Children Of The Night: Of Vampires and Vampirism Book

There are certainly a lot of dark and alarming creatures out there as Tony Thorne demonstrates, not only in literature and film but even the real world. Thorne's entertaining account of the persistence of the Vampire legend and its wide-ranging manifestations in culture and life, from The Epic of Gilgamesh through Byron to S&M clubs in New York and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which Thorne considers to be "inspiring"). The entry in the index under "Real Vampires" is particularly lengthy and includes "aversion to sunlight", "and club culture", "internet sets devoted to combating" and, more touchingly, "loneliness." A survey of the many people afflicted by, or perhaps revelling in (depending on your point of view), the accredited psychological delusion of vampirism covers America, Eastern Europe and many other places. Thorne's interviews with these individuals are often surprisingly touching. "I am a vampire", says one. "I am lonely, depressed, heartbroken and mad as hell", says another. Thorne's encyclopedic account of this phenomenon draws on stories, folk-tales, eyewitness accounts and personal testimony. Some of the beasts he deals with are scary; but at other times the effect is more comical. Take the following: "When Julio Gonzalez and his wife found their five chickens lying arrayed in a perfect line in their backyard in Vega Baja, PuertoRico-- "as if they were sunbathing" they said-- they examined the birds carefully and found they were not relaxing but ... dead."Sunbathing chickens aside, there are some spooky touches in the book and Thorne manages not to let his style get hysterical, despite his material. --Adam RobertsRead More