The Science of Vampires

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating, multi-faceted analysis of the vampire
Review: I think the title of this book does it more harm than good, creating expectations that don't quite pan out in the text and thereby donning it with a ready-made target for criticism. It's really hard to describe The Science of Vampires because the author covers so much material and does it in the most fascinating of ways. I found this book nothing short of riveting and continuously eye-opening. I've been reading about vampires for a long time, but Ramsland made me feel like a vampire layman quite uninitiated in the secrets truths and mystical airs of the subject at hand. She advanced notions that had never occurred to me, bringing to bear the tools of physical, abstract, and social science in her study.

Nowhere does the author claim that vampires are "real," it is important to note. She is not out to prove vampire existence; instead, she sets out to study the vampire mythos in a scientific manner. When she discusses the "birth" of the vampire in folklore, she addresses such physical things as the decomposition of the human body to explain how perfectly natural occurrences such as a body shifting in the grave, bloating, or maintaining a rare redness of pallor might explain events our ancestors ascribed to evil manifestations. She takes vampire characteristics such as fangs, a compulsion to drink blood, an inability to tolerate sunlight, etc., and postulates as to what conditions and behaviors might provide an actual, scientific explanation for such unusual manifestations in an individual. She even delves rather deeply into matters of DNA and genetic mutation in discussing the possibility of retarding cellular death in order to prolong life. I was mesmerized by the conjectures she offered up for thought. She takes a substantive look at vampire-like criminals such as Peter Kurten (the Monster of Dusseldorf), Countess Erzebet Bathory, as well as serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, and she even goes so far as to describe what the crime scene of an actual vampire killing might look like. She goes deeply into psychology and forensics, offering a profile of a hypothetical vampire killer and pointing to serological analyses, odontological studies of teeth marks, and other modern marvels of forensic science that would put the vampire of today in a much more legally vulnerable spot than his blood-sucking predecessors of old. Later, she attempts to answer all the questions you have about vampire sex and are afraid to ask, addressing the undeniably powerful eroticism that in many ways defines vampirism.

Ramsland's most instructive contributions are also her most esoteric ones. The author spends a significant amount of time speaking to the continual evolution and seemingly permanent appeal of the vampire. Her approach reveals more about man than vampire in the end, but that is because the vampire not only represents something deep and meaningful in the human imagination, he reflects and anticipates constantly shifting cultural values in society. Ramsland demonstrates this most forcibly in her analysis of the evolution of the vampire persona in literature over the years; the appeal of Dracula remains strong, but the vampires of the late 20th century are a far cry from Stoker's imaginings; what was once evil has been turned into all manner of romantic, sympathetic, and sexually twisted individuals. She employs the methods of deconstruction to examine vampires in a postmodern light, linking such analysis to the radical scientific shift from Newtonian thought to quantum theory. Ramsland's ability to address the essence of vampirism from so many complex levels is impressive, to say the least.

The Science of Vampires is one of the most insightful, eye-opening, horizon-expanding examinations of the vampire I have ever read. Although the author uses a plethora of analytical tools from a wide assortment of disciplines, the text remains fascinating and lucid throughout. The Science of Vampires answers questions I would never have thought to ask, and I recommend it quite highly to anyone with a passionate interest in that most powerful and alluring monster of man's collective imagination, the vampire.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating, multi-faceted analysis of the vampire
Review: I think the title of this book does it more harm than good, creating expectations that don't quite pan out in the text and thereby donning it with a ready-made target for criticism. It's really hard to describe The Science of Vampires because the author covers so much material and does it in the most fascinating of ways. I found this book nothing short of riveting and continuously eye-opening. I've been reading about vampires for a long time, but Ramsland made me feel like a vampire layman quite uninitiated in the secrets truths and mystical airs of the subject at hand. She advanced notions that had never occurred to me, bringing to bear the tools of physical, abstract, and social science in her study.

Nowhere does the author claim that vampires are "real," it is important to note. She is not out to prove vampire existence; instead, she sets out to study the vampire mythos in a scientific manner. When she discusses the "birth" of the vampire in folklore, she addresses such physical things as the decomposition of the human body to explain how perfectly natural occurrences such as a body shifting in the grave, bloating, or maintaining a rare redness of pallor might explain events our ancestors ascribed to evil manifestations. She takes vampire characteristics such as fangs, a compulsion to drink blood, an inability to tolerate sunlight, etc., and postulates as to what conditions and behaviors might provide an actual, scientific explanation for such unusual manifestations in an individual. She even delves rather deeply into matters of DNA and genetic mutation in discussing the possibility of retarding cellular death in order to prolong life. I was mesmerized by the conjectures she offered up for thought. She takes a substantive look at vampire-like criminals such as Peter Kurten (the Monster of Dusseldorf), Countess Erzebet Bathory, as well as serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, and she even goes so far as to describe what the crime scene of an actual vampire killing might look like. She goes deeply into psychology and forensics, offering a profile of a hypothetical vampire killer and pointing to serological analyses, odontological studies of teeth marks, and other modern marvels of forensic science that would put the vampire of today in a much more legally vulnerable spot than his blood-sucking predecessors of old. Later, she attempts to answer all the questions you have about vampire sex and are afraid to ask, addressing the undeniably powerful eroticism that in many ways defines vampirism.

Ramsland's most instructive contributions are also her most esoteric ones. The author spends a significant amount of time speaking to the continual evolution and seemingly permanent appeal of the vampire. Her approach reveals more about man than vampire in the end, but that is because the vampire not only represents something deep and meaningful in the human imagination, he reflects and anticipates constantly shifting cultural values in society. Ramsland demonstrates this most forcibly in her analysis of the evolution of the vampire persona in literature over the years; the appeal of Dracula remains strong, but the vampires of the late 20th century are a far cry from Stoker's imaginings; what was once evil has been turned into all manner of romantic, sympathetic, and sexually twisted individuals. She employs the methods of deconstruction to examine vampires in a postmodern light, linking such analysis to the radical scientific shift from Newtonian thought to quantum theory. Ramsland's ability to address the essence of vampirism from so many complex levels is impressive, to say the least.

The Science of Vampires is one of the most insightful, eye-opening, horizon-expanding examinations of the vampire I have ever read. Although the author uses a plethora of analytical tools from a wide assortment of disciplines, the text remains fascinating and lucid throughout. The Science of Vampires answers questions I would never have thought to ask, and I recommend it quite highly to anyone with a passionate interest in that most powerful and alluring monster of man's collective imagination, the vampire.

Rating:
Summary: Great cool book!
Review: I've enjoyed Katherine Ramsland's other works immensely so I'm greatly disappointed with this book. Applying scientific method to the legend of the vampire is a stretch at best, but applying it to the ever-evolving fictional vampire as well, is pointless. The book tends to be disorganized, moving from the subjects of science, vampire fiction, psychology and criminology in a space of a few pages. Too often I find myself reliving sophomore Bio-Chem during an explanation of how a vampire's metabolism/ brain/ nervous system must work. Too often I find myself re-reading accounts of blood drinking serial killers. Too often do I find myself putting the book down because I've lost interest. I'm just not finding anything new here. A much better analysis of the psychological aspects of vampires in pop culture was done in Maritn V. Riccardo's, "Liquid Dreams of Vampires." "The Science of Vampires" tends to beat the subject to death. The call-out text blocks were the last insult to continuity.

Ms. Ramsland is a wonderful writer and vastly intelligent forensic psychologist. However, I would recommend this book only for the absolute die-hard vampire enthusiasts. For others, I would advise skipping it altogether in favor of "Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today." This was a much more though analysis of the subject and offered much more information.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty dang cool!
Review: Okay, so Katherine Ramsland is crazy. So what? Her book is totally awesome, even if she is a bit too serious. And I'll admit, the idea of a scientific theory behind fiction is a wee bit, well, silly. but the enitre book raises some very interesting question, and as an avid researcher of the occult, and parapsychology, etc, I found it incredibly fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: It's hard not to laugh!
Review: The biggest problem with Katherine Ramsland's treatise The Science of Vampires is that the author takes herself - and her subject matter - way too seriously. With this book, she tries to provide a modern explanation for vampires, all the while trying to discover whether or not vampires could really exist in today's world. That in itself isn't all that bad. It's when it comes to the validation of her arguments that the book falters into ludicracy.

She argues that Dracula must have been a real person because there is a lot of "proof" in the book that supports this argument? What kind of proof? Well, it is never really explained, as Ramsland loses focus and starts rambling on about all the different components of vampires. This is the question that opens the book, and that question is never answered.

She also tries to pin every societal ill on the vampire culture. Sadomasochism, murder, sadism, violence, skin and blood diseases... all of them end up linked to vampires. She also calls many infamous serial killers vampires. Who knew that Dahmer was a vampire! Who knew that Jack The Ripper was a vampire! Who knew that Ed Gein was a vampire!

Ramsland'S scope is much too wide, and she tries to incoroporate way too much here. Instead of keeping her research narrow and basing herself on literature and the so-called real-life historical vampires like Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad Tsepesh (who were both the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula, no matter what Ramsland tries to make you believe!), she keeps it so broad that she too often loses herself in the process.

As a pop-cultre analysis, the book does shed some light on some of the questions one could ask himself about the vampire legend. The book's best moments comes when she discusses Anne Rice's novels, or Bram Stoker and his Dracula, or the different books/movies/television shows that were either part of or influenced by the vampire culture. As a pop-culture analysis, the book does have some legitimacy.

If you are looking for solid facts and answers, you won't find them in this book. I can't say that I enjoyed reading The Science of Vampires, and I don't think you will either.

Rating:
Summary: Average book with a misleading title.
Review: This was an interesting book that makes an insightful examination of the legend of vampires. Although it's title suggests its main purpose is to explore scientific reasons for the various characteristics attributed to vampires, it mostly focuses on the development of the mythos; a cursory examination of Eastern European folklore is followed by a breif discussion of how a vampire might be possible, then the book continues with a history of vampires in literature and the evolution of the concept in its various media. Although blood-drinking, sun-avoiding, undead vampires are fiction, it would've been fun had the author spent more time exploring all the ways they might work if they were real. To anyone who was looking for something along those lines I recommend Charnas' The Vampire Tapestry and Matheson's I Am Legend. Both novels treat their mythological subjects with respect and go to some lengths to make them seem plausable. Overall, The Science of Vampires was enjoyable but I wish the content had followed the title a bit more.

Rating:
Summary: Average book with a misleading title.
Review: This was an interesting book that makes an insightful examination of the legend of vampires. Although it's title suggests its main purpose is to explore scientific reasons for the various characteristics attributed to vampires, it mostly focuses on the development of the mythos; a cursory examination of Eastern European folklore is followed by a breif discussion of how a vampire might be possible, then the book continues with a history of vampires in literature and the evolution of the concept in its various media. Although blood-drinking, sun-avoiding, undead vampires are fiction, it would've been fun had the author spent more time exploring all the ways they might work if they were real. To anyone who was looking for something along those lines I recommend Charnas' The Vampire Tapestry and Matheson's I Am Legend. Both novels treat their mythological subjects with respect and go to some lengths to make them seem plausable. Overall, The Science of Vampires was enjoyable but I wish the content had followed the title a bit more.