The Blood of the Vampire
Valancourt Books is to be congratulated for reissuing The Blood of the Vampire with a critical introduction by Brenda Hammack. Out of print for over 100 years, this is a title that was crying out to be resurrected. First published in 1897, it was rather overshadowed by a certain other vampire novel that appeared in the same year. In Marryat’s novel we have a female vampire, the daughter of a mad scientist and a voodoo priestess, who has the unfortunate habit of draining the life out of those she loves. She is a woman who wants only to love and be loved, but her “otherness” denies her security she craves.
Marryat’s novel is fascinating not only for its sensational plot and bizarre characters, but also because of its engagement with many of the issues that haunted the late Victorian imagination, such as race, heredity, women’s roles, Spiritualism, and the occult. Valancourt Books
There is a review on the Victorian Geek blog, but please let me know if you come across any other responses to this intriguing novel. This much-welcomed reissue should attract some long overdue critical attention.
