Librarians Who Love Horror Fiction

I found this in the newsletter put out by Librarians' Internet Index.

Monster Librarian
"Collection of horror fiction reading lists for adults and teens. Topics include vampires werewolves, zombies, horror-themed romance, and more. Also includes suggestions for scary books for children, and reviews of horror podcasts"
Copyright 2006 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LI

From the Monster Librarian Website. "The Monster Librarian welcomes you! This site is dedicated to all the books that are creepy, scary, and give us the willies. It is meant to be a resource for readers and librarians. For readers of horror, this is designed to be a site where you can find other books that fall into the horror category that you might be interested in reading. For librarians, this site provides tools to help in collection development, readers advisory, and program planning. While the site will have information on current mainstream horror it will also include in the various lists older books that may be of interest."
This looks to be a fairly new site but has a very enthusiastic staff. There is also a Monster Librarian blog that seems promising.

Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson - TV series

"November 20, 2006 - Fireworks International announced today that it has acquired the international rights to brand new 22 x 1 hour drama series Blood Ties. Produced by Toronto's Kaleidoscope Entertainment Inc. and Vancouver's Insight Film Studios in association with CHUM Television, Blood Ties is scheduled to be broadcast on CHUM Television in Canada and Lifetime Television in the U.S. in 2007."

There will also be another series entitled Young Dracula which is a billed as a gothic comedy for kids.

Go to ContentFilm : News : Latest Press Releases for the complete article

Interview with Deborah Wilson Overstreet

On Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog CYNSATIONS is an interview with Deborah Wilson Overstreet author of Not Your Mother's Vampire: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction.

Description from publisher's website (Scarecrow Press): "Examining young adult vampire fiction and how it fits in both the contemporary and classic vampire canon, the book's analysis begins with a primer on vampire scholarship, including a brief deconstruction of ten seminal vampire representations-five literary, five cinematic-and their impact on young adult vampire novels; the evolution of vampires from scary Gothic enemies into postmodern sexualized heroes is traced throughout the book; and the influence of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

Subsequent chapters examine current young adult vampires novels from such popular horror authors as Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Christopher Pike, R. L. Stine, Darren Shan, and L. J. Smith, and are divided into three categories based on narrative structure: the process of turning into a vampire, humans and vampires trying to find their way in life, and romantic relationships with a vampire partner. Analysis also addresses vampire conventions (the traditions that exist in each vampire universe), vampires and sexuality, and good and reluctant vampires. The human characters who coexist with vampires in these novels receive the same treatment. Additionally, issues of gender, age, and affectional orientation of human and vampire characters are discussed, as are postmodern constructions of good and evil.

Not Your Mother's Vampire contains an exploration of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a television phenomenon, which has sparked an entirely new academic field: Buffy Studies. The vampire characters on Buffy and parallel series, Angel, are explored as are a few main humans (slayers and witches alike). The final chapter of the book is an annotated bibliography of seminal vampire scholarship. As the only in-depth examination of young adult vampire novels in existence, this book is essential for students and scholars of the literature."


See the interview here

Bram Stoker Creates Dracula

From: A WRITER AT LARGE: Bad blood; Bram Stoker seemed a pillar of Victorian respectability, but in 1890 a nightmare inspired him to write the disturbing, decadent `Dracula'. CHRISTOPHER FRAYLING reveals the origins of both a literary classic and a still powerful force in popular culture.(Features) by Frayling, Christopher

Source: The Independent on Sunday (London, England), March 30, 2003.

Via: HighBeam™ Research

COPYRIGHT 2003 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
The full text of this article will be available online until Jan. 25, 2007.

Blindsight - Vampires in Space

Blindsight by Peter Watts. Tor, 2006.

Along side the human race live vampires - humanoids who became extinct during the Pleistocene era and have been resurrected by modern science. Their predatory habits are kept in check, but their special DNA and vast intelligence aids humanity as it ventures into space.

On Feb. 13, 2082, a shower of lights fills Earth’s sky. The media dubs them Fireflies. They prove to be a signal from an alien source. An exploratory ship is prepared and sent to search for its origin. A crew assembles and includes the story’s narrator the synthesist Siri, a scientist decked out with extensions so grand he hardly looks human, Communications expert Susan James whose brain carries 4 personae, Major Bates the only military member, and the vampire Sarasti, commander of the mission. No one dares challenge his authority! Except for one at a crucial moment.

Their ship Theseus takes them past the edge of our solar system to meet up with a species both belligerent and smart. The crew is on their own. There is no contact with earth from this distance, But their is contact with the nightmarish alien ship which Siri, describes thusly,

Imagine a crown of thorns, twisted, dark and unreflective, grown too thickly tangled to ever rest on any Human head. Put it in orbit around a failed star whose own reflected half-light does little more than throw its satellites into silhouette. Occasional bloody highlights glinted like dim embers from its twist and crannies; they only emphasized the darkness everywhere else.

It is huge, and it is growing fueled by particles from the giant, dying sun it orbits.

Susan James uses her communication skills to ping the other ship. It quickly answers and dubs itself Rorschach. A friendly exchange turns ugly as Theseus approaches. Rorschach warns - stay away! Sarasti ignores the warnings, and as soon as it is feasible he has the crew takes a shuttle down to Rorschach. The nightmare escalates.

Watts's descriptions of the most technical subjects is sheer poetry. Each character is fully formed and reacts believably to the most bizarre situations. Siri makes difficult but important changes within himself in order to survive ever changing scenarios. The author has crafted an imaginative first contact, space adventure all the while educating the reader with a fascinating blend of philosophy, psychology, evolution, quantum mechanics, astronomy, and so much more. Quite a feat, Mr. Watts!

James Schellenberg & David M. Switzer have an in depth interview with Peter Watts on their Challenging Destiny site. At the time of this interview Watts was working on Blindsight.