The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women

Wow, what a slew of good authors. I've been working on this book for a few months now, reading one or two stories at a time, keeping it by my bed for last thing at night reading. I skipped straight the the Tanya Huff offering, excited to read a vampire Vicki Nelson story, and to see her interacting with Celluci. Nancy Collins, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Storm Constantine and other modern authors share the pages with stories from women writing a century or more ago. The stories range in tone from gothic horror to modern war to drugged out exploitation. The only odd thing is that the collection is 7 years old now, so I've read more recent stories by some of the authors, and this was like finding a historical tome. :)

This anthology captured my interest not only because of its theme, but because it contained stories from several of my favorite authors. It turned out to be a mixed bag of tales featuring different versions of vampires, though some were better than the others. I enjoyed the collection as a whole, but the following tales stood out for me: "The Master of Rampling Gate" by Anne Rice, "Homewrecker" by Poppy Z. Brite, "Vampire King of the Goth Chicks" by Nancy A. Collins, "Just His Type" by Storm Constantine, "Prince of Flowers" by Elizabeth Hand, "Services Rendered" by Louise Cooper, "One Among Millions" by Yvonne Navarro, "A Question of Patronage" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, "Turkish Delight" by Roberta Lannes, "Venus Rising on Water" by show more Tanith Lee, "Lunch at Charon's" by Melanie Tem, "Night Laughter" by Ellen Kushner, "Bootleg" by Christa Faust, "Outfangthief" by Gala Blau, "So Runs the World Away" by Caitlín R. Kiernan, and "Jack" by Connie Willis. show less

I enjoyed this books of short vampire stories. A nice way to relax in the evening. What a nice what to pass the time with short stories by Anne Rice (Goddess of the Vampires), Poppy Z. Brite, and many more.

A fair mix of good and bad stories. Mostly good.