Tales in Vein

"They don’t know... they can’t. That is their curse.

And their blessing...."

So begin a series of short stories, told by a

long-lived vampire. He retells some of the more interesting passages from his life, and reflects on some of the more intriguing characters he has known.

In "Late of the House of Vesta", we follow him through a Rome which seems ancient to us, to the sun of Renaissance Florence in "He only saw her three times" and the mists of Scotland in "I dislike Scotland", through to a more modern Victorian sitting room and the badlands of Texas.

You may recognise some of the people he discusses - as he finally understands, for instance, why it took a famous figure so long to die (if die, he did), and casts scorn on a cherished story of unrequited love. You will also see him rather discomfited as he deals with the newest generation of his species. And in "Cold, so cold", we are let into the secret of how some of the very old vampires arrange their lives. In all the tales, we are shown the lives of vampires from a unique vantage point: from the inside.