An independent scholar delves into the phenomenon of people who identify as vampires in present-day America. From extensive interviews with lifestyle, 'real,' and reluctant vampires in communities including the Atlanta Vampire Alliance, Laycock observes vampire life in historical, media, religious, and definition of what is normal contexts. He considers vampires as an identity group rather than a cult or distinctly-evolved ... Read morehumans (as some contend), and predicts that they will soon be able to come out of the closet like the gay community. The book includes photos.
Reference & Research Book News
Laycock does a superb job of fully exploring and explaining the different aspects of vampirism. . . . All in all, this book was a very enjoyable and edifying read. It is so deep with content, from psychology, to philosophy, to religion. . . . But, with the topic at hand being vampires, it makes for a much more twisted and amusing informational read!
HorrorNews.net
Joseph Laycock's Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism is a fresh, objective and long-awaited academic study about 'real vampires'. … Laycock's study is one of these analyses that demonstrate and reveal a different side of the vampire subculture, one that is more diverse, less sensational or romanticised and definitely not monolithic. It is an informative study that clarifies many misconceptions about vampirism and a book that scholars or readers interested in vampirism should own. It offers extensive notes and bibliography and a useful index for navigating through the vampiric webs of the book. In regards to scholarship, it raises new questions about subjectivity and being and opens up the potential for future research in the field.
The Gothic Imagination, University of Stirling
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