stories flowed together quite well and I liked to see different themes within the book including the vampire hunter, which in my opinion is a very important part of the vampire mythology. Where there is a creature of the night there will (most likely) be someone who wants to figure out what makes them work and put an end to the terror…Great storytelling, plain and simple. If you’re a fan of horror and vampires in general, this is the collection for you.” ~ Kentucky Geek Girl
“5 Stars – You have to read this! This anthology is for those of us who like a little bite with our vampire. Those of us who crave the scare more than the swoon. Those of us wanting the fright with the fangs. This darkly delicious smorgasbord of things that go bump in the night is a feast for true horror lovers. Sporting a list that reads like a who’s who of horror; this book has something for every fan of the fanged. ” ~ WTF Are You Reading?
“This was a rare collection that didn’t offer a clunker. There were no filler stories, and each story had a unique twist on the vampire tale. There are many well-known authors here (and ones I really love to follow, such as Tim Waggoner, Gord Rollo, and Gary A. Braunbeck) but a few I’ve never read before but now will seek out further stories from: Jerry Gordon, R.J. Sullivan and Bob Freeman…If I can find more vampire literature in this vein (pun intended) I might get back to reading about those undead baddies again and not dismissing them as the stuff my daughter (who’s 12) now reads… please make it so!” ~ Armand Rosamilia, author of Undead Tales, Dying Days and Death Metal
“5 Stars! Michael West edited an incredible collection of amazing tales with something for every real vampire lover…a complete meal delivered to you in a 16-course feast which will have you going on a secret run to the hardware store and buying a nightlight, a wooden garden stake and possibly sneaking in the local Catholic church with your Nalgene bottle, just in case! ” ~ Cabin Goddess
“This is a collection of real blood suckers who will thrill, amuse, and frighten you, fifteen tales of terror ranging from an unstoppable Viking vampire lord to a robot vampire from Japan. Each story is different and original, such as a vampire that feeds on other vamps or an apocalyptic future overrun by skraelings. The stories are entertaining and well written by some well-known authors such as J.F. Gonzalez and Tim Waggoner and some that I am just being introduced to. I will definitely be looking for more of their works on my favorite subject and other horror. It’s good to know that the true vampire legend has not been completely destroyed for profit and hopefully the evil creatures of the night are making a comeback. So get out your garlic and crucifix and try to sleep tight. Muhahaha.” ~ Strange Amusements
“5 Stars! This is a throwback to old school vampires as they should be. They are evil, scary and bloody. I knew Michael West would pick awesome tales and he did not disappoint. All the stories were very readable and enjoyable. My favorites from the group were ‘Vampire Nation’ by Jerry Gordon, ‘The Excavation’ by Stephen Zimmer, ‘A Soldier’s Story’ by Maurice Broaddus and ‘Robot Vampire’ by R. J. Sullivan. This book is not for the Twilight fans this is for fans of horror and of Vampires the way they were meant to be written.” ~ Bee’s Knees Reviews
“This is a collection of real vampire stories. Not the sparkly ones from Twilight or the Sexy ones from Vampire Diaries! But REAL EVIL WICKED AND BLOODY VAMPIRES! And it so doesn’t disappoint! With 15 stories to sink your teeth into, you are sure to suck this one dry!” ~The Witchy Contessa
“Vampire fiction has been mostly a turn-off for me lately. I don’t want to read about vegetarian vampires, vampires who don’t want to hurt humans, vampires who are lonely and just waiting for the right mortal who could make this all worth it. I don’t want my vampires to be family friendly. Sexy vampires are always fun, and well, sexy, but I’d rather have the real thing. Give me some violent amoral bloodsuckers any day, give me some Jasper Kent, some Kim Newman, some gold old traditional Bram Stoker any day! Good thing Vampires Don’t Sparkle! came along. Fifteen authors who agree with me. Fifteen stories where the vampire is the bad guy, the dangerous one, the thing to run away from. As editor Michael West says in his introduction, pop culture (and one particular author who changed the face of vampire fiction) stole vampires from us, and made them into something they’re not. It’s time for us to take them back! These stories aren’t all horror, not in the slightest. Some of them are laugh out loud funny, some of them cover the lonely and dangerous reality of what hunting humans entails, there is a truly disturbing one about how one man learns how to destroy a vampire. They are all a throwback to what so many of us have been missing. Sick of sparkly vampires? This anthology is for you.” ~ The Little Red Reviewer
“From fun to splattery, and with a smattering of regional specialties, Michael West has assembled a collection of stories designed to leave prissy, playboy bloodsuckers in their condos and compounds. In his selections, monsters run the streets again. Standout stories include Joel A. Sutherland’s “Skraeling”, “Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman, and Jerry Gordon’s “Vampire Nation”, though with so much great fiction inside it’s hard to pick out just a few. Definitely recommended for public and private horror collections.” ~ The Monster Librarian
ISBN Number 978-1-937929-60-2 (Trade Paperback)
CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT
