"The Family of the Vourdalak" (1838)

A.K. Tolstoy was more famous for historical fiction, but he wrote this ripping vampire tale when he was 20 or 21. It's mostly lucid and straightforward, with blood-sucking duly noted as primary feature. A.K. Tolstoy's "vourdalak," which he credits to Serbian lore, is a specific type of vampire that preys on family members and friends, swiftly turning whole clans and villages into undead. These creatures are vulnerable to the cross and other Christian artifacts and can only be killed with an aspen stake to the heart. (However, all the aspen is over on the other side of the mountain, so not always convenient when needed.) These vampires seem to be fine with sunlight. In a way, A.K. Tolstoy is playing with much the same elements as, say, The Walking Dead and other TV series, zombie or otherwise—that is, familial attachments (and horror) are deep and persist even after death. This story is old but moves along briskly, driven by dialogue and scenes in the modern fashion. It has a frame story; the teller is wry and charming, an old man remembering his womanizing youth and flirting with the ladies who listen to his story. He's larding up the events as he tells them with his past loves and crushes, apparently for the sake of these "mesdames." Typically, he describes himself as too apt to fall in love. Meanwhile, family members are sucking the blood out of one another in the main story. They felt more like zombies after they turn but can also maintain personalities and appearance enough to fool others, though loved ones may sense something is terribly wrong. The natural test seems to be asking them to hold a cross, which doesn't seem that natural. But the creatures recoil and won't touch these holy objects because they burn their flesh or something. The setting is Central Europe, maybe Serbia, maybe Romania, maybe Moldova—one of those cradles of the vampire legend. And the story moves quickly, with lots of action, fights, and intrigues. Speaking as someone who often bogs down in Poe, I found "The Family of the Vourdalak" engaging and entertaining all the way. I also appreciated how plainspoken the Russian A.K. Tolstoy (and/or translator) is about the blood-sucking. That's what these creatures do and that's what he calls it. What this story does is arguably a little pulpy, but don't say that like it's a bad thing. Side note: A.K. Tolstoy was second cousin to the vastly more famous Leo, and there's another remote relative in the family, Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, who had some success as a science fiction writer in the 20th century. Vourdalaks!

Listen to story online.