For the most part, this book is a fascinating and informative dive into the history of vampires and vampire-like creatures around the world. I was interested to learn just how far back in time vampire legends exist, and just how similar are the stories in vastly different societies. It is certainly enough to make you wonder.



Most of this book is well written, if necessarily brief. Unfortunately I felt that the entire work is let down by the final chapters. When discussing the vampire in entertainment (books, TV, film), the author is presented with a golden opportunity to discuss how the portrayal of vampires has evolved over time and assess how this reflects the changing fears and attitudes of society. This opportunity was missed, however, as the final chapters degenerated into nothing more than a long, boring list of vampire novels, movies and TV shows.



As it stands, I would recommend reading the book, but skip the final few chapters. Had the final chapters been handled properly, I would have given this book a perfect score.