‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Fans—16 Vampire Books You Should Check Out
Here are some unusual vampire books for fans of Taika Waititi’s quirky vampire mockumentary and the TV series
Are you like me and love What We Do in the Shadows? Whether you’re a fan of the 2014 film or the comedy spin-off that came to TV in 2019, then you probably agree that it does a great job of exploring the world of vampire roommates—and finding such unusual ideas of how those lives (or deaths?) are playing out.
Want even more examples of unusual vampire tales? Check out these 16 vampire books that offer their own unique spin on vampire mythology—not just comedies, but also tragedies that rethink vampires—with sometimes dramatic, sometimes hysterical approaches to bloodsuckers.
By the way, if you are looking for comedy, check out this: Laugh Or Scream: 50+ Comedy Horror Books
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#1 SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire, edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz
SLAY is a groundbreaking unique collection and will be a must-have for vampire lovers all over the world.
A revolutionary anthology celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora, SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire aims to be the first anthology of its kind. Few creatures in contemporary horror are as compelling as the vampire, who manages to captivate us in a simultaneous state of fear and desire. Drawing from a variety of cultural and mythological backgrounds, SLAY dares to imagine a world of horror and wonder where Black protagonists take center stage—as vampires, as hunters, as heroes.
From immortal African deities to resistance fighters; matriarchal vampire broods to monster hunting fathers; coming of age stories to end of life stories, SLAY is a groundbreaking Afrocentric vampire anthology celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the African Diaspora.
Featuring anchor stories by award winning authors Sheree Renée Thomas, Craig L. Gidney, Milton Davis, Jessica Cage, Michele Tracy Berger, Alicia McCalla, Jeff Carroll, and Steven Van Patten.
Additional contributing authors: Penelope Flynn, Lynette Hoag, Steve Van Samson, Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald, Balogun Ojetade, Valjeanne Jeffers, Samantha Bryant, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Miranda J. Riley, K.R.S. McEntire, Alledria Hurt, Kai Leakes, John Linwood Grant, Sumiko Saulson, Dicey Grenor, L. Marie Wood, LH Moore, Delizhia D. Jenkins, Colin Cloud Dance, and V.G. Harrison.
“Drawing from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and myths, each short story has a unique tale to tell which allows the reader to dive into multiple worlds, each involving our favorite undead monsters.” (Brig Newspaper)
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#2 Vampires Never Get Old, edited by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker
Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices in this bestselling anthology! In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page. Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
“I enjoyed this anthology. Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker added a lovely little bit of reflection about the vampire genre and how the stories related which I found very fun. All the stories were very diverse and most gave new approaches to the genre, which was the point of this anthology. And they succeeded.”—Rich in Color
Buy Vampires Never Get Old from Amazon
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#3 In Every Generation by Kendare Blake
The first in an all-new series by New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake continues the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer featuring the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil. A new Slayer for a new generation...
“One of my favorite things about the TV show was the humor, and here it’s a mixed bag. I laughed out loud at some of the lines, which were really funny. Blake is clearly trying to put her own spin on the Buffyverse while also paying tribute to the characters and the world in general. The elements that worked, really worked.”—Books, Bones, and Buffy
Buy In Every Generation from Amazon
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#4 Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett’s profoundly irreverent Discworld novels satirize and celebrate every aspect of life, modern and ancient, sacred and profane. Consistent number-one bestsellers in England, they have garnered him a secure position in the pantheon of humor along with Mark Twain, Douglas Adams, Matt Groening, and Jonathan Swift.
Carpe Jugulum (book 23 of the Discworld series) involves an exclusive royal snafu that leads to comic mayhem. In a fit of enlightenment democracy and ebullient goodwill, King Verence invites Uberwald’s undead, the Magpyrs, into Lancre to celebrate the birth of his daughter. But once ensconced within the castle, these wine-drinking, garlic-eating, sun-loving modern vampires have no intention of leaving. Ever.
Only an uneasy alliance between a nervous young priest and the argumentative local witches can save the country from being taken over by people with a cultivated bloodlust and bad taste in silk waistcoats. For them, there's only one way to fight.
Go for the throat, or as the vampyres themselves say...Carpe Jugulum.
“Carpe Jugulum is entertaining, as most of Pratchett’s DISCWORLD novels are. As usual, Pratchett is making fun of something and, in this case, it’s vampire novels. Therefore, in Pratchett’s vampire story you won’t find blood-thirsty pale-skinned brooding immortals wearing black and cringing from sunlight and crosses.”—Fantasy Literature
#5 Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.
Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history. Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London.
This brand-new edition of the bestselling novel contains unique bonus material, including a new afterword from Kim Newman, annotations, articles and alternate endings to the original novel.
“Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula …was the first mash-up of literature, history and vampires, and now, in a world in which vampires are everywhere, it’s still the best, and its bite is just as sharp. Compulsory reading, commentary, and mindgame: glorious.”—Neil Gaiman
“Anno Dracula is the modern vampire classic by Kim Newman (The Vampire Genevieve). Set in the Victorian Era, it goes completely off the rails from the beginning as it has Dracula taking over the British Empire after slaying Abraham Van Helsing. The Dracul-Victorian Empire that Kim Newman envisions is a place where Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, Lord Ruthven, Doctor Jekyll, Doctor Moreau, and many other individuals exist simultaneously. There’s a ton of references that I mostly caught but can be distracting as the author repeatedly attempts to cram as many of them as possible into the narrative versus focusing on the story.”—Grimdark Magazine
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#6 Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
Fledgling, Octavia Butler’s final novel, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of “otherness” and questions what it means to be truly human.
“Fledgling explores an incredibly interesting vampire / human dynamic unlike any other. Darker and nowhere near as lighthearted as What We Do in the Shadows, but if you’re looking for incredible vampire mythology—what else would you expect from SFF legend Octavia Butler?—this is the book for you.”—Tor.com
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#7 Blood Price (Blood Series #1) by Tanya Huff
Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto’s homicide unit and now a private detective, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks that are now plaguing the city of Toronto. As death follows unspeakable death, Vicki is forced to renew her tempestuous relationship with her former partner, Mike Celluci, to stop these forces of dark magic—along with another, unexpected ally…
Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, has learned over the course of his long life how to blend with humans, how to deny the call for blood in his veins. Without him, Vicki and Mike would not survive the ancient force of chaos that has been unleashed upon the world—but in doing so, his identity may be exposed, and his life forfeit.
“The concept behind this book is pure genius—Henry Fitzroy, the bastard son of Henry VIII, is a vampire who supports himself in modern (1990’s) Toronto by writing romance novels. Vicki Nelson is a former homicide detective who quit her job to become a private investigator when she started losing her eyesight. Henry can’t be out during the day and Vicki can’t see at night, but, as Henry points out, when they team up to solve a series of murders they have all 24 hours covered between them. What kept this book fun, and what makes me want to read more by Tanya Huff, is that the author’s voice is light and engaging and there’s a great sense of humor in the book.”—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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#8 The Utterly Uninteresting & Unadventurous Tales of Fred the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes
Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.
One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.
“The sardonic voice and short episodic nature of this story makes it easy to recommend. It’s a lot of fun without a lot of commitment. And the through-line of the plot in each one will keep you coming back to see what happens next.”—The Obsessive Bookseller
Buy The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant from Amazon
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#9 Blood Debt by Kenesha Williams
100 kills or 100 years. That’s the contract. That’s the deal. But this kill is personal.
32 years ago a rogue vampire murdered my best friend in front of my eyes. I’ve spent the last three decades wracked with guilt over my friend’s death. Why was I spared and she not? But I wouldn’t wish this life of the undead on anyone.
Black vamps are natural daywalkers. For that reason, our numbers are controlled and we are contracted out as assassins or servants. And it still doesn’t guarantee our freedom.
A Master Vampire has been murdered and one of his progeny is suspected. My mission, to find the killer and eliminate them. The prime suspect, the vampire I thought was put down all those years ago.
If the price of my freedom is retribution, I’m ready to pay all debts in BLOOD.
“Unlike some monsters that are born, all vampires are made,” Williams told Monster Complex. “So, I like stories that explore the person who came before the vampire and what becoming a vampire cost them in terms of their sense of morality.
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#10 Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching back, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her.
Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that's where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door...and proceeds to rock Tommy's life—and afterlife—in ways he never thought possible.
“God I love this book. I think this is about the third or fourth time I’ve read it and it just gets better each time. This book is funny enough that you have to be careful in public. People tend to look at you funny if you start laughing hysterically while reading, something I found to be true when I read it while waiting for my car’s break job to be finished. Oh well, screw ’em. I had fun.”—Dear Author
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#11 An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDoniel
Jim McDoniel’s debut novel, An Unattractive Vampire, is a darkly comic urban fantasy of ancient horrors in suburban cities. After three centuries trapped underground, thousand-year-old Yulric Bile—also known as the Curséd One, the Devil’s Apprentice, He Who Worships the Slumbering Horrors—awakens only to find that no one believes he is a vampire. Apparently he’s just too ugly—modern vampires, he soon discovers, are pretty, weak, and, most disturbing of all, good.
Determined to reestablish his bloodstained reign, Yulric sets out to correct this disgusting turn of events or, at the very least, murder the person responsible. With the help of pert vampire-wannabe Amanda; Simon, the eight-year-old reincarnation of his greatest foe; and a cadre of ancient and ugly horrors, Yulric prepares to battle the glamorous undead. But who will win the right to determine, once and for all, what it truly means to be a vampire?
“An Unattractive Vampire begins as a cleverly tongue-in-cheek novel with a similar silliness and satire to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, seamlessly steering your sympathies towards an unholy monster and its last remaining followers.”—The Shameful Narcissist Speaks
#12 My Soul to Keep (African Immortals series #1) by Tananarive Due
The award-winning master of horror, acclaimed author, screenwriter, and scholar Tananarive Due’s classic African Immortals series starts with an electrifying piece of dark fantasy, My Soul to Keep.
When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost.
Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever.
Harrowing, engrossing and skillfully rendered, My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force that Stephen King called “an eerie epic” is sure to win Due a legion of new fans.
“I loved this novel.”—Stephen King
#13 Fangs by Sarah Andersen
A New York Times bestselling love story between a vampire and a werewolf by the creator of the enormously popular Sarah’s Scribbles comics.
Elsie the vampire is three hundred years old, but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets Jimmy, a charming werewolf with a wry sense of humor and a fondness for running wild during the full moon. Together they enjoy horror films and scary novels, shady strolls, fine dining (though never with garlic), and a genuine fondness for each other’s unusual habits, macabre lifestyles, and monstrous appetites.
First featured as a webcomic series on Tapas, Fangs chronicles the humor, sweetness, and awkwardness of meeting someone perfectly suited to you but also vastly different. This deluxe hardcover edition of Fangs features an “engraved” red cloth cover, dyed black page trim, and 25 exclusive comics not previously seen online. Filled with Sarah Andersen’s beautiful gothic illustrations and relatable relationship humor, Fangs has all the makings of a cult classic.
“I found this book to be very cute and clever. There are many fun references to common werewolf and vampire tropes that are incorporated well and made me laugh out loud at times. I really like the simple black and white art, which is common for Sarah’s work as Sarah’s Scribbles is the same. But the styles between the two differ which really makes Fangs stand alone and stand strong.”—A Geek Girl’s Guide
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#14 The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig
What’s a boy to do—in Caleb Roehrig’s YA paranormal romance The Fell of Dark—when his crush is a hot vampire with a mystery to solve?
The only thing August Pfeiffer hates more than algebra is living in a vampire town.
Located at a nexus of mystical energy fields, Fulton Heights is practically an electromagnet for supernatural drama. And when a mysterious (and annoyingly hot) vampire boy arrives with a cryptic warning, Auggie suddenly finds himself at the center of it.
An ancient and terrible power is returning to the earthly realm, and somehow Auggie seems to be the only one who can stop it.
“There is a great story in this book. There’s great attention to detail and I love how the entire story comes together in the end. There might be a few things that are unresolved…but I can’t help hoping that there might be a sequel in the future. A girl can wish.”—Kinzie Things: Books and Things
#15 Bill the Vampire by Rick Gualtieri
There are reasons we fear the night. He’s not one of them.
Dateless dork Bill Ryder never suspected it would take death to make his life a hell of a lot more interesting, but then he met a girl to die for—so he did.
Now he’s a vampire, surrounded by creatures stronger, deadlier, and much cooler than he is. They’re giving him just ninety days to prove he has what it takes to be an apex predator of the night, assuming he doesn’t give them a reason to dust his ass sooner.
Bill isn’t exactly average, though. A vamp like him hasn’t been seen in centuries. He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, unexpected allies, and an attitude that makes him too obnoxious to quit. Good thing, too, because he’ll need all the help he can get if he doesn’t want to end up even deader than last time.
Join him in this hilarious tale of bloodthirsty monsters, gory mishaps, and an unlikely hero who, fangs or not, is still at the bottom of the food chain.
Bill The Vampire is book one of The Tome of Bill, the quintessential vampire comedy series. You’re in for a bloody good time with this side-splitting tale of horror comedy.
“Bill The Vampire is an excellent start to The Tome of Bill series. Its wickedly funny, has excellent characters and a great story. What more can you really ask for from an ongoing series? If you like urban fantasy and enjoy Kevin Smith-esque humor, check out Bill The Vampire.”—PopHorror
#16 Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, comes Certain Dark Things, a pulse-pounding neo-noir that reimagines vampire lore.
Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.
Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn’t include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.
Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?
“I love to see compelling new takes on vampires, and Certain Dark Things succeeds beautifully, reading vampires through geography and mapping the consequences of their movements. Smart, tender and insightful, I enjoyed this tremendously, and hope to see Moreno-Garcia write more stories in this world.”—Amal El-Mohtar, NPR
Buy Certain Dark Things from Amazon
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