Snake Bite Books presents Creature Feature Classics #2: Creatures of the Night.
The second in an anthological series exploring some of the greatest monsters in horror history. As a follow-up from its predecessor, another collection of scarily brilliant authors joins forces to utilise the mythology of the vampire – taking us from an isolated community haunted by a wasting disease to a lawyer facing off against an impossible evil inside of a prison. From a peaceful seaside landscape to darkened city alleys, is anywhere safe once night falls?
Featuring tales by:
Paul O’Neill
Emma Adams
Annie Knox
John Baulding
Kay Hanifen
Francis Verelle
Jesse Krenzel
Sergej Pavlović
Tim Jeffreys
Jacqueline Erasin
Anne Wilkins
Dark bleatings, my bitey tribe! We’re talking about vampire stories today, for that is the theme of this brand new anthology, edited by Annie Knox. Before I jump into the stories, I want to make mention of Steve Penfold, the artist behind the cover and the internal illustrations. I loved the illustrations and found them a great accent to the stories.
Right, into the toothy tales!
The Fresh Blood of Birds by Paul O’Neill
A lawyer is requested for a meeting by a notoriously brutal serial killer who has no hope ever of release. Apparently, this criminal likes eating birds and was moved to a windowless cell. This meeting becomes a battle of morals and belief for the lawyer.
I liked this one, it has a little Stephen Graham Jones energy.
The King’s Castle by Emma Adams
This is a really creepy story about a person that, thanks to a forum, decides to investigate a castle, only to discover that perhaps the rumours aren’t just rumours after all. Loved the writing style and the atmosphere, and the tone reminded me of Dracula with shades of Salem’s Lot. The description of the vampire is deliciously terrifying (especially the hands!). Will look out for more from this author!
Three Fighters by Annie Knox
This one reminds me a bit of Michael and Sam in The Lost Boys (though the little brother is much younger and there’s no 1980s vibe or anything). The little one is frightened that the older one is turning into a vampire and one night, when their mum is working, things take a terrifying new turn when a dangerous stranger turns up.
Great story, as always from Annie, with a lot of human heart. It’s a real family story.
Kill Him Again by John Baulding
A hitman finds himself in hot water with his boss when he is sure, twice, that he has taken out the target, only to find out afterwards that the target is well and untarnished.
I really enjoyed this one but for my personal tastes, I wish it had leaned a bit harder into some dark comedy. The potential of a hitman comically failing to take out a target that he doesn’t know is a vampire could be hilarious!
Ripe for the Picking by Kay Hanifen
My favourite so far! Our protagonist is used to being overweight and is more focused on general health and fitness than acquiring a certain body type. She gets very worried though when she starts drastically losing weight. This one did something quite different with the theme and also provided some excellent commentary on western beauty standards and the pressures that come with them.
Interview with the Drummer by Francis Verelle
An interview with the drummer of an apparently vampire fronted band who has written a book about the band but inisists he doesn’t want the limelight. A lot of fun, especially for me, a huge Anne Rice fan who loves the Lestat references.
The Interview by Jesse Krenzel
A reporter called Chris used to be good but is on his final work warning and his job depends on his next article. An interview with the mother of a very famous but elusive horror author is what he’s promised his editor, but the problem is that this mother has already said no. He manages to get on to her property but will he regret that?
This went in a slightly different direction than expected, which always delights me.
Love Thy Neighbour by Sergej Pavlovic
The story of a young woman named Masha who confronts an evil terrorising the village, and her transformation – but it’s not quite the transformation you might assume in a vampire story. Almost a coming of age story about inner power and righteous good. I found it quite uplifting.
Old Clawhand by Tim Jeffreys
Wait a second…a vampire AND pirates?! A boy jumps overboard, as does the rest of the crew when they’re boarded by pirates and also a vampire. He ends up on an island with a father and daughter and now not only has his own problems, but theirs too.
Enjoyed the setting and the pirate element!
The Girl with the Grey Eyes by Jacqueline Erasin
A man meets a woman and they immediately fall into a romance and in love. She stays for days and then is gone for days with no word. Is she…a vampire? Well yes, she quite obviously is. But will she share her gift with him, considering she claims she’s never loved anyone as much as him before?
I liked the romantic gothic edge to this one.
The Last Sunset by Anne Wilkins
The most interesting one in the book as far as lore goes, I think. It starts as if it’s a romance between a young woman and a much older man and seems sweet, then we realise that this relationship is not as wholesome as it’s first presented to us. Loved the story, and there’s a really great addition to vampire lore here that works so well, and that I’ve never seen before. Vampires as we know and love them but with an added detail that really recontextualises vampiric existence, especially for one of our characters here.
Alrighty, so final thoughts. My favourites were ‘The Last Sunset’ by Anne Wilkins and Kay Hanifen’s ‘Ripe for the Picking.’ Not only were they both very entertaining stories but they stood out from the rest because they were so different. Kay did something unexpected with the theme of the book, and Anne added something to vampire lore. The thing I hope for above all else when I read a themed anthology like this is that there’ll be lots of surprises in the stories, and so I do wish there’d been a bit more of that (we already know this is a vampire anthology and so all of the stories will have at least one vampire, so someone being revealed as one isn’t really a surprise or a twist in this type of context).
With that said, all of the stories were good and there aren’t any that I can pick out as least favourites. Great quality writing and ideas across the board, and if what you’re hoping for from a vampire anthology is good, solid vampire stories, none of which are similar to each other, this is a great read.
I might have knocked a star off just because of my own preference for what I personally look for in a themed antho, but I do recommend this for fans of vampire fiction. It’ll make a great addition to your bitey collection!
If you’d like to check out the book or the press, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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