Joseph Sheridan LeFanu

Carmen María Machado

Carmilla

Carmilla was the vampire to break the mold of rotting flesh and foul stench. She was the very first romantic vampire, and after inspiring Bram Stoker's Dracula, she has continued with us, always in the shadow, influencing culture with a subtlety that is as alluring as it is elitist. A multi-layered story of love, loss, and a yearning for both a past and a future unobtainable, and finally of great sacrifice. Carmilla ranks as one of the world's great tragedies. A lonely young girl living in a desolate area in Austria is befriended by a young countess after what seems a chance encounter. Laura's innocence and sheltered life prevents her from seeing the obvious, that her new friend Carmilla is a demon of the highest order, and one who has fallen passionately in love with her. Over time, Carmilla's lust for Laura, and her soul, overpower her caution, and the serenity of a life of seclusion becomes a nightmarish existence for Laura as her world unravels in ways that can never be repaired. The tale of Carmilla is enchanting and hypnotic to this day. The prose is pure Victorian, alien but accessible, set in a fashion that forces you to forget your daily existence while you fall down the spiral danse macabre with Carmilla, Laura, and her devoted father. Best read late at night and alone, this story seduces you into a world far from everyday life, a world that extends no further than a day's ride to the next village. This volume contains the original unabridged 1872 tale.

Joseph Sheridan LeFanu

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