I am still working my way through The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, edited by Trisha Telep. As promised, I am reviewing the anthology a few stories at a time instead of trying to remember thirty different vampires at the end.
The second group confirms that the collection works best when its authors treat the vampire as more than a shortcut to instant danger. The stronger stories make room for a distinctive voice, a convincing reason for the attraction, and enough atmosphere to carry a very compressed romance. The weaker ones feel like novel openings hurried toward a conclusion just as the central relationship becomes interesting.
That unevenness is part of the appeal of a large themed anthology. One story may lean toward horror, the next toward urban fantasy, and another toward a much more conventional paranormal romance. I do not love every shift in tone, but I like discovering which authors can build a complete little world without making the story feel like an advertisement for a longer book.
So far, the anthology is worth reading selectively rather than straight through in one sitting. There are enough inventive interpretations of vampire mythology to keep me moving on to the next group, even when an individual story does not quite work.
The Fangirl Says: Still reading. More story reviews are coming in part three.