Author: R. Chetwynd-Hayes
Editor: Stephen Jones
First published: 2014
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: In these exsanguinating stories, Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes masterfully reinvents the vampire genre as he introduces the reader to a cleaning woman who discovers she is working for Dracula's son; a couple trapped in a house created by the mind of a centuries-old vampire; a young boy whose ancestor is depressed by his undead existence; a creature of darkness that sucks the life-force from its victims, and the unusual offspring of a werewolf and a vampire who is threatened by an obsessed clergyman.
Looking for Something to Suck: The Vampire Stories of R. Chetwynd-Hayes collects sixteen tales by the author known as 'Britain's Prince of Chill', including such classics as 'My Mother Married a Vampire', 'The Labyrinth', 'Birth', 'Looking for Something to Suck' and 'The Werewolf and the Vampire'. This first-ever paperback edition features an additional story not contained in the original limited hardcover edition and also includes a foreword by award-winning editor Stephen Jones, new illustrations by Jim Pitts, and an original cover painting by Les Edwards.
The Review: For many R. Chetwynd-Hayes is probably best known for the stories that were converted into film in anthologies From Beyond the Grave and the Monster Club - the latter staring John Carradine as the author himself in the wraparound. I have previously looked at the book of the Monster Club. This anthology captures his vampire stories, including the story that the Monster Club film’s vampire segment was based on, which wasn’t in the original book. The original story, My Mother Married a Vampire, is a lot darker than the filmed version, which was played solely for laughs. That’s not to say that there isn’t humour in the stories, Chetwynd-Hayes adds a pithy, very English humour to all his tales – no matter how dark they become. It is within this particularly English style, with the humour underpinning the macabre that we find the joy of the author, and it is a joy to read.
Probably my favourite, and one of the most unusual, stories in the book is The Labyrinth. In this a couple lost on the moors find a house and are invited in. But the owner describes it as a house that grew and she is not lying, a staked vampire lies in the bowels of the house, physically connected to it as the house itself has grown from the vampire and he, through the house, feeds on those trapped within.
The stories range from the standard vampire to the most unusual and the vampire stories of R. Chetwynd-Hayes really do deserve to be on the bookshelf of every vampire fan. Thanks to Ian, who bought me the volume for my birthday. 10 out of 10.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
2 comments:
Glad you like it mate, sounded a good read from the blurb.
I did and thank you again :)
Post a Comment