‘Vampire Hunters: An Incomplete Record of Personal Accounts’ is an anthology of stories which claims that vampires are real- from Edgar Allen Poe to King John Lackland, all are shown to be vampires. Here are 10 things to you need to know about the book before you open the coffin lid:
1. WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
The book is an anthology of records complied by an elderly man named Sir Charles Titus Hawthrone, who is leaving the disorganised collection for his niece. Through the book, Hawthrone seeks to pass on a dangerous truth to the young girl- “Vampires are real, my girl. They come in many different forms, but all of them feed on men.” The chilling purpose of the book is to prepare her for a world she never knew existed.
2. EPISTOLARY
Like the classic ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker, ‘Vampire Hunters’ is also written in an epistolary form, with diary entries, letters, journal transcripts and more. The author has crafted these entries in a manner that the book looks like a genuine ‘record’ of evidence of the existence of bloodsucking creatures. The stories are presented as historical records, pieced together by Sir Charles Titus Hawthorne, not merely as tales, but as testimony.
3. GENRE
Though you can technically shelve the book under the horror genre, it is not simply bone-chilling or terrifying. It doesn’t rely on jump scares or pulse-pounding terror to leave the readers spooked. Gothic is a more fitting genre for the book. The vampire hunters, coffins, tombs, murders, monsters and the eerie narrative makes it a dark, decadent feast for all gothic lovers.
4. IT IS INCOMPLETE
The title isn’t a gimmick. This record is incomplete. Some accounts are written in fragments; it feels as though something (or someone) interfered with the narration. Some accounts appear to have been torn from lost journals, their context unknown. These remnants have been recovered from unlikely places: tombs, caves and forgotten ruins, among other places.
5. TIME PERIOD
The book covers accounts of vampire hunters from ancient history to the modern time. The earliest testimony is of a soldier from the Mycenaean civilization during the Bronze Age, who claims to have encountered a vampire amid the siege of Troy. Towards the end of the book, we seen accounts from recent times. The last chapter is an account of a vampire slayer hunting in America in 2025.
6. HISTORICAL CHARACTERS
The book appears ever so realistic and makes us believe in the existence of vampires and vampire slayers because of the real and historic characters that appear in it. Edgar Allen Poe, King John Lackland, Anne Charlotte Lynch and Frances Osgood are just few names that you will find in the book.
7. ‘FICTIONAL’ CHARACTERS
Several of the famous ‘fictional’ characters also appear in the book. To name a few, there are Ichabod Crane (from ‘The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow’) and Van Helsing (from ‘Dracula’). What makes their inclusion truly captivating is how vividly they come to life, portrayed as real and tangible as you or me.
8. WRITERS
The use of different writers for different accounts makes this book more compelling and believable. It makes us believe that the book really contains records of different vampire hunters. Among the contributors is three-time Bram Stoker Award winner Gwendolyn Kiste, A.C. Wise and George K. Angelou.
9. PERFECT GIFT FOR HALLOWEEN
The book is a perfect gift for the spooky season. It is not simply a collection of gore and jump scares. Each story in this anthology feels like a piece of forgotten history, offering glimpses into the lives of vampire hunters across time, culture and belief.
10. WARNING
The book comes with a warning that it is gory and contains instances of infanticide, homicide, animal harm, sexism, homophobia, war, psychological horror, despair and graphic depiction of torture.
Hence, I would like to warn everyone to pick up the book with caution. However, it still makes up for a fun read and is apt for someone looking for a much-needed escape from reality.
❤️Thanks- Speculation Publications
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