Title sound familiar? Yes, it's a quotation from Bram Stoker - but it comes as a surprise to most people to discover that when Count Dracula praises the music made by the children of the night, he is talking, not about vampires, but about those other sharp-toothed night-time Carpathian creatures, wolves. Tony Thorne has plenty of surprises up his sleeve in this lively study, which, if you've always imagined Dracula to be about the scariest thing vampirism has to offer, may just inspire you to start growing garlic in your garden. Far from being old hat, vampires have thrived in post-AIDS society; and not just as stars of page and screen, either, as plentiful real-life tales of vampire chic and drinks parties with a difference will testify. Ranging across a wide range of source material from Varney the Vampire to Abel Ferrara via Anne Rice's Lestat, Thorne is both erudite and entertaining, offering both anecdote and analysis in his attempt to figure out just why it is that vampirism seems destined never to die; and his tone of easy self-deprecation, perfect for a subject that's half serious, half spoof, is beautifully preserved throughout.
The books pages are edited by Caroline Walsh, Literary Editor
Certain reviews from these pages are available at the Irish Times www.ireland.com/dublin/entertainment/books/
