What is it?
A gothic vampire tale.
Who’s the writer?
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu, born in Dublin 1814, was a leading horror and mystery writer of his time.
What’s it about?
A carriage accident results in a mysterious stranger being offered hospitality at an Austrian castle. The stranger, a young woman, strikes up an intimate friendship with the daughter of the castle’s owner, Laura. Outside the castle walls a sickness ravages the countryside, but it is not long until the same sickness strikes at Laura.
Said to be the vampire story that inspired Dracula some 20 years later, Carmilla is a beautifully twisted gothic tale. Its easy to see the elements of the story that Bram Stoker drew on to develop his own vampire masterpiece, however this is a very different tale. Much shorter in word count, but every bit as engaging, bloody and beautiful.
Is it any good?
If you love vampire stories, especially Dracula, this book should absolutely be on your reading list.
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