The Vampire Archives

The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published

By: Clive Barker, Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Kim Newman - foreword, Neil Gaiman - preface, Otto Penzler - editor

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Jonathan Cowley, Erik Davies

The Vampire Archives is the biggest, hungriest, undeadliest collection of vampire stories, as well as the most comprehensive bibliography of vampire fiction ever assembled. Dark, stormy, and delicious, once it sinks its teeth into you there’s no escape.

Vampires! Whether imagined by Bram Stoker or Anne Rice, they are part of the human lexicon and as old as blood itself. They are your neighbors, your friends, and they are always lurking. Now Otto Penzler—editor of the best-selling Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps—has compiled the darkest, the scariest, and by far the most evil collection of vampire stories ever, with over 80 stories, including the works of Stephen King and D. H. Lawrence, alongside Lord Byron and Tanith Lee, not to mention Edgar Allan Poe and Harlan Ellison. The Vampire Archives will drive a stake through the heart of any other collection out there.

Other contributors include Arthur Conan Doyle, Ray Bradbury, Ambrose Bierce, H. P. Lovecraft, Harlan Ellison, Roger Zelazny, Robert Bloch, and Clive Barker.

©2009 Otto Penzler (P)2011 Random House

You Have to Really Like Vampire Stories

Wow, this is the longest read ever. Some of the stories were good but not many were very good. A trip through the history of vampire stories.

SO MUCH CONTENT!!

I like most of what I've read so far, but some of these stories are better than others. A few of these are slow, but I'd definitely recommend this overall. Especially when THERE'S SO MUCH OF THIS STUFF TO GET THROUGH! You might want to use a subscription point for this one!

GOTTA LOVE THOSE VAMPIRES...

What made the experience of listening to The Vampire Archives the most enjoyable?

Most of these stories are REALLY OLD. I love the old vampires... vile odors, dust, crumbling stuff...some of these stories were very creepy, all were fabulous.

I see some complaints that it is kind of the "same old stories", sorry, if that's how you look at it. For me, it's a collection of classic literature, I love Poe, Lee, Doyle, James...so this is perfect for me.

I didn't like the few modern ones. For me, modern vampire stories come across as amusing or just stupid. Thankfully, there's only a few here.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I was very happy with all the narrators, each seemed appropriate for the story to me. I liked that each story was prefaced with a little info and each narrator was named.

Simon Vance did quite a few, I think he's got the best vampire narration, his almost whisper voice, perfect pauses...for my taste, he's a very frightening narrator.

Any additional comments?

Great for fans of old traditional horror. Wonderful for a stormy night, with a candelabra and a glass of red....Oh, "I don't drink...wine."

Some of the stories weren’t great. Some of the narrators were horrible.

Just know there are some hidden beauties. Listen for them. And watch out for the stinkers.

An almost exhaustive collection of vampire stories.

This was a fantastic, long listen that took me almost 6 months to complete. I enjoyed hearing old favorites and finding some new ones. These aren’t just greatest hits, there are some obscure stories and unfamiliar authors in the mix. It does point up the fact that popular authors and stories are popular for a reason. There’s a lot that can be done within the confines of the definition of “vampire story”, and some very good ones are very “traditional”, but many of the best tales are only just so. My only complaint that there were too few women narrators in this production. Men read stories by women, and portrayed female characters, so why not use men and women narrators equally?

History of the Vampire

Any additional comments?

The Vampire Archives will delight you, especially if you're interested in the history of the vampire story.

This is a very comprehensive compilation that spans across cultures and draws from the perspective of varied writers. I was enchanted by nearly every story and I found the biographical material that precedes each writer's work very engaging and informative.

COMPLETE and ACCURATE INDEX to Chapters

Navigating the 161 chapters in “The Vampire Archives” (single file download) can be very frustrating. With an audiobook of this size you would think Audible would have a better chapter index that would show the title of each entry and not just list the numbers of each chapter from 1-161!

I listen to all my Audible audiobooks on my Amazon 10-inch Echo Show (2nd Gen) using Alexa voice control. Asking Alexa for a particular story by title is so unreliable it isn’t worth it, However, asking Alexa: “Alexa, go to chapter 147” is foolproof. But that’s not much use for finding a particular title when the Audible audiobook book chapter numbers have no title information.

To solve this problem, I have created an accurate and reliable table of contents to all 161 titles. I hope some of you will find this helpful:

THE VAMPIRE ARCHIVES

Table of Contents:

1. Foreword: Kim Newman; Preface: Neil Gaiman
2. Introduction: Otto Penzler 



PRE-DRACULA
3. Good Lady Ducayne Part 1: M. E. Braddon
4. Good Lady Ducayne Part 2: M. E. Braddon
5. Good Lady Ducayne Part 3 M. E. Braddon
6. The Last Lords of Gardonal Part 1: William Gilbert
7. The Last Lords of Gardonal Part 2: William Gilbert
8. A Mystery of the Campagna: Anne Crawford A
9. Mystery of the Campagna Part 2: Anne Crawford
10. The Fate of Madame Cabanel: Eliza Lynn Linton
11. Let Loose: Mary Cholmondeley
12. The Vampire: Vasile Alecsandri
13. The Death of Halpin Frayser Part 1: Ambrose Bierce
14. The Death of Halpin Frayser Part 2: Ambrose Bierce
15. The Death of Halpin Frayser Part 3: Ambrose Bierce
16. The Death of Halpin Frayser Part 4: Ambrose Bierce
17. Ken's Mystery: Julian Hawthorne
18. Carmilla Part 01: Sheridan Le Fanu
19. Carmilla Part 02: Sheridan Le Fanu
20. Carmilla Part 03: Sheridan Le Fanu
21. Carmilla Part 04: Sheridan Le Fanu
22. Carmilla Part 05: Sheridan Le Fanu
23. Carmilla Part 06: Sheridan Le Fanu
24. Carmilla Part 07: Sheridan Le Fanu
25. Carmilla Part 08: Sheridan Le Fanu
26. Carmilla Part 09: Sheridan Le Fanu
27. Carmilla Part 10: Sheridan Le Fanu
28. Carmilla Part 11: Sheridan Le Fanu
29. Carmilla Part 12: Sheridan Le Fanu
30. Carmilla Part 13: Sheridan Le Fanu
31. Carmilla Part 14: Sheridan Le Fanu
32. Carmilla Part 15: Sheridan Le Fanu
33. Carmilla Part 16: Sheridan Le Fanu
34. The Tomb of Sarah: F. G. Loring
35. Ligeia: Edgar Allan Poe
36. The Old Portrait: Hume Nisbet
37. The Vampire Maid: Hume Nisbet 



TRUE STORIES

38. The Sad Story of a Vampire: Eric (Count) Stenbock
39. A Case of Alleged Vampirism: Luigi Capuana
40. An Authenticated Vampire Story: Franz Hartmann 



GRAVEYARDS, CASTLES, CHURCHES, RUINS

41. Revelations in Black: Carl Jacobi
42. The Master of Rampling Gate: Anne Rice
43. The Vampire of Kaldenstein Part 1: Frederick Cowles
44. The Vampire of Kaldenstein Part 2: Frederick Cowles
45. The Vampire of Kaldenstein Part 3: Frederick Cowles
46. The Vampire of Kaldenstein Part 4: Frederick Cowles
47. An Episode of Cathedral History: M. R. James
48. Schloss Wappenburg: D. Scott-Moncrieff
49. The Hound: H. P. Lovecraft
50. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 1: Tanith Lee
51. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 2: Tanith Lee
52. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 3: Tanith Lee
53. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 4: Tanith Lee
54. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 5: Tanith Lee
55. Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur Part 6: Tanith Lee
56. The Horror at Chilton Castle: Joseph Payne Brennan
57. The Singular Death of Morton: Algernon Blackwood
58. The Death of Ilalotha: Clark Ashton Smith 



THAT'S POETIC

59. The Bride of Corinth: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
60. The Giaour: Lord Byron
61. La Belle Dame Sans Merci: John Keats 



HARD TIMES FOR VAMPIRES

62. Place of Meeting: Charles Beaumont
63. Duty: Ed Gorman
64. A Week in the Unlife: David J. Schow
65. A Week in the Unlife Part 5 David J. Schow



CLASSIC TALES

66. Four Wooden Stakes: Victor Roman
67. The Room in the Tower: E. F. Benson
68. Mrs. Amworth: E. F. Benson
69. Doctor Porthos Part 1: Basil Copper
70. Doctor Porthos Part 2: Basil Copper
71. Doctor Porthos Part 3: Basil Copper
72. Doctor Porthos Part 4: Basil Copper
73. Doctor Porthos Part 5: Basil Copper
74. Doctor Porthos Part 6: Basil Copper
75. For the Blood Is the Life: F. Marion Crawford
76. Count Magnus: M. R. James
77. When It Was Moonlight: Manly Wade Wellman
78. The Drifting Snow: August Derleth
79. Aylmer Vance and the Vampire: Alice and Claude Askew
80. Dracula's Guest: Bram Stoker
81. The Transfer: Algernon Blackwood
82. The Stone Chamber: H. B. Marriott Watson
83. The Vampire: Jan Neruda
84. The End of the Story: Clark Ashton Smith 



PSYCHIC VAMPIRES

85. The Lovely Lady: D. H. Lawrence
86. The Parasite Part 1: Arthur Conan Doyle
87. The Parasite Part 2: Arthur Conan Doyle
88. The Parasite Part 3: Arthur Conan Doyle
89. The Parasite Part 4: Arthur Conan Doyle
90. Lonely Women Are the Vessels of Time: Harlan Ellison



SOMETHING FEELS FUNNY

91. Blood: Fredric Brown
92. Popsy: Stephen King
93. The Werewolf and the Vampire: R. Chetwynd-Hayes
94. Drink My Red Blood: Richard Matheson
95. Dayblood: Roger Zelazny



LOVE . . . FOREVER

96. Replacements: Lisa Tuttle
97. Princess of Darkness Part 1: Frederick Cowles
98. Princess of Darkness Part 2: Frederick Cowles
99. Princess of Darkness Part 3: Frederick Cowles
100. Princess of Darkness Part 4: Frederick Cowles
101. Princess of Darkness Part 5: Frederick Cowles
102. The Silver Collar: Garry Kilworth
103. The Old Man's Story: Walter Starkie
104. Will Part 1: Vincent O'Sullivan
105. Will Part 2: Vincent O'Sullivan
106. Blood-Lust Part 1: Dion Fortune
107. Blood-Lust Part 2: Dion Fortune
108. Blood-Lust Part 3: Dion Fortune
109. Blood-Lust Part 4: Dion Fortune
110. The Canal: Everil Worrell
111. When Gretchen Was Human: Mary A. Turzillo
112. The Story of Chugoro: Lafcadio Hearn



THEY GATHER

113. The Men & Women of Rivendale: Steve Rasnic Tem
114. Winter Flowers: Tanith Lee
115. The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady: Brian Stableford
116. Midnight Mass Part 01: F. Paul Wilson
117. Midnight Mass Part 02: F. Paul Wilson
118. Midnight Mass Part 03: F. Paul Wilson
119. Midnight Mass Part 04: F. Paul Wilson
120. Midnight Mass Part 05: F. Paul Wilson
121. Midnight Mass Part 06: F. Paul Wilson
122. Midnight Mass Part 07: F. Paul Wilson
123. Midnight Mass Part 08: F. Paul Wilson
124. Midnight Mass Part 09: F. Paul Wilson
125. Midnight Mass Part 10 F. Paul Wilson
126. Midnight Mass Part 11: F. Paul Wilson
127. Midnight Mass Part 12: F. Paul Wilson
128. Midnight Mass Part 13: F. Paul Wilson
129. Midnight Mass Part 14: F. Paul Wilson
130. Midnight Mass Part 15: F. Paul Wilson
131. Midnight Mass Part 16: F. Paul Wilson
132. Midnight Mass Part 17: F. Paul Wilson

IS THAT A VAMPIRE?

133. The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire: Arthur Conan Doyle
134. A Dead Finger Part 1: Sabine Baring-Gould
135. A Dead Finger Part 2: Sabine Baring-Gould
136. A Dead Finger Part 3: Sabine Baring-Gould
137. A Dead Finger Part 4: Sabine Baring-Gould
138. Wailing Well: M. R. James
139. Human Remains Part 1: Clive Barker
140. Human Remains Part 2: Clive Barker
141. The Vampire: Sydney Horler
142. Stragella: Hugh B. Cave
143. Marsyas in Flanders Part 1: Vernon Lee
144. Marsyas in Flanders Part 2: Vernon Lee
145. Marsyas in Flanders Part 3 Vernon Lee
146. The Horla: Guy De Maupassant
147. The Girl With the Hungry Eyes: Fritz Leiber



THIS IS WAR

148. The Living Dead: Robert Bloch
149. Down Among the Dead Men: Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann



MODERN MASTERS

150. Necros Part 1: Brian Lumley
151. Necros Part 2: Brian Lumley
152. Necros Part 3. Brian Lumley
153. Necros Part 4: Brian Lumley
154. Necros Part 5: Brian Lumley
155. The Man Upstairs: Ray Bradbury
156. Chastel: Manly Wade Wellman
157. Dracula's Chair: Peter Tremayne
158. Special: Richard Laymon
159. Carrion Comfort Part 1: Dan Simmons
160. Carrion Comfort Part 2: Dan Simmons
161. The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be: Gahan Wilson 



The Vampire: A Bibliography: Compiled by Daniel Seitler

Hit or miss

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators helped add life to the even most tedious of the stories.

Do you think The Vampire Archives needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I really don't think I need to hear another vampire story for a very long time.

Any additional comments?

Like most anthologies, this is hit or miss. Some were quite enjoyable, some rather tedious. The older stories were especially trying, probably due to the victorian writing style.

Fabulous!

This audiobook contains runs for more than 60 hours. Not every of the story hits, but what does that matter if there is always another one? From poems to short stories to novelettes and covering more than 200 years, there is something here for everybody who likes a good vampire story. The initiated will find something he knows and likes, and the uninitiated will be introduced to something awesome. Definitely worth its two credits.

The technical quality is very good, and so are most of the narrators. Very little to complain here.

This one tops my list for a lot of reasons.

This collection is a treasure, so many writers and stories never before heard. The performances are all very good as well. You may not love every single story, but I promise overall if you are a dark literature fan, you will enjoy this.