The Science of Vampires by Katherine Ramsland

Product Details

Synopsis

The concept of the vampire has evolved from Bram Stoker's supernatural creature of the night to the pop culture anti-hero of today's TV shows, hit movies, and bestselling novels. Where were these legends born? In what ways have they evolved? How much is actually true? This revealing book answers these questions and more:

• Are any vampire myths based on fact?
• What is Vampire Personality Disorder?
• What is the polysexual world of the vampire?
• Could a vampire hide in today's advanced world of forensic science?
• What happens to the brain of the vampire's victim?

Based on fascinating interviews with forensic experts, creative artists, and real-life bloodsuckers, this is a vampire book like no other.

Publishers Weekly

Biographer of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, Ramsland (The Forensic Science of CSI) ranges over everything from quantum mechanics to feng shui in explaining the evolution of "a mostly fictional creature." Because every vampire television series, novel and role-playing game has created variations on exactly what a vampire is, Ramsland admittedly runs into some difficulty applying science to these "shapeshifters," making for some slippery discussions. For example, Ramsland reviews crime scene procedures or ponders such questions as whether vampires have a full range of bodily fluids with equal earnestness. In her quest for real-life vampires, she studies blood-drinking club goers who identify with the mysterious monsters but are not actual murderers, but also relates tales about serial killers such as Ted Bundy because they exhibit vampiric traits such as remorselessness and lust for destruction. The discussion of contemporary vampirism and its relationship to "goth" and bondage subcultures is informative, though the explanation of "psychic vampires" (those who manipulate others and feed off of their mental anguish) is less so. While this is not a scholarly book aimed at the scientific community, and it may not surprise Dracula devotees, it serves as a useful compendium of folklore and popular culture for those with a casual interest in vampires, a group whose membership regularly rises during the Halloween season. (Sept. 24) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Biography

Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has published eighteen books, including biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, and the novel Heat Seekers. She currently writes forensics articles for Court TV's Crime Library.