Black Static

In the Case Notes section of Black Static #19 I review two anthologies of vampire fiction, The Bitten Word and Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead. Unfortunately space did not permit me to discuss every single story, but by way of a consolation prize, and for the benefit of those who may want to know if a particular author was included, I'm going to reproduce the Table of Contents for each volume.

The Bitten Word (NewCon Press paperback, 317pp, £9.99)

Edited by Ian Whates

Seventeen 'All New Tales of Vampiric Horror', with an Introduction by the editor.

Vampithecus - Simon Clark

Young Bloods - Kelley Armstrong

A Winter's Tale - Sarah Singleton

Those Damned Kids - Gary McMahon

Red or White - Andrew Hook

Where the Vampires Live - Storm Constantine

English Spoken - John Kaiine

Hothouse Flowers - Chaz Brenchley

Traditions in Future Perfect - Nancy Kilpatrick

The Fall of the House of Blackwater - Freda Warrington

Taken at His Word - Tanith Lee

Coldrush - Kari Sperring

Lord of the Lyceum - Donna Scott

Fool's Gold - Sam Stone

Wuthering Bites - Jon Courtenay Grimwood

The Abomination of Beauty - Ian Whates

Vanities - Gail Z. Martin

Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead (Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing paperback, 283pp, $16.95)

Edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

Twenty four stories by Canadian writers that aim to put a new spin on the vampire archetype, with an Introduction by the editor, comment by Dacre Stoker and author biographies.

Let the Night In - Sandra Kasturi

Learning Curve - Kelley Armstrong

Chrysalis - Ronald Hore

Mother of Miscreants - Jennifer Greylyn

Resonance - Mary E. Choo

The New Forty - Rebecca Bradley

Red Blues - Michael Skeet

The Drinker - Victoria Fisher

Sleepless in Calgary - Kevin Cockle

Come to Me - Heather Clitheroe

An Ember Amongst the Fallen - Colleen Anderson

Mamma's Boy - Sandra Wickham

The Morning After - Claude Bolduc (Translated by Sheryl Curtis)

All You Can Eat, All the Time - Claude Lalumière

Alia's Angel - Rhea Rose

When I'm Armouring My Belly - Gemma Files

A Murder of Vampires - Bev Vincent

The Greatest Trick - Steve Vernon

Soulfinger - Rio Youers

Bend to Beautiful - Bradley Somer

Evolving - Natasha Beaulieu

How Magnificent is the Universal Donor - Jerome Stueart

The Sun Also Shines On the Wicked - Kevin Nunn

Quid Pro Quo - Tanya Huff

Interestingly, out of the all the anthologies that I reviewed in Black Static #19, these were the only ones that had more female than male contributors, suggesting either that vampire fiction is a subgenre that appeals particularly to women writers or that women writers appeal more to these particular editors (as far as I can tell Evolve was open to submissions, but there was an element of 'by invitation' to The Bitten Word). I'll leave wiser eyes than mine to read the signs.

And those who find significance in strange coincidences and unscheduled moments of synchronicity, will be pleased to note that not only is Kelley Armstrong the only writer to appear in both anthologies (John Kaiine provides cover illustrations for both), but her story is also the second placed in each. What is the Universal Mind trying to tell us?