The Vampire Book

I read this book as a teenager, and it still sticks in my mind. Miriam's memories are horrific. Whitley Strieber has a way of coming up with some truly creepy and unsettling ideas about eternal life that made me shudder. The whole idea that these vampires are not able to die, no matter what happens to their body is truly ghastly if you think about it.

Miriam is a monster, changing humans into vampires, knowing full well what will happen to her lovers. Yet Strieber always sympathizes with his monsters. Reading the book, you understand why Miriam does the things she does. You can't entirely hate her.

I do believe the scene where Miriam and her sisters are riding in a coach and are accosted by a group of vicious vampire hunters to be one of the most unsettling things I've ever read. Of course I don't read much horror and tend to shy away from books that will bother me.

Anyway, I really liked the way Strieber played with the vampire legend, creating a new race. I always love how so many authors create new and different worlds, playing around with vampire mythology.