Hm. Longest post title ever? Mayhaps!
I recently won a book in a contest. It’s a collection of short stories called The Poison Eaters by Holly Black. Some of her novels are on my TBR list but this was my first introduction to her.
I may do a full review on that here at some point, but that’s up in the air as that’s not the intent of this blog.
Anyway, many of her stories played on twists on common urban fantasy creatures – fairies, unicorns, vampires – and it got me to thinking.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I do not like vampires. They are one of my very least favorite plot devices. Over the years I have read several vampire-centric novels – Dracula, Interview with a Vampire (and The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned), all four and a half Twilights, Bloodsucking Fiends, etc. – and no matter how well written (0r not) the books, nothing has changed my opinion.
Is it something ingrained? Genetics? I doubt that, actually, as my mother loves vampires. She is at the opposite end of the spectrum as me. Heck, she watches True Blood and she hates overly dramatized sex/violence.
It’s gotten to the point where if the word “vampire” is mentioned in connection with a book I will flee. There’s really no logic to it. Even if you count that vampire novels are oversaturated in today’s market. It’s not that I have read too many vampire books and am sick of them, it’s that I was never unsick.
Shut up, Firefox, I can make up words if I want to.
I’m not terribly fond of other urban fantasy staples, though I do not have the same knee-jerk “Oh God No” reaction to them. I am willing to try novels about werewolves or fairies if they are recommended to me. I have no strong opinions about unicorns. I like angels, am lukewarm about demons.
Zombies are fairly close to vampires, so one could draw the conclusion that there is something about the undead that turns me off. Perhaps it is an instinct that I have evolved over the years to help me survive the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse.
There should be more dinosaurs in fantasy. Also kraken.
One could ask why I read and write urban fantasy when I don’t really like the staples. There’s lots of reasons. I like the idea of there being a more fantastical world just outside the realm of normal life, one that can be stumbled on accidentally. I like seeing people I can relate to deal with strange situations. I like the twists, the plays on life and mythology, the what ifs.
I could just do with less vampires.
