50 Best Vampire Books of All Time

Vampire books and stories about creatures of the night have enthralled people for so long, entrancing people with their bloodlust and supernatural powers.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is probably one of the first vampire books I ever read and loved, but I’ve gone on to discover so many more great ones since then. Here’s a list of some of the best, divided up into the following categories:

This list of The Best Vampire Books of All Time is based on books I’ve read, other people’s reviews and ratings from sites like Goodreads and Amazon. Enjoy!

General Vampire Books

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Salem's Lot
Stephen King

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 27, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Historian
Elizabeth Kostova

What It's About:

Publication Date: June 14, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Let the Right One In
John Ajvide Lindqvist

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
Deborah E. Harkness

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 8, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Fledgling
Octavia E. Butler

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 8, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1)
Charlaine Harris

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 1, 2001
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Fevre Dream
George R.R. Martin

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Anno Dracula
Kim Newman

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 24, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Sunshine
Robin McKinley

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 1, 2003
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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NOS4A2
Joe Hill

What It's About:

Publication Date: April 30, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Certain Dark Things
Silvia Moreno-Garcia

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 25, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Strain (The Strain Trilogy #1)
Guillermo del Toro

What It's About:

Publication Date: June 2, 2009
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Passage
Justin Cronin

What It's About:

Publication Date: June 8, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Blood Lite
Kevin J. Anderson

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 21, 2008
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Agyar
Steven Brust

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 1993
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Vampire Hunter D
Hideyuki Kikuchi

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 10, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1)
Laurell K. Hamilton

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 14, 2009
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Night Watch
Sergei Lukyanenko

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 31, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Gilda Stories
Jewelle Gomez

What It's About:

Publication Date: March 29, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher #1)
Barbara Hambly

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 12, 1988
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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They Thirst
Robert McCammon

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 1, 1988
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Already Dead (Joe Pitt #1)
Charlie Huston

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 27, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Morrigan's Cross (Circle Trilogy #1)
Nora Roberts

What It's About:

Publication Date: August 29, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Classic Vampire Books

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Dracula
Bram Stoker

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 17, 1996
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Carmilla
J. Sheridan Le Fanu

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 1, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles #1)
Anne Rice

What It's About:

Publication Date: April 12, 1977
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles #2)
Anne Rice

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 31, 1986
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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I Am Legend and Other Stories
Richard Matheson

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 15, 1997
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Vampyre
John William Polidori

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 9, 2008
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Bunnicula
Deborah Howe

What It's About:

Publication Date: March 1, 1979
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Vampire Humor

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Seth Grahame-Smith

What It's About:

Publication Date: March 2, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Bloodsucking Fiends
Christopher Moore

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 25, 2004
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Carpe Jugulum
Terry Pratchett

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 8, 1999
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Undead and Unwed (Undead #1)
MaryJanice Davidson

What It's About:

Publication Date: March 2, 2004
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Grady Hendrix

What It's About:

Publication Date: April 7, 2020
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)
Gail Carriger

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 1, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Fat White Vampire Blues
Andrew Fox

What It's About:

Publication Date: July 1, 2003
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Young Adult Vampire Books

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The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Holly Black

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 19, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Peeps
Scott Westerfeld

What It's About:

Publication Date: April 3, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Last Vampire
Christopher Pike

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 1, 1998
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Twilight
Stephenie Meyer

What It's About: I know, I know. But I had to include it. Love it or hate it, it's part of our pop cultural knowledge and deserves a place on this list.

Publication Date: September 6, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Marked (House of Night #1)
P. C. Cast

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 1, 2007
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Beautiful(The Beautiful #1)
Renée Ahdieh

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 8, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1
John Vornholt

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 26, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Silver Kiss
Annette Curtis Klause

What It's About:

Publication Date: July 28, 2009
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare

What It's About:

Publication Date: March 8, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Hunt (The Hunt #1)
Andrew Fukuda

What It's About:

Publication Date: May 8, 2012
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
Richelle Mead

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 29, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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Vampire Kisses (Vampire Kisses #1)
Ellen Schreiber

What It's About:

Publication Date: August 5, 2003
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries #1)
L. J. Smith

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 3, 1999
   out of 5 on Goodreads