AUTUMN VS THE VAMPIRE VERSES

Autumn Leaves is Seduced by the Undead as She Takes on “Vampire Verses” by LindaAnn LoShiavo

TITLE: Vampire Verses

AUTHOR: LindaAnn LoShiavo

GENRE: Horror, Poetry

PAGES: 65

First, a bit about the author:

Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoShiavo is an award-winning member of British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and the Dramatists Guild.

I started reading “Vampire Verses” expecting it to be like many other works of vampire-inspired poetry I have read: dark, erotic, syrupy with its rich purple descriptions of midnight rendezvous during which many a milky skinned virgin trades her life for immortality and an eternity of love with the seductive undead.

Yes, there is some of that. But there are also some delightfully dark and often very amusing depictions of life after that all so coveted – or dreaded – bite.

LoShiavo is truly a master of form with poetry. Her range is astonishing. I encountered styles of poetry I have never read before (Fibonacci, anyone?) and I adored that. There is nothing more delightful to me than a surprise, and “Vampire Verses” truly surprised me.

There is nothing tired or overdone in this seductive collection. It is fresh, it is new, and it is so very fun. Imagine a vampire’s take on a popular horror franchise. Imagine a Vampire ending up in a Playboy club. Imagine Dracula pondering writing his memoirs. Imagine a Vampire hunting for blood on social media! This collection is wild!

What I loved most about reading this is that a somewhat jaded, cynical “old school” vampire story reader like me could find something undiscovered. New, fresh things that breathe life into the age-old vampire story. I love how LoShiavo modernized the traditional Stokeresque vampires, making them characters with dimension, trying to survive in a modern world like the rest of us crazy bastards out there, just trying to get by, watching the occasional scary movie. Vampires are crazy bastards too.

My favorites from “Vampire Verses” are: When We Rented “A Nightmare on Elm Street”; Vampires in Training; An Ideal Lost in Night-Mists; Echo Verse: On Walpurgis Night; Lucy Westenra, Somnambulist; and Dracula Plans his Halloween Soiree

If you enjoy “Vampire Verses”, check out “Always Haunted: Halloween Verses”, also by LoShiavo.

Autumn Leaves is a Canadian author and poet. Her poem “Siren’s Song” was published when she was 15. Autumn is in love with the dark and has an affinity for all things horrific and disturbing. Autumn is also an avid horror reader and book reviewer. Her favorite author is Jack Ketchum. She lives with her children and army of fur babies on a small island off the coast of Maine.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.