The Top 10 Best Vampire Books, From Steamy to Scary and Beyond

Written in 1819—almost 100 years before Bram Stoker's Dracula— The Vampyre is the OG vampire novel. It's about a mysterious and glamorous newcomer who immerses himself in an elite English scene—and the people who begin to discover the truth about his nature. Written by John William Polidori, the book is inspired by an incomplete story by Lord Byron (the real-life inspiration behind the Byronic vampire archetype). Basically, read this if you want to start with a classic gothic tale that's also a romantic story. 

While Dracula is widely considered the vampire bible, earlier stories really laid the groundwork. Carmilla is one of them. Published in 1871, this novella is about a young woman who becomes the object of another woman's obsessive desire. But the pursuer isn't just any woman—she's a vampire. 

Not only is it the basis for everyone's favorite Halloween costume, Dracula is also the grandfather of all the vampire fantasy franchises we have subsequently been blessed with. If you love a gothic novel in all its macabre and moody glory, this is for you. 

A little bit sensual, a little bit spine-chilling, and thoroughly entertaining, Interview With a Vampire is one of Anne Rice's most celebrated novels. The book is about a 200-year-old vampire who shares his life story with an intrepid journalist, but it reads like part period piece, part philosophical epic. The book was adapted into a film starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, which you should definitely watch after you read it.

Whether you've watched every steamy season of True Blood twice (me!), or didn't even know it existed, reading the novel that inspired the HBO series will enthrall you from the first page to the last. It follows small-town Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who read minds and dates a vampire. The plot is thrilling, but it's the well-captured setting and cast of characters that really sets the story apart. 

In this Swedish novel, a young boy is bullied at school until he strikes up a friendship with the mysterious girl who moves in next door. There are sweet, tender moments, but Let the Right One In can also be a sinister, disturbing, and straight-up scary read—perfect for Halloween (or year-round) spooks. 

Octavia E. Butler's Fledgling is not your everyday vampire tale. Yes, it's impossible to put down—you could easily read it one sitting—but it also wrestles with issues of race, sexuality, and identity. The protagonists, language, themes, and plot are all nothing short of riveting.

While snooping around her father's library, the protagonist  discovers things she never wanted to about her own family's history and the life of Vlad the Impaler, the ruthless medieval ruler who, in part, inspired Dracula. She also inherits the torch passed down from generations of historians trying to answer horror's ultimate question: Is Dracula a mythic figure, or did he really exist? 

What if Abraham Lincoln not only saved the Union but also... hunted vampires? Talk about a presidential hero. Historical and biographical fiction meet fantasy in Seth Grahame-Smith's clever reimagining of Abraham Lincoln's life. There's just one major supernatural twist: The story we know changes when a vampire kills the nine-year-old future statesman's mother. If you love studying the civil war but also have an interest in the paranormal, pick this one up. 

Published in 2020, this recent release follows the members of a Charleston-based women's book club as they try to reveal the true nature of a mysterious man who's infiltrated their town. Amazon describes the '90s-based horror novel as a cross between Steel Magnolias and Dracula, and an ideal read for both murderinos and fans of Stephen King.