Opera capes, fog-shrouded castles and stakes through the heart--these icons represent just one tiny corner of the lore surrounding vampires. Darren Zenko takes readers on a worldwide journey to discover the weird, wide world of the bloodsucking undead!Bloodsuckers of the WorldDozens of nefarious nocturnal fiends from every corner of the globe lie in wait for the unsuspecting:-The iron-toothed Asanbosam of West Africa hangs from trees by its hooked feet, lying in wait for its prey- Jiang Shi, the dreaded "hopping vampires" of China, are reanimated corpses that absorb the life essence from their victims- The Loogaroo of Louisiana and the Caribbean is a supernatural predator that sheds her skin to feedNatural History of the VampireExplore the history, mythology and mysticism of these dark beings:- The primal blood drinkers of Eastern Europe evolved into the refined "Dracula" of today- The strange and ancient relationship between vampires and werewolves- The symbolism and mystical power of blood- Bone-chilling accounts of vampire scares from around the worldNew! Vampire FictionAnd finally, some exciting new vampire stories to chill the blood:- A Taoist exorcist in ancient China must face down his own demons to stop a vampire plague- A detective must solve his greatest mystery--how could something already dead be murdered?- A centuries-old cabal of vampires in Renaissance Venice face a foe even older than themselves.Prepare to be terrified