Blood Surrender
Edited by Cecilia Tan

Book Review by Lisabet Sarai

Why are vampires sexy? I recall the guilty thrill I felt as a teenager, reading about Lucy's and Mina's fall into the clutches of the fiend in Bram Stoker's DRACULA. I own a paperback first edition of Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, lovingly preserved for more than thirty years, and I can still page through it and feel that delicious shiver of arousal as Lestat takes Louis. What is it about these cruel, unholy, blood-guzzling monsters that we find so irresistible?

Perhaps it is the intimacy of the sharing of blood, the fluid of life and the metaphor for desire. Perhaps the key lies in the overwhelming hunger of the vampire, so aptly termed "blood-lust"; faced with such intensity of want, who would not feel the temptation to submit, to be mastered and then consumed? Perhaps we are drawn to the dark promise of eternal life and unlimited power, the ability to soar through the night, to fascinate and ensnare mere mortals, to slake our own endless and unquenchable thirsts. Or it may be that for some romantic souls, the lonely isolation of the vampire is the clue. We dream that we, of all humans, might be the one to kindle love in the blood-drinker's icy heart.

Whatever the reasons, vampiric erotica remains popular. You might even say that it has been done to death. An Amazon search for "vampire erotica" produced over forty hits. So do we really need another vampire anthology?

Ordinarily I would not have volunteered to review yet another vampire book. However, I have high respect for Cecilia Tan's critical eye, and I had reason to expect that the stories that she collected might offer some new angles on the ancient lore of the vampire.

For the most part, my expectations were not disappointed. Traditionalists will find the familiar but ever-exciting virgin in the diaphanous nightgown, yearning for and fearing the vampire's kiss, in Thomas Roche's "Moonlight and Trouble". Many of the other stories in this collection, though, are far from typical.

Kathleen Bradean's wonderful "Red By Any Other Name" explores the surprising scenario of a vampire "sub" with a (mostly) human Domme. In "Bloodletting", by Michelle Blaid, a vampire learns the risks of feeding on a human who enjoys being bled. Jason Rubis' chillingly matter-of-fact "When We Rise" posits a world in which "crossing over" has become fashionable, with meetings and support groups and all the modern paraphernalia of a fad - or an addiction.

Then there are the fairy tale stories (which I always enjoy), without the realism but still feeding our fantasies. Diane Whiteside's nineteenth century Texas vampires in "La Paloma Blanca" are charmingly sensual without being threatening. In "Broken", B.K. Bilicki's haunted narrator finds redemption in a virgin's blood. Unfashionable though it may be, I loved the classic, mythic quality of Paige Roberts' "In Service Immortal", in which the brave and devoted hero receives a well-deserved though bittersweet reward.

I haven't said anything about sex yet. The vampires in these tales, and their victims, are interested in more than blood. Expect lush, liquid passages of sensual eroticism, and dark, fevered, violent lust. Caroline Aubrey's "She" sings with the swamp-damp, molasses-sweet, earth-scented warmth of the bayou. Nancy Kilpatrick's "Blue-Blood Moon" vividly paints the throes of a submissive's agony and release in a blood-drinker's shadowy dungeon.

My main disappointment with this book is that it does not include a story by Ms. Tan, or even an introduction. She has, I believe, another vampire collection scheduled for publication by Blue Moon later this year. I hope that she will contribute more than her name to that volume.

In any case, if you are a vampire fan - even a jaded one - you will find much to entertain and arouse you in BLOOD SURRENDER.

© 2005 Lisabet Sarai. All rights reserved. Content may not be copied or used in whole or part without written permission from the author.

About the Author:  Lisabet Sarai has been writing ever since she learned how to hold a pencil. She is the author of three erotic novels, Raw Silk, Incognito, and Ruby's Rules, and the co-editor, with S.F. Mayfair, of the anthology Sacred Exchange  (Blue Moon), which explores the spiritual aspects of BDSM relationships. Read Lisabet Sarai's entire bio on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association.

Visit her website, Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory for more information and samples of her writing.
Email: Lisabet Sarai

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