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Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside

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made up of general background info and complemented with sample stories or personal accounts about parasitic entities (human - preternatural, visible - unseen) feeding on human blood, fear and/or life-force/energy. Unsettling topics discussed comprise the vampire lore, lycanthropy, modern-day vampire subculture, clinical vampirism, blood cults in Africa and MesoAmerica, historical figures from Europe, cannibalistic murders and serial killers, possession by dark forces, encounters w/ menacing ghosts, eerie black-eyed kids, multidimensional spirit mimics, and suchlike.
Apart from several stories from fellow paranormal researchers like Chris Holly, Sharon McCabe, Nick Redfern, Paul Dale Roberts, Tim R. Swartz, Robin Swope, and Angela Thomas, the author apparently has been contacted by many readers/fans eager to share their purported experiences, some of which are related in the smooth prose of thematically organized chapters. As we are not privy to the vetting method, if any, Mr. Steiger applies, one is advised to be on guard when it comes to gullibility. Even more so because some of the historical references seem to be inaccurate.

Corrigenda:

+ pg. 9: Etimologically 'vampire' doesn't derive from *"Slavonic Magyar", Magyar/Hungarian not being a Slavic language, *'vam' (blood) + *'Tpir' (monster), but maybe from Old Slavonic/Slavic 'upir/oper' (compare w/ p. 55). According to another theory, "The Turkish, or properly Galatian word Uber, meaning 'Witch'...linguistically corresponds...to the variations found in Gothic, German, Dutch, Norse English, Greek, Latin and Sanskrit [?], where finally, as Upari, we discover that originally Uber - Vampire - meant Overlord." (See p[p. 53-] 56 in Nicholas de Vere's oddly fascinating book "The Dragon Legacy. From Transylvania to Tunbridge Wells," 2004.)
+ pg. 55: Simon (IV de) Montfort (5th Earl of Leicester) is not a figure from the 11th century, but one who lived between 1160-1218 and participated in the Crusade against the Albigensians. He ordered 140 Cathars be burned at the stake not in Toulouse, where - well-deservedly - he was struck to death during the siege, but at the village of Minerve. Note that on pages 55-6 two paragraphs, and one on pg. 60 (& perhaps elsewhere), correspond verbatim to those found at the website dubbed "unexplainedstuff", which is the online version of the Steigers' "The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained," 2003, being equipped with a search engine.
+ pg. 271: The author writes that accusations were levelled against the Templars in 1305, when in reality it was not until sometime in May, 1307, that the French king Philippe IV le Bel slandered the Knights in a private conversation with pope Clement V. The arrest warrants had been issued from the Maubuisson Abbey on 14 September, but the seals on the circulars were to be broken only at midnight of October 12th. Hence we have 'Black Friday,' commemorating 13 October, 1307.
+ The Grand Master and his three companions in distress were burned alive on 18 March, 1314, not in 1313 as the writer suggests (p. 272).

+ One would expect in vain that a best-selling author like Brad Steiger avoids regurgitating centuries-old, sensationalist falsehoods surrounding the so-called "blood countess" Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Báthory (pp. 18-21). Historical investigation has revealed that she was a victim of ruthless political intrigue masterminded by the palatine of Hungary, György (George, not Juraj) Thurzó, who - contrary to the writer's assertion - was not related by blood (pun unintended) to the ill-fated noblewoman. His fellow conspirators were Elizabeth Báthory's two sons-in-law Miklós (Nicholas) Zrinyi and György Drugeth, plus the preceptor to his son, Imre Megyery. Beside the palatine's ambition to secure the throne of the Transylvanian principality (Erdély) for himself, which at the time was occupied by Gábor (Gabriel) Báthory (r. 1608-13), the nephew of Elizabeth, the main motive of the conspirators was to prevent complete confiscation of the widowed countess' landed estates in case she were accused of disloyalty to and treason of the Habsburg king Matthias II of Hungary for allegedly aiding her nephew's efforts to (re)gain the Hungarian crown by force.
Her trial resembled that of a medieval kangaroo court for the following reasons: confessions were extracted under severe torture from Elizabeth's servants who then were summarily executed; Thurzó disregarded the King's repeated injuctions to allow the accused countess to have a fair hearing in her own defence. However, it cannot be ruled out with full certainty that she didn't cause the death of a couple of her maids in some furious outburst(s). Heavy-handedness was quite widespread in disciplining, both among commoners and in noble households, in those times. But that's still a far cry from the horrific rumours of hundreds of maidens being tortured to death in her dungeon, then bathing in their blood, etc., which are more likely to be the products of overactive imagination and biased intellectual laziness on the part of writers such as the Jesuit priest László (Louis) Thurzó (1729; keep in mind E. Báthory was a Calvinist, and as such the target of the Catholic counter-reformation), 'historian' Aurel Ignatius Fessler (1824), von Elsberg ("Die Blutgrafin," 1894), and many of their 20th century imitators. (Source: Nagy, László - A rossz hírü Báthoryak [The ill-reputed Báthorys], pp. 15-76, 1983 Budapest.) There's a new book (2009) in English on the subject, penned by a certain Kimberly L. Craft, titled "Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory".

+ 'Serial killers' are given mainstream interpretation. For instance, Jeffrey Dahmer was finally arrested after a 31-year-old fellow child-molester, not "a teenager...wearing handcuffs" (p. 99), managed to escape from his clutches. It's true that a 14-year-old boy did flee Dahmer's apartment, but only to be escorted back, despite protesting neighbours, by the police patrol -- cannibal Jeff subsequently butchered the poor soul. Very little is said about Dahmer's criminal record and list of psychiatric treatments, implicating deliberate law enforcement negligence. There is a strong case for Richard Trenton Chase (pp. 101-03), deranged as he was, not being guilty of the multiple murders he was sentenced for. Chase was indeed a blood-drinker, though not of humans but of dogs...the "numerous dog collars scattered around various rooms, but no sign of any living pets" (p. 103), is a testimony to that. (For details, read pp. 259-64 passim and 157-62, respectively, in David McGowan's meticulous research, "Programmed to Kill. The Politics of Serial Murder," 2004.)

Brad Steiger does it again! He brings together a fascinating collection which chronicles known and unknown accounts of vampires, creatures and beasts which have plagued our society throughout history. In true Steiger fashion, he captivates the reader while offering insights into a side of our world that often stays hidden behind the scenes.

"Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures of the Darkside" explores the real world of living entities that lurks among society. Packed full of encounters, attacks and unusual experiences, this book goes beyond personal accounts; it is a serious compilation of events which have occurred among us. There's more than meets the eye with "Real Vampires," it also raises the question of these popular monsters (often emulated by subgroups in our society), and where they come from.

In Steiger's own words, he explains the purpose of this book:

"For more than a book that contains a number of frightening true accounts and a collection of truly magnificient original art, what I hope to accomplish with Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures of the Darkside is expand the definition of the vampire - the most popular monster in the world - to include the more complete definition of "parasitic entities that enter our reality from the far reaches of the multidimensional universe to possess their victims and to feed upon their life essence and their very soul."

Brad Steiger is an expert in the field of the paranormal and whose knowledge is shared among the pages he has written throughout his career. Steiger has written over 160 books and "Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures of the Darkside" is another book I proudly add to my own collection of Steiger works.

Angela Thomas
P.O.R.T.A.L. Paranormal Talk Radio

Whenever I get a review copy of a Brad Steiger book, I stop whatever I am doing, open the book and read it from beginning to end without stopping. It's the reason why I take so long for my reviews, to be sure, but it is also the reason why I put my all into what I write. Steiger never ceases to amaze me as a fan and as a fellow writer with his command of the written word and it escapes my wonderment why he hasn't tried his hand at actual fictional Horror Novels yet. There, I said it. I say this because when I was reading this latest REAL non-fiction book, I was literally shaken to my very core with the real, truly compelling stories of real-life encounters with werewolves, vampires and other creatures of the darkness. Don't let the basic premise fool you. This isn't just your run-of-the-mill book filled with theory and second-hand accounts of "oh I thought I saw" stories. No, my dear friends of the weird and unusual. The stories and interviews you will encounter here are REAL and UNCENSORED. They are filled with true, unfettered DREAD and EVIL. You WILL BE SCARED when you read this book, I guarantee it. I warn you, I implore you, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IN THE DARK. You will know when you flip the pages. Just remember, you have been warned. Careful, though, even if fully prepared, as you will learn in this book, the creatures of darkness are always waiting in the shadows of our mind to creep up on us. It's a damn good thing we have someone like Brad Steiger to guide us through the chaos. To protect us...from the dark...from...ourselves. Brace yourselves. Brace yourselves for the Horror Book of the Year!

This book was an interesting read, especially if this sort of genre interests you. It has a ton of great stories including the tale of Vlad the Impaler, Jack the Ripper and Jeffrey Dahmer to everyday people who have claimed to have encountered them. A dark and sinister read with great photos that are included with almost every story. I learned some things that were new to me and I also got a great history lesson in the process. It even includes a chronological timeline of Vampires in history. Great for even the collectors of the paranormal genre.

Last night I sat up late reading Brad Steiger's Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside, intending to write the review before I went to bed. I did not write a word; I was much too scared. Now that it's broad daylight, I'll try again.

If you think vampires are just sexy-cool guys and gals hankering for loving, altruistic relationships with deserving mortals, shake out those romance laden brain cells and try again. The vamps revealed in Steiger's book are anything but. Steiger spends 270 illustrated pages exploring not only the stereotypical Bram Stoker model of vampire, but casting a wider net to include any sort of blood-or-soul-sucking entity - human, alien or other - in his panorama of terrors.

Steiger uses real-life experiences reported by a bevy of witnesses to explore the idea that alien abductions, encounters with "black-eyed" youngsters, night time "shadow people" visitations, and even hellhound and chupacabras attacks might all share the same, uber-vampiric source: unknown multidimensional beings that do not have humanity's best interests at heart. If, indeed, these beings have a heart.

Steiger even delves into the shadowy underworld of humans who drink blood in the belief they are true vampires, as well as the blacker topics of blood cults and cannibals like Jeffrey Dahmer.

I have to wonder if Stephenie Meyer would ever have written Twilight if she had read Steiger's book first. I'm sure it would have at least given her pause. I highly recommend Real Vampires for anyone willing to take a look at the kind of night creatures that do not sparkle in the sun.

Linda Godfrey, author of The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf, Hunting the American Werewolf, Werewolves (Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena), Lake and Sea Monsters (Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena), Mythical Creatures (Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena)Strange Wisconsin Strange Wisconsinand other books

Today I finished reading Brad Steiger's excellent new book, Real Vampires, Night Stalkers, and Creatures from the Darkside.

As usual, Brad has demonstrated that both his knowledge and his evaluation of his subject are unsurpassed. This new volume is a fitting companion and successor to the one which was written on this topic by Montague Summers, decades ago. Brad has brought his relentless research and eye for detail to bear on this topic, and has not been shy about writing about the spiritual implications, sources, and origins of vampiric entities of all types.

In this volume, a virtual grimoire on the topic, he examines the role of spiritual intrusion, oppression, and possession in various forms, and how they all manifest in vampiric activity or manifestations. He ties age-old blood cults to modern day vampiric serial killers, and new manifestations such as the black-eyed beings, who must be "invited in" just like the vampires of lore and legend. Brad is not afraid of the hints and explanations given to us in our earliest religions as to the origins of this phenomenon, displaying a necessary boldness that many so-called modern researchers on the paranormal, the mysterious, and the "Fortean" leave lacking in their own research, out of worries of being ridiculed or demeaned by their so-called peers. Not Brad -- He recognizes that all paranormal and spiritual matters are interlinked and interrelated, even when they seem to manifest in our own physical reality.

All serious students of vampire lore, demonology, the paranormal, and other Fortean topics should read this book. I recommend it as highly and enthusiastically as possible!

-Wm. Michael Mott
[...]
Author of Caverns, Cauldrons, and Concealed Creatures, This Tragic Earth: The Art and World of Richard Sharpe Shaver, Pulsifer: A Fable, and Land of Ice, A Velvet Knife

Well worth the time to read for anyone especially if your interested in the paranormal, some of these stories at the end of the book were a little unnerving, the historical ones bothered me the most