The vampire is one of the nineteenth century's most powerful surviving archetypes, due largely to Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula, the Bram Stoker creation. Yet the figure of the vampire has undergone many transformations in recent years, thanks to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and other works, and many young people now identify with vampires in complex ways.

Scholars and writers from the United States, Canada, England, and Japan examine how today's vampire has evolved from that of the last century, consider the vampire as a metaphor for consumption within the context of social concerns, and discuss the vampire figure in terms of contemporary literary theory.

In addition, three writers of vampire fiction - Suzy McKee Charnas (author of the now-classic The Vampire Tapestry), Brian Stableford (writer of the lively and erudite novels The Empire of Fear and Young Blood), and Jewelle Gomez (creator of the dazzling Gilda stories) - discuss their own uses of the vampire, focusing on race and gender politics, eroticism, and the nature of evil.