2005 COUNT DUCKULA ad page ~ Vegetarian Vampire Duck

For every faith and fear there is a beginning;behind every truth and legend there is a story. Ancient Jewish tradition teaches that all the evils of the world are focussed on Jerusalem so begins the prologue to the tale of the birth of vampirism. As a new cult spreads across the empire a former soldier finds himself drawn into the mystery that lies behind the disappearances from local farms. As he fights for both his family and his sanity, he is forced to confront the true nature of evil and its ultimate demands. VAMPIRE A.D. 70 tells the start of the legend that lies at the deepest place of the human heart. Written by an ex-priest the book is theologically rich but unfolds at an astonishing pace. The legend begins.

Release Date: September 22, 2009

In the past hundred years, since the publication of Bram Stoker's infamous book, no literary figure has enjoyed a more horrific resiliency than Count Dracula. In film, television, novels, and short stories, he keeps coming back to life, fed by the vital imaginative energies of a world-wide audience that cannot seem to resist his abominable charms. Aristocratic and urbane, deeply erotic and profoundly evil, Dracula's bloodsucking savagery has cast a mesmerizing fascination not only over his victims but over his readers as well. And, as Leonard Wolf suggests, "Vampire fiction...exerts an amazing pull on readers for a reason that we may find disturbing. The blood exchange--the taking of blood by the vampire from his or her victim is, all by itself, felt to be a singularly symbolic event. Symbolic and attractive!" Now, in Blood Thirst: One Hundred Years of Vampire Fiction, Leonard Wolf brings together thirty tales in which vampires of all varieties make their ghastly presence felt--male and female, human and non-human, humorous and heroic--all of them kin to the dreadful bat. From Lafcadio Hearn, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, Edith Wharton, August Derleth, and Ray Bradbury to such contemporary masters as Anne Rice, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, John Cheever, and Woody Allen, and in settings as diverse as rural New England and outer space, this collection offers readers a dazzling compendium of vampire stories. Wolf organizes the collection into six categories--The Classic Adventure Tale, The Psychic Vampire, The Science Fiction Vampire, The Non-Human Vampire, The Comic Vampire, and The Heroic Vampire--which allows readers to see the many guises Dracula's descendants have assumed and the many ways they can be interpreted. In his penetrating introduction, Wolf argues that such an arrangement enables us to see the evolution of the vampire from an unmitigated evil to a creature we are more likely to identify with. "In a century in which God and Satan have become increasingly irrelevant in the popular arts, there has been an accompanying secularization of the vampire idea. And, as the stories in Blood Thirst will show, sympathy for the vampire has grown as we have become increasingly interested in the workings of the mind." Indeed, the vampire's ability to change over time, to draw into itself such a richness of symbolic meanings, to conjure itself into so many diabolical shapes, may account for the enduring appeal of the literature written about it. Here, then, is a definitive collection for aficionados and novices alike, and whether readers find the vampires who inhabit these pages sympathetic or horrific, psychologically intriguing or spiritually repellent, morbidly seductive or comically absurd, Blood Thirst gives us all something to sink our teeth into.

Our friendly vegetarian vampire, Count Alucard, is all set to enjoy a fabulous five-star Christmas in a luxury hotel....

Life isn’t easy for vegetarian vampires trying to blend in with regular people in a new city. The Livingstone kids are fruit bat hybrids who have left Old World dangers, and immortality, behind for a "normal" life in New York City. But normal doesn’t necessarily mean easy, especially with lingering vampire traits complicating things. Older sister Lexie’s super speed, amazing strength and knowledge of tragic poets often embarrass her in front of her classmates, and worse—her secret crush. Devious Maddy would rather invent ways to spy on her suspicious, possibly blood-sucking (i.e., rule-breaking) neighbors than stick to her new vegan diet. Hudson, who can still fly like a bat and talk to animals, is determined to save the planet, but with odd habits and vocabulary from the wrong century, how can he rally his classmates to his cause? In her offbeat portrayal of this not-quite-normal family, Adele Griffin uses her unique brand of humor to introduce readers to three siblings who face challenges growing up that most "normal" kids couldn’t even imagine.

Release Date: October 06, 2009

In the past hundred years, since the publication of Bram Stoker's infamous book, no literary figure has enjoyed a more horrific resiliency than Count Dracula. In film, television, novels, and short stories, he keeps coming back to life, fed by the vital imaginative energies of a world-wide audience that cannot seem to resist his abominable charms. Aristocratic and urbane, deeply erotic and profoundly evil, Dracula's bloodsucking savagery has cast a mesmerizing fascination not only over his victims but over his readers as well. And, as Leonard Wolf suggests, "Vampire fiction...exerts an amazing pull on readers for a reason that we may find disturbing. The blood exchange--the taking of blood by the vampire from his or her victim is, all by itself, felt to be a singularly symbolic event. Symbolic and attractive!" Now, in Blood Thirst: One Hundred Years of Vampire Fiction, Leonard Wolf brings together thirty tales in which vampires of all varieties make their ghastly presence felt--male and female, human and non-human, humorous and heroic--all of them kin to the dreadful bat. From Lafcadio Hearn, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, Edith Wharton, August Derleth, and Ray Bradbury to such contemporary masters as Anne Rice, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, John Cheever, and Woody Allen, and in settings as diverse as rural New England and outer space, this collection offers readers a dazzling compendium of vampire stories. Wolf organizes the collection into six categories--The Classic Adventure Tale, The Psychic Vampire, The Science Fiction Vampire, The Non-Human Vampire, The Comic Vampire, and The Heroic Vampire--which allows readers to see the many guises Dracula's descendants have assumed and the many ways they can be interpreted. In his penetrating introduction, Wolf argues that such an arrangement enables us to see the evolution of the vampire from an unmitigated evil to a creature we are more likely to identify with. "In a century in which God and Satan have become increasingly irrelevant in the popular arts, there has been an accompanying secularization of the vampire idea. And, as the stories in Blood Thirst will show, sympathy for the vampire has grown as we have become increasingly interested in the workings of the mind." Indeed, the vampire's ability to change over time, to draw into itself such a richness of symbolic meanings, to conjure itself into so many diabolical shapes, may account for the enduring appeal of the literature written about it. Here, then, is a definitive collection for aficionados and novices alike, and whether readers find the vampires who inhabit these pages sympathetic or horrific, psychologically intriguing or spiritually repellent, morbidly seductive or comically absurd, Blood Thirst gives us all something to sink our teeth into.

5m, 2f / Comedy / Unit set Count Zescu, a Vampire from the old country, takes up residence in the American southwest accompanied only by his coffin and Mattie, who is an all too amorous co-ed he can't seem to lose. Hot on the heels of this colorful entourage is Joyce Lyonhartt, a plucky and determined reporter who excels in disguises to get close to what seems to be a once in lifetime story. The Count settles down in dreary house near a secret army base, and witnesses a bat seemingly explode spontaneously. He stumbles upon a weapons experiment, which involves turning living bats into flying bombs, headed by old foe, Dr. Gunter. An escaped war criminal ironically hiding out in the country whose army is pursuing him, Dr. Gunter continues to wage his private little war, though now aware that his new nemesis may inform on him. On his way to challenging the commander of the Army base, however, the Count discovers he is the uncle of Mattie, and is himself looking to do in the "older man" his niece has run off with. New and old accounts are on their way to being settled during a late night dinner at the Count's estate.

Once upon a time, the world was but a stage for the exploits of the Shadowmen... The Vampires haunted the rooftops of Paris... Count Zaroff hunted the Serpent Men in the streets of New York... The Queen of Atlantis killed to save her mythical Kingdom... Arsene Lupin prowled the back alleys of Saigon... While in outer space, Doctor Omega and Professor Moriarty finally set foot upon an asteroid... This fifth anthology of pastiches features some of the most amazing encounters between the legendary heroes and villains of popular literature: Count Dracula and Joséphine Balsamo, Lord Ruthven and the Count of Monte Cristo, the Nyctalope and Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Arsène Lupin and Hanoi Shan, Irma Vep and Fascinax, Monsieur Lecoq and Dr. Loveless... and even Sherlock Holmes and Tevye the Milkman!

What if. Count Vlad Dracula and Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, not only knew each other, but formed an alliance? This exciting, unique story crosses two of the most widely read Gothic novels Dracula and Phantom of the Opera. Vampires at the Opera openly explores the steamy romantic relationships of soul mates Christine and Erik, and Mina and Dracula. The tale begins soon after the famous Stoker novel ends, when Dracula escaped capture by the group of vampire hunters then traveled to the Paris Opera House to seek sanctuary and the aid of his friend the Phantom. Dracula wants them to travel back to England to rescue Mina, the love of his life. Unbeknownst to Stoker, Mina kept additional, secret diary entries, detailing a very passionate romance with Dracula in London. First, however, Dracula must solve Erik's situation with his lover Christine Daae-dealing with the inept but earnest Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny. Christine wants him out of the way so she and the Phantom can remain safe and happy, living beneath the Opera House. Once the Phantom's dilemma is resolved the two monsters plan their journey back to England, where they discover Mina is now pregnant with her husband Jonathan Harker's child. What's a vampire to do? Bring Mina back to Paris, turn her into a vampire, or leave her to live as a mortal in England? Enjoy this dark erotic tale of two legendary monsters.