The Vampire Tapestry

Edward Weyland is far from your average vampire: not only is he a respected anthropology professor but his condition is biological '” rather than supernatural. He lives discrete lifetimes bounded by decades of hibernation and steals blood from labs rather than committing murder. Weyland is a monster who must form an uneasy empathy with his prey in order to survive, and The Vampire Tapestry is a story wholly unlike any you''ve heard before. Suzy McKee Charnas is the author of over a dozen works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including the Holdfast series from Tor Books and the Sorcery Hall series of books for young adults. She is the winner of the Hugo Award (for her short story "Boobs") and has won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award twice. Edward Weyland is far from your average vampire: not only is he a respected anthropology professor but his condition is biological '” rather than supernatural. He lives discrete lifetimes bounded by decades of hibernation and steals blood from labs rather than committing murder. Weyland is a monster who must form an uneasy empathy with his prey in order to survive. The Vampire Tapestry is a story wholly unlike any you''ve heard before. Suzy McKee Charnas is, according to Don D''Ammassa in the St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers , "the author of one of the most original and highly regarded vampire novels of all time," The Vampire Tapestry . The Vampire Tapestry is the story of dream researcher and vampire Dr. Edward Weyland. D''Ammassa finds: "Although there have been numerous attempts to write stories from the vampire''s point of view in recent years, most notably by Anne Rice, none rival The Vampire Tapestry''s straightforward, intelligent treatment." "Among the genre''s few modern classics."'” Walter Kendrick, New York Times Book Review "Don''t let the title fool you. This is not another weary novel about Dracula, his imitators, or his heirs. The Vampire Tapestry works on many levels, as pure adventure, as social description, as psychological drama, and as a passionate exploration of the web that links instinct, morality, and culture . . . a serious, startling, revolutionary work."'” The Washington Post "[ The Vampire Tapestry ] is a fascinating conception, handled with masterly skill. Charnas'' characters are boldly drawn and memorably complex, her prose is alive with energy and wit, her narrative inventions ingenious and atmospheric. Nothing better has been done in this, er, vein since Bram Stoker''s legendary Dracula in 1897. And, as a pure piece of writing, Charnas'' deeply intelligent, disturbing novel may actually be the superior book."'” USA Today "Probably the best vampire novel ever written."'” Oxford Times " The Vampire Tapestry seems as fresh and arresting as it was at the time of its first publication, and it remains the most original addition to the field since Richard Matheson''s I Am Legend ."'” Fantasy Review "A complex and disturbing tale with a vampire as thoroughly believable as the one in Anne Rice''s Interview With The Vampire ." '”Library Journal "Unputdownable."'” Stephen King "On one level Charnas has created a marvelous and compelling page turner of a what-if tale, about a believable and wholly natural vampire. She has asked, what would a successful predator of the human herd be like physically and mentally? On another level she takes a cool fascinating look at prey-predator relations as a focus for what goes on between men and women, between those with power and those without, between the outlaw and the society that at once feeds and hunts him. She has stripped the vampire tale of its Gothic and sado-masochistic elements. As her clever and ironic vampire remarks, it does not do to confuse sex and feeding, and Charnas never does, in a book that is witty and frightening at once."'” Marge Piercey "A superb work of the imagination, a rich, deep and intelligent study of a being who looks quite human but is nothing of the sort."'” Richard Bradford "The

Suzy McKee Charnas is the author of over a dozen works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including the Holdfast series from Tor Books and the Sorcery Hall series of books for young adults. She is the winner of the Hugo Award (for her short story "Boobs") and has won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award twice.

Praise for The Vampire Tapestry:
 
“The best vampire novel I've ever read.”
—Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

“Among the genre's few modern classics.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Devastatingly powerful.… Savage and intense and brilliantly satisfying.… rich and impressive.… a serious, startling, and revolutionary work.”
—The Washington Post

“Probably the best vampire novel ever written.”
—Oxford Times

"A consensus classic, so recognized when first published in 1980.... It's a fascinating conception, handled with masterly skill. Nothing better has been done in this, er, vein since Bram Stoker's legendary Dracula in 1897. And, as a pure piece of writing, Charnas' deeply intelligent, disturbing novel may actually be the superior book."
—USA Today