...' He also wrote a work called The Vampyre, though later denied that it was his.
Even those who were his friends often spoke of this otherness. For example, the Countess Margueritte of Blessington spent 'time' with him in Genoa and said he (Byron) would often "take up the part of a fallen ... Read review
Infamous poet Lord Byron comes to life with incendiary brilliance in this spellbinding ... more
blend of gothic imagination and documented fact. Wandering in the mountains of Greece the supreme sensualist is drawn to the beauty of a mysterious fugitive slave; ...
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Advantages: Suck it and see Disadvantages: Some stuff will be lost if you don't know anything about Byron's life
Vampires have got to be the greatest fictional monster ever. Supremely powerful and vulnerable they represent something repellant yet inexplicably tantalising.
It is largely for this reason that they came to be used as a symbol in modernist writing. Bram Stoker, for many considered the father of modernism, is perhaps the most famous proponent of the vampire, having created the Dracula myth as we largely know it today. And it certainly ... .../>
But he was not the only one to see it as a great plot device and vampires crop up again and again in literature and artwork throughout the early decades of the 20th century used as a symbol for decadence at its height - for a vampire has it all, everlasting life, supreme eroticism and a thirst for forbidden experiences, yet is ultimately doomed to destroy everything it loves, a tantalising, compelling and tragic character.
Vampires have got to be the greatest fictional monster ever. Supremely powerful and vulnerable they represent something repellant yet inexplicably tantalising.
It is largely for this reason that they came to be used as a symbol in modernist writing. Bram Stoker, for many considered the father of modernism, is perhaps the most famous proponent of the vampire, having created the Dracula myth as we largely know it today. And it certainly has its origins in the gothic writings of the 1800s.
But he was not the only one to see it as a great plot device and vampires crop up again and again in literature and artwork throughout the early decades of the 20th century used as a symbol for decadence at its height - for a vampire has it all, everlasting life, supreme eroticism and a thirst for forbidden experiences, yet is ultimately doomed to destroy everything it loves, a tantalising, compelling and tragic character.
This is what makes the premise of Holland's book so excellent - that Lord Byron was, in fact, a vampire - for Byron is the perfect character to shape a myth around. After all, Byron's actual history is quite fantastical in its own right, with his personal life being even more well known than his poems.
It is well-documented that he travelled extensively throught Europe and was a decadent rake and womaniser who even had an affair with his own half-sister. He is also remembered for spending time attempting to create some kind of Utopian ideal alongside Mary and Persey Byshe Shelley, at the time when Mary wrote her novel Frankenstein after a night of ghost storytelling. It is a revealing aspect of his character that it is thought he was sleeping with both Mary Shelley and Claire Clairemont at this time.
Byron is also the ideal choice for Holland as he actively courted the idea of his 'otherness' in many of his works, stating, tellingly in his 'Detatched Thoughts': 'I have written my memoirs - but omitted all the really consequential and important parts - from deference to the dead - to the living - and those who must be both.' He also wrote a work called The Vampyre, though later denied that it was his.
Even those who were his friends often spoke of this otherness. For example, the Countess Margueritte of Blessington spent 'time' with him in Genoa and said he (Byron) would often "take up the part of a fallen or exiled being... existing under a curse, pre-doomed to a fate... that he seemed determined to fulfil." All in all a bit of an oddball, then.
And so it is that Holland takes the life of Byron (no Monty Python tale this) and overlays it with a vampire myth in a brilliant piece of storytelling.
Using a similar device to An Interview With a Vampire, Byron's life is revealed as he relates his tale to one of his descendants, Rebecca Ruthven, whom he is holding in thrall for reasons which do not become apparent until well into the book.
Holland displays a masterful use of Gothic imagery as he describes the landscapes of Europe in Byron's day, leading the reader to both sympathise with and realise the horror of his predicament.
Cleverly interweaving real episodes from Byron's life with his tale of a besotted man made vampiric against his will, Holland seamlessly joins myth and truth, interspersing each chapter with quotes from Byron and his contemporaries to back up his 'claims'.
Holland goes further than mere vampire tradition, however, embuing his vampires with a terrible dilemma, for they are not immune to age, at least not until... but that is their terrible secret and one I'll leave Byron and Holland to explain.
Bookends
A quick trawl on Amazon reveals you can get your sticky mitts on this for £5.59 at the mo and well worth the money, that would be.
Advantages: A gothic novel of epic proportion, trully amazing. Disadvantages: Nope sorry cant think of any.
"It was the custom then for men such as myself, well bred and hopelessly in debt, to perform a tour of the Continent ... I wanted to sample new pleasures, new sensations, new delights..."
History tells us that the close friends of Lord Byron burned his memoirs to hide the truth about his life and travels, wary that they may shock the outside world, this has left many to their imagination
The book sets off along the darkened streets of 20th century ... ...world. We follow the actions of a descendent of the great and mysterious Lord Byron as she tries to track what she believes to be his memoirs after being told by a ghastly stranger that they still exist. Her mother has already been consumed by curiosity and has disappeared in her own search leaving no trace or clue to her whereabouts. The story leads you through happiness and sorrow, hope and despair as you fall backward and forward through the centuries ...
shanklin 02.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Vampyre - Tom Holland
Advantages: content, plot ect are masterfull. Disadvantages: No negative side
...a book on love and the terror and heartache of immortality. The book surrounds the immortal life of Lord Byron, a vampyre. Who struggles to deal with his lost loves, fiery passions and the heartache of who he used to be and who he has now become. It is a must read for any student of language or writing. The structure his masterful and the plot fantastic. I have read it more than three times and class it as one of my fave books. If you like horror ... ...read, read. I can't stress the quality any more than I have. The book has a lot of content and details for people to pick up on everytime they read it. There is always something that you have missed, that is just plain brilliant. The quote of the book, for me anyway, is 'A man can be a man and not be any the les a monster', A truly great book. ...
lethalkisses 15.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Vampyre - Tom Holland
Advantages: Well written, engaging Disadvantages: none
Tom Holland’s The Vampyre, doesn’t just tell the tale of a mere bloodsucker. No, it deals with the life, death, and afterlife, of Gordon, Lord Byron himself. After the young man comes into wealth he finds himself of a journey through Europe which brings him in contact with one of the eldest vampires... Byron falls in love, and “dies” while trying to save her from the clutches of this monster. And then becomes one himself. A tasteful, talented monster, ...
Misha13 28.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Vampyre - Tom Holland
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Advantages: Beautifully written, last 300 pages or so are fantastic, unique interesting story Disadvantages: Slow start, poor ending, confusion generated by scenes and narratives I consider unnecessary
'Let the Right One In' first came to my attention as it was turned into a limited release Swedish film which I have yet to see but have seen many clips of on the internet. I tend to read a lot of vampire and 'supernatural' fiction, my favourites including Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and 'The Vampyre' by TomHolland. This book by John Ajvide Lindqvist is a truly unusual addition to the many vampire tales that have followed the infamous 'Dracula'. It is so different to other books that I have read I even feel it is quite difficult to review in some respects.
Basically, the story, which is translated from the original Swedish, centres around a twelve year old boy named Oscar who is viciously tormented by bullies and suffers various problems such as estrangement from his father and an inability to ...
The writing is taut and effecive, and several stand alone scenes are magnificent. The conclusion, had it been published as a stand alone novella, would have been wonderful.
Nothing happens, and there is some nasty use of forced incest as a means to create a tawdry shock. Oh, and nothing happens. (*)
Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's
Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more (*)
