Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Vampires

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I thoroughly enjoyed the author's book "The Complete Book of Superstition, Prophecy and Luck" and since he has penned other books of this type, i was fully looking forward to this one (as vampirism is my major interest), hoping that it would someday be written.
It finally came and i was rather disappointed.
I'm quite knowledgeable on the subject, so when i see bits of info like the following (under the heading CHINESE VAMPIRE FILMS in "The Vampire on the Screen" chapter): "I have never seen the following (English titles). They were made by a single director in the seventies: The Night of the Vampire (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), and The Evil of Dracula (1975)."

The above films are actually JAPANESE.

It goes on to say:
"Lists of film are given by many vampire encyclopedists, as you know, but we need a Chinese film historian to supply the titles and as much detailas possible about the very many relevant movies, whatever their quality, of which Westeners are ignorant."

Is this is a rallying cry for someone who has written a book entitled "The COMPLETE Book of Vampires"?
You'd think it'd be a little more comprehensive. You'll find other such calls for SOMEONE to supply more info on the topic within the text as well.

The book has a rushed kind of feel to it to, as it reads more like a grab bag of vampire information and lists to other works.

If you want to read more comprehensive books on the topic, buy J. Gordon Melton's "The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead" or Matthew Bunson's "Vampire: The Encyclopaedia".

Sorry for sounding so harsh in this review folks, but that's my dissatisfaction showing through!

Such a shame too, as Ashley really does have an enjoyable writing style. Check out his other books if you can, but i don't really recommend this one.

I'm not sure how many "Complete Guides to vampires" the world really needs. I'm pretty sure we didn't need this. Most of this stuff is available for free on the internet, or on Wikipedia or similar sites. It's pretty much a rehashing of what most people with an interest in vampire legends already know. Probably of some use to folks just developing an interest in the mythology, as it is pretty easy to follow. But there's nothing new or groundbreaking in the book.

A terrible book, written in a drunken afternoon at the library by a lazy, ignorant man. Filled with mistakes and stupidities. Save your money.

This book is bemusing and interesting.

However, the information is about what you might get if you asked a HAL 9000 computer for everything about a topic. No analysis, no thought, just a verbal logorrhea of information.

In content, the book is miles wide, but only about half an inch deep. There's all kinds of descriptions of werewolfery, but not not really any context, and zero analysis.

Also, the author seems proud to announce how little he knows about some of the things he writes about! "Oh well, this is a movie about werewolves I guess," he says, "but I haven't seen it and I don't know if this is even the right title."

Sheesh! The whole book reads like a discussion with a scatterbrained person. They might stay "on topic," but have very little to say that is insightful, thoughtful, or original.

A book about werewolves shouldn't be SIMPLY a long list, it should talk about the concepts and attractions of the beast. The author should do the old "compare and contrast" process and synthesize something himself, and present some actual thoughts to the reader.

This book is good for a browser, but not for a thinking reader.

Ashley can really blow you away with all the information that he gives in this book. Very informative and I love reading this book!