Though we often attribute Bram Stoker as being the first to write vampires into fiction, the first vampire story was penned almost 80 years earlier as sort of a joke. John William Polidori wrote The Vampyre after Lord Byron pushed him to participate in a contest for spooky stories. But even before then, the undead had appeared in poems dating back to 1748.
The word has existed as far back as the 11th century, possibly earlier, and spans multiple countries and cultures. It seems humans have feared corpses coming back to life for a millennia, with the undead appearing in folk lore and oral stories for centuries before they made their way to the written page.
As humanity evolved, so did its monsters, with the Church paving the way for many of the tropes we associate with vampires today. And while vampires seem to go in and out of literary fashion, one thing seems for sure: they never actually die. We are forever enamored with the allure of immortality, imagining the creatures of the night as everything from horrendous monsters to seductive paramours, and sometimes, they sparkle. If you can’t get enough of the undead, here are seven addictive vampire series that you can sink your teeth into.
Vampire Chronicles
Interview With the Vampire
You can’t have a vampire list without Interview With The Vampire at the top of said list. The vampire novel that defined a generation and breathed life into the genre of the undead tells the story of Louis. Once a mortal, he was turned by the enigmatic Vampire LeStat. From the streets of New Orleans to opulent Europe, Louis’s afterlife is one of discovery and intrigue, heartbreak and ruin.
Fortunately for us, he wants to tell it all.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood
Dark Lover
From the birth of vampires at the hand of Bram Stoker, there has always been a seductive allure to vampires, and no one feels that pull more than Beth Randall. She has no idea that she’s half-vampire—or that when her father died, a dangerously sexy man would visit her at night to help usher into their world. Oh, and he just so happens to be the only purebred vampire left. His stories terrify her, but his touch sets her on fire and awakens a hunger that threatens to consume them both.
Empire of the Vampire
Empire of the Vampire
A series that is an ode to vampires themselves, Empire of the Vampire follows silversaint Gabriel de León. He is a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to fighting the unholy creatures of the night. But once daylight failed, there was no stopping the bloodthirsty hoard.
Now, Gabriel is the last. All hope was lost until he stumbled on humanity’s last hope to restore the sun and take back their world: the Holy Grail.
Sookie Stackhouse
Dead Until Dark
You may know this series already from HBO's adaptation, True Blood, but Charlaine Harris's story combines both the seduction qualities of vampires with the fun of the paranormal. Dead Until Dark imagines what life would be like if vampires came out of the coffin and joined the world of the living. Life was boring in small-town Bon Temps, Louisiana for waitress Sookie Stackhouse. Her disability keeps her from having much fun … especially when that disability is reading minds. But her world gets a lot more fascinating when she meets her first vampire, a Southern gentleman named Bill Compton.
Bill is tall, dark, and handsome. And the best part? She can’t hear his thoughts. It’s a dream come true until a murder brings more vampires to Bon Temps. They aren’t nearly as charming. As Sookie is thrust into the dangerous world of vampire intrigue, she’s starting to question if dating one was such a bright idea.
Anno Dracula
Anno Dracula
What if Queen Victoria remarried the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula? That’s the story at the heart of this vivid alternate history series. Vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard as they try to solve the mystery of the brutal Jack the Ripper murders. Layered with horror, politics, mystery, and romance, this series catapults vampires through the ages as Newman sprinkles fact and fiction to create an addictive series that will keep you guessing.
Passage Trilogy
The Passage
Not all vampires are sexy. Some are brutish monstrosities that no longer bear any resemblance or affinity to the humans they once were. It took thirty-two minutes for the world to die after a security breach in a secret US government facility accidentally releases a chilling military experiment. The world was forever altered as survivors are forced to try and survive a world filled with fear.
In the center of it all is a six-year-old orphan who is much, much more than she seems.
The Everlands
Lightfall: Book One of The Everlands (The Everlands Trilogy 1)
This series isn't even out until January of 2025, but I'm calling my shot. In a brand new work that defies the typical tropes of vampires, Lightfall transports us to a world where there are no humans—only immortals. After the Grays appeared from nowhere and devastated half of the vampire population overnight, the survivors fled to First Light. In the last vampire city, the rules are simple. Your blood quality depends on your rank and you can never leave.
Sam is a palace maid who has had enough of the rules. So when she finds the only clue to solve the death of the city ruler’s son, she uses it to blackmail her way to better blood. Soon, she’s surrounded by rebel maids, a werewolf assassin, a clever sorcerer, and a countess with endless secrets. But when Sam uncovers a conspiracy by the ruling elite, she has to either discover the truth or die trying.
