Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism
• Introduces the reader to "lifestyle" vampires, who adopt a culture and a gothic ascetic associated with the vampires of art and legend, "real" vampires, who feel that they must actually consume blood and/or psychic energy, and "reluctants" who try not to be vampires• Includes insights from members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance, and information about the Order of the Vampyre, the Ordo Strigoi Vii, and the Temple of the Vampire• Looks at vampire role-playing games, grimoires, "vampyre" balls, vampire houses like House Sahjaza and House Kheperu, and the vampire "caste" system• 16 illustrations• Numerous interviews"An independent scholar delves into the phenomenon of people who identify as vampires in present-day America. From extensive interviews with lifestyle, 'real,' and reluctant vampires in communities including the Atlanta Vampire Alliance, Laycock observes vampire life in historical, media, religious, and definition of what is normal contexts. He considersvampires as an identity group rather than a cult or distinctly-evolved humans (as some contend), and predicts that they will soon be able to come out of the closet like the gay community. The book includes photos."-Reference & Research Book News"Laycock does a superb job of fully exploring and explaining the different aspects of vampirism. . . . All in all, this book was a very enjoyable and edifying read. It is so deep with content, from psychology, to philosophy, to religion. . . . But, with the topic at hand being vampires, it makes for a much more twisted and amusing informational read!"-HorrorNews.net"Joseph Laycock'sVampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism</i> is a fresh, objective and long-awaited academic study about 'real vampires'.  … Laycock's study is one of these analyses that demonstrate and reveal a different side of the vampire subculture, one that is more diverse, less sensational or romanticised and definitely not monolithic. It is an informative study that clarifies many misconceptions about vampirism and a book that scholars or readers interested in vampirism should own. It offers extensive notes and bibliography and a useful index for navigating through the vampiric webs of the book.  In regards to scholarship, it raises new questions about subjectivity and being and opens up the potential for future research in the field."-The Gothic Imagination, University of Stirling