I like my vampire fiction snarky
The new edition of Kim Newman's Anno Dracula: the Bloody Red Baron has a new Genevieve* novella included called Anno Dracula 1923: Vampire Romance. I've only read 3 chapters so far but I'm very amused. In the 2nd chapter we meet the other narrator Lydia, a young vampire devotee, who is thrilled to finally be meeting some of her idols, who are coming to her Aunt's country estate for a weekend party. Discussing her thoughts on vampire fiction, we get the following gem:
"Otterbourne's Nitelite Saga novels had so much swooning Lydia wondered if the authoress was prone to fits. Her hero glittered like a Christmas tree and her heroine was unconscious for at least seven chapters in each book, even though she was supposed to be telling the story"
Thinly veiled versions of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and the True Blood series get similar treatment.
*Newman has two versions of Genevieve Dieudonne - this one, a 400 year old elder vampire in his alternate history/fantasy/literary mash-up series that started with Anno Dracula, and another who lives in the Warhammer fantasy setting. His The Vampire Genevieve collection of Warhammer stories (written under the name Jack Yeovil) is also well worth a read, no previous knowledge of the setting necessary.
"Otterbourne's Nitelite Saga novels had so much swooning Lydia wondered if the authoress was prone to fits. Her hero glittered like a Christmas tree and her heroine was unconscious for at least seven chapters in each book, even though she was supposed to be telling the story"
Thinly veiled versions of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and the True Blood series get similar treatment.
*Newman has two versions of Genevieve Dieudonne - this one, a 400 year old elder vampire in his alternate history/fantasy/literary mash-up series that started with Anno Dracula, and another who lives in the Warhammer fantasy setting. His The Vampire Genevieve collection of Warhammer stories (written under the name Jack Yeovil) is also well worth a read, no previous knowledge of the setting necessary.