Rating: 
Summary: Writing was so bad the book actually steamed
Review: I must admit, I got caught up in the Konstantinos Llewelyn-hype and ceased thinking rationally for a moment. After having 'read' a couple of fluffy lightside so-called occult books from Llewelyn, I had told myself I would never buy another Llewelyn book again. Llewelyn is to the real occult like Saturday morning cartoons are to R Rated movies. If you're an imbecible, then, by all means, buy Llewelyn books.
In any case, the title of this work intrigued me, so I decided to give Llewelyn one more shot.
OOOPS! BAD MISTAKE!
The content was meaningless mind-filler, the vampire facts were false and based on popular mythology, and to top it all off, the actual writing was so bad that the book actually steamed. I really mean it - fluorescent green, putrid, acrid smoke cascaded up off the pages and made me cough. How long did it take Kon to write this one, like a week? I mean, I could have written a better book than this my freshman year in high school. If Kons book had been turned in to an English 101 class he would have gotten a 'C'.
Now, if having a hip gothique name, long black hair and wearing macabre clothing while sipping emerald green absinthe and giving speeches and appearing on television shows makes you a great writer, than this Konstantine is one hell of an author. But, unfortunetely, in my judgement, image does not substitute for content. Konstatinos you dissapointed me with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Boooring
Review: I read this book and several times found myself falling asleep to the blah blah blah meanderings of this author. The information there is good if he would try and condense it into something tolerable to read. The stories are good but found elsewhere, the letters were intriguing but the way he writes just doesn't keep me wanting to read more. I had to force myself to finish this book as it was picked as a book for school to review, otherwise I wouldn't have completed it without a second thought as to what the ending chapters had to ramble about.
Rating: 
Summary: New to it all
Review: i'm new to vampires, new to spirits, new to the occult in general, and this is the first book on those subjects i've read..even if you don't believe, it's a good book to read for it's style and the stories in it, it can give a non-believer a perspective that the could only see after reading this book, It's definately worth the money
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: I'm not really one who is interested in magick and all of that type of stuff so i kind of skipped over all of those parts of the book, but I found the book very valuable in researching historical vampires: namely Vlad Tepes, Elizabeth Bathory, Gilles de Rais, Fritz Haarmann, and John George Haigh. The book gave good descriptions of the origins of vampire mythologies from across the globe. The only complaint I have was that Konstantinos was not completely meticulous in his research leaving out key figures, such as the serial killer Richard Chase, and several books, namely books about Gilles de Rais.
Rating:
Summary: Finally A Good Read On the Occult
Review: I'm so glad that I finally found an occult book where the guy doesn't claim he came from the 1800s and knew Anne Rice's (fiction!) character Lestat personally! You have any idea how many occult books are like that out there? Millions, and I was so worried when my friend loaned this book to me that it would be another waste of time. But wow, alas there's a book where he tells what I want to hear- facts and origins of the vampires. I must admit the vampire pyschic chapters had me crook an eyebrow, for I believe pyschic vamirism is a mere derviation from the myth of the blood- sucking vampire- but just to hear of them and how people believe they are was a good study, for you do have to be open- minded, regardless of how you personally feel. The one thing I hated in this book though were those letters. Really, I implore you readers. How are we to believe in these people- honestly? You can't. They sound like just a bunch of people who are bored of their life so much that they have jumped right out of reality into their own flase fantasies. Harsh- but you just get that feeling when you read that section don't you?
Anyway what you will get out of this is the origins of vampires, the stories of actual accounts of vampirism such as from Elizabeth Bathory and the real Vlad Dracula himself, and accounts of psychic vampirism. All the stuff you wanted to know if you're interested of vampires.
Konstantinos is finally an occultist who can be taken seriously. He doesn't claim anything of himself- he mainly claims what he has heard and studied for years about vampires. And all he asks is to have an open mind, and I think we can all do that can't we?
Rating:
Summary: It's About Time
Review: I've been waiting for someone to write the truth for sometime now and when I first became a fan of Konstantinos with his book Nocturnal Witchcraft I had no clue that he knew this much about other things as well. So just saying it's about time someone put the truth out there. A great read for newly awakened vamps and those just plain interested.
Rating:
Summary: This Book is the Standard
Review: I've read a lot of books on the subject of vampires. What impresses me most about Konstantinos's book is that he takes the time to sort through folktales and alleged "sightings" with all the skepticism of a scientist and fascination of an occultist. I also give kudos for his personal investigation efforts. So many writers just recount others' experiences; this guy isn't satisfied unless he has seen something for himself. Overall, this book is highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Konstantinos' Best Book
Review: IMO, this is Konstantinos' best book because he avoids trying to get you to join his witchcraft religion. Instead here is a straightforward look about the famous myth of vampires. The original grave risers are covered, as well as psychic vampires and modern blood drinkers. From what I got out of this book, most current "vampires" are little more than a poser gothic who might drink blood. Cheesy. In my kind of original gothic clothes, I was influenced by fictional vampires, but end up looking like a leather jacket sideburns necklace gelled hair punk. Konstantinos ia a good writer, and one of the best contemporary magicians today.
Rating:
Summary: really makes you think
Review: Konstantinos seems to know a lot about the subject. Maybe too much (chapter 10). This book lays to rest some of the myths created over time and by movies. Konstantinos covers everyting from beliefs to the different types of vampires. The most interesting part of this book may be the stories presented. They keep you on the edge of your seet. You won't want to put the book down. The only negative is the constant referals to other chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Not the truth, and not an original work
Review: Most of the content of this book has been printed elsewhere:
Anyone familiar with Montague Summers' "The Vampire in Europe" will recognize stories that this scholar set down, almost word for word, reprinted in this book.
And anyone familiar with Dion Fortune's "Psychic Self-Defense" will recognize that esteemed occult scholar's theories on psychic vampirism lifted out of her works wholesale, without much elaboration on the part of the author. For example, why is Konstantinos so prejudiced against psychic vampires? (He even says at the start of Chaptre 9, "These are the darkest of creatures." Well, thanks for that value judgement there, buddy. What, did a psivamp run over your dog or something?) Because Dion Fortune is, in her defense theory. She came from a less tolerant time period, when psychic vampires hadn't come out of the closet yet and were a poorly understood phenomenon. Even Fortune's original descriptions were mainly of unconscious temporary energy drainers or of non-vampiric occultists stealing energy from others on purpose. Had Dion Fortune gotten the chance to meet one of our century's modern, self-aware and well-adjusted psychic vampires, she may have changed her analysis. So what's Konstantinos' excuse? Where's this hate coming from? Does he even know what modern psychic vampires are up to these days? The phrase "armchair anthropologist" comes to mind. "Vampies: The Occult Truth" fails to deliver on any of its promises: "many" never-before published case histories? Not many, really. Letters by modern-day vampires? If you believe in Real Vampires (tm) you won't recognize any of the key giveaways here. However, if you're familiar with real-life role-players, you'll recognize Konstantinos' "vampires" immediately. And there is no fail-safe way to protect yourself from a psychic vampire. Give that up right now, Kon. Nearly everything in this volume was published before, and the author does nothing to bring the varying sources together, or update them - it's more the Cliff's Notes or Bathroom Book version of works which happen to be foundation material for what we know about vampire folklore and occult practice. Go back to the originals; it will serve you better. Get the roots FIRST, and then start exploring the less well-known corners of vampirism.
|
