cat_224tnr's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
I am very glad I Polidori's "The Vampyre". (It is available as a free download through Gutenberg.) Polidori was not a writer by profession & it shows; however, reading from the historical context (that it was written the same time/place/event where Frankenstein was written) & the fact that it was the first vampire story written in English make it pretty interesting. Common opinion is that Lord Ruthven (the vampire in the story) is a thinly veiled version of Lord Byron (Polidori's boss). I find it quite amusing that Polidori created a cunning, charismatic entity of pure evil that's based off of Lord Byron (the gossip page star of his day). These days, if someone wants to complain about his boss, he posts a rant on FB or something. I think Polidori's way is much classier (and long-lasting), lol. I'd love to know what Byron thought of it. If he was even partly as evil as Lord Ruthven is, I think Byron must have taken a certain amount of gleeful pride in being the basis for such a magnetic devil. ;-) Either way, read it for the historical aspect, especially if you have or plan to read Dracula or other vampire-inspired tales.
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
4.0
This is a short story published in 1819. I thought the background of this story is fascinating. In 1816, three friends spent the summer at Lake Geneva and decided to write ghost stories because the weather was cold and gloomy from volcanic eruption (The year without summer). As a result, we have The Vampyre and Frankenstein.
larkspire's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very good little gothic horror, excellently written (for the most part) and about as tense as most of its contemporaries are. Dracula is tenser, but of course it would be hard to believe that Stoker wasn't taking notes from Poridori (or at least from the same people Poridori took notes from, since The Vampyre was only the first English vampire story).
For the first vampire story published in English, this was much newer to me than I expected. Frankly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did; I anticipated adding an extra star purely to recognise the story's innovations/uniqueness for its time, rather than just because I liked reading it. But I enjoyed it quite a lot, and it definitely scratched that gothic itch. The limited amount of blood-sucking and increased focus on the horror, or at least the eeriness, of the vampire as a functioning person in society was novel to me too, and very effective. Fans of Anne Rice, Richelle Mead, and L.J. Smith might feel differently.
For the first vampire story published in English, this was much newer to me than I expected. Frankly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did; I anticipated adding an extra star purely to recognise the story's innovations/uniqueness for its time, rather than just because I liked reading it. But I enjoyed it quite a lot, and it definitely scratched that gothic itch. The limited amount of blood-sucking and increased focus on the horror, or at least the eeriness, of the vampire as a functioning person in society was novel to me too, and very effective. Fans of Anne Rice, Richelle Mead, and L.J. Smith might feel differently.
Spoiler
The last paragraph, though? The last paragraph reads like a joke. So much tension was built and "she had glutted the thirst of a VAMPYRE!" had the opposite of the effect that I'm assuming the author was going for. Leaving it vaguer, or even just toning it down and wording it slightly differently would have made the whole thing much creepier, in my opinion. But maybe I'm just ruined by creepypasta and shitposts, unlike the reading audiences of the time.rouge_red's review
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Highly dramatic with a body count! It's definitely written in a dry way typical of the time period. I wasn't convinced at first, but it was kind of fun by the end.
ejcoates's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
I really enjoyed this text and can see how it helped to popularise many elements of the contemporary vampire tale. Lord Ruthven was a fascinating character and grows increasingly unnerving throughout the story. I also liked the globe-trotting element that allowed for elements of traditional folklore to be explored, along with themes of the natural and supernatural worlds challenging the stuffy conventions of Romantic era London.
halkid2's review against another edition
3.0
Building suspense but Antiquated Writing
If you're a Dracula fan, this is a worthwhile and quick read -- offering background into the stories that shaped Bram Stoker's later writings. While the writing is quite dated and convoluted (long sentences that can be hard to follow, with vocabulary from centuries ago) -- suspense does build as the main character, Aubrey, slowly comes to recognize the horrible secret his companion is hiding.
If you're a Dracula fan, this is a worthwhile and quick read -- offering background into the stories that shaped Bram Stoker's later writings. While the writing is quite dated and convoluted (long sentences that can be hard to follow, with vocabulary from centuries ago) -- suspense does build as the main character, Aubrey, slowly comes to recognize the horrible secret his companion is hiding.
isarza's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A little slow. I was able to enjoy it a little more because of all the gossiping about Lord Byron but really it wasn't scary and not much happened. It's ok I guess.
drowninginhistory's review against another edition
3.0
This had the potential to be absolutely incredible but it had no room to breathe. My edition came in at 25 pages—barely a short story but it wanted to tell a novel’s plot. If everything had been fleshed out, the relationships could have developed and thus, the action and the horror would have been more impactful. Still, it’s difficult to be so hard on it, knowing that this launched the modern vampire genre as a whole. Also knowing how hard Polidori struggled to get his name attached to the work makes me want to give it something! And indeed, there is “something” there. It just didn’t have the space to expand and develop in the way it deserved.
valhecka's review against another edition
3.0
This has the precise energy of a kid at an elementary-school campout trying to remember the scariest story he's ever heard but he's really sheltered and can't remember half of it so he makes stuff up until he finally remembers the punchline and then everyone just kind of stares at him until the teacher goes, "Oh my goodness, John, I'm so scared!" in the most earnest of tones and the rest of the kids either pick up on the teacher's cue or start laughing. Byron laughs first. MWS pretends it's scary while thinking "lol weak." PBS just kind of blinks. Claire Clairmont sort of giggles but she's totally actually freaked out.
He tried, and the attempt itself was cute, so E for effort.
He tried, and the attempt itself was cute, so E for effort.