Varney The Vampire Or The Feast Of Blood

Rating:
Summary: Defines the "Penny-Dreadful"
Review: For its genre, Varney the Vampire is a must-have! The situations are simple, the plot alternates between simplistic and absent, but the writing is matched only in other Penny-Dreadfuls such as "Wagner, the Were-Wolf." It's pure Victorian Gothic, complete with bodice-ripping and dark and stormy nights!

Rating:
Summary: A milestone in the literary history of the vampire
Review: Having read this work in the course of The Varney Project, my attitude towards this work has changed since completion. The early chapters were clearly exciting and interesting, but it does become a bit too bizarre and strange in the later ones. However, in retrospect, it must be viewed in the context of how the vampire mythology has adopted many of Varney's characteristics as the stereotype. In this regard, great respect must be given to Varney and his creator for such a significant creation. Text of Varney can be found at www.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Historic Vampire Tale
Review: Varney the Vampire or the Feast of Blood is the definitive story which sets the context of Vampire novels to come including Dracula.This 1840's tale was originally released as a "Penny Dreadful" (one or more chapters printed per week for the cost of only a few pennies - a serial novel like Stephen King's The Green Mile").This reprinted edition reprints the 1840's typeset and lurid illustrations. It is also prefaced with a wonderful case study of the Vampire myth from its roots in Indian mythology to its later incarnation in Europe.Any who read Varney should be warned that the writing style is different from our 20th Century style and the type fonts is, at times, difficult to read for our modern eyes but keep an open mind - the story of Varney, the antihero vampire, is worth the time spent.I have searched for 20 years to find a copy of this book and, now thanks to Amazon.com, that dream has become real.