compiling a list of books to fill the hiatus! asterisks are for books i have not yet read, so cannot personally vouch for but seem like a good fit/have been recommended by others. i’d love for this to be an evolving list so let me know if there is anything you think should be included. :)
some themes/concepts i looked for: vampires, gothic horror (particularly southern gothic), generational trauma, queer identity, unreliable narrators, theater/performance, complicated family dynamics, grief, historical setting/flashbacks, new orleans/paris/cross country travel as a setting, epistolary/interview format.
shoutout to my lovely friend, @shamixlour for the suggestions and letting me ramble <3
the vampire chronicles (anne rice) - the only one i will not give you a plot synopsis for, because if you are an iwtv/tvl fan… you’ve probably already got an idea. i genuinely loved both interview with the vampire and the vampire lestat novels. queen of the damned was a bit more hit and miss for me, but there’s some fascinating lore and great character building. i have not ventured further at this point, but know the show has already begun to incorporate story beats from tale of the body thief, merrick, the vampire armand, and the prince lestat trilogy (the last of which seem to be many fans’ favorites beyond the original three novels).
dracula (bram stoker) - real estate agent jonathan harker is sent to a mysterious castle in transylvania to help a wealthy recluse purchase land in london, kicking off a sinister and terrifying series of events. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: it’s dracula. in addition to being a staple of the vampire genre and a classic, it is simply a magnificent story with a colorful cast of epistolary narrators (who are slightly more reliable than our dear friends in dubai/montreal).
carmilla (sheridan le fanu) - laura lives with her father in a solitary castle deep in the forest, and finds her world upended when she encounters a beautiful young woman named carmilla who is involved in a carriage accident and recovers in their estate. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: the original lesbian vampire novel, this is short, haunting, and sensual. required reading for gothic horror fans. potentially the reason one of lestat’s codenames is sheridan.
thistlefoot (gennarose nethercott) - estranged siblings bellatine and isaac yaga are forced back into each other’s lives when they inherit a sentient house on chicken legs from their ancestral home outside kviv. the house is followed by the sinister longshadow man, who trails the siblings as they reluctantly begin a final tour of their family’s traveling puppet show, bringing with him violent secrets of their family’s past and the strange abilities that the siblings have alternatively abused and tried to smother. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: one of my personal favorite books. beginning with a street magician/thief in new orleans, we have themes of generational trauma, a cross-country tour of performances, a show featuring puppets brought to life (that would fit nicely in the theatre de vampires), queerness, and a lovely blend of horror, fantasy, and character study.
the sleeping car porter (suzette mayr) - in 1929, baxter is a black sleeping car porter on a train that crosses the country and wants nothing more than to save enough to begin dental school and to keep a lid on his sexuality. when the train becomes stranded after a mudslide, many sleepless nights begin to cause hallucinations to seep into his reality while baxter contends with the capricious white passengers and their secrets, as well as his own. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: exploration of real black queer history during the 20s with a sleep deprived narrator’s increasingly unreliable perception of events. not strictly horror but very tense and atmospheric.
the reformatory (taranative due) - in 1950’s florida, 12 year old robbie stephens is sentenced to 6 months at a reformatory after defending his sister against the unwanted attentions of a white neighbor. robbie has always had the ability to see ghosts, an ability which quickly turns sinister when he is haunted by the many victims of the abusive leadership at the graceland school for boys, while his sister tries desperately to rally the community for his release. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: southern gothic horror (inspired by horrifying real history), a wide net of compelling narrators all of whom are richly developed. make sure to check the content warnings on this one. due also has a vampire novel called my soul to keep that has been compared to iwtv but i haven’t got the chance to read it yet.
the city of lost fortunes (bryan camp) - jude is a street magician in post-katrina new orleans, a city haunted by the hurricane’s devastation and a pantheon of deities, with a knack for finding lost things. he has been trying to disappear but is pulled back into the world of magic (and the father he never knew) when the fortune god is murdered and the fate of an elusive card game of the gods determines the city’s future. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: if you miss the nola vibes from the first seasons, this is an excellent read, which takes full advantage of the setting. exploration of queerness, gender expression, faith and consequence. more of an urban fantasy than horror but a hidden gem imho.
the phantom of the opera (gaston leroux) - classic story of a paris opera house. a young singer receives voice lessons from a mysterious figure she believes to be the angel of music her father told her stories of as a child. meanwhile, the new opera house owners are plagued by stories of a phantom. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: i’d actually recommend the stage musical of this one over the book, but there are some clearly phantom inspired elements this season.
plain bad heroines (emily m danforth) - a series of events that begins in 1902 at a boarding school for girls has consequences ripple into the present. the scandalous friendship and mysterious deaths of two students becomes the subject of a film, wherein the actors playing the girls begin to find themselves haunted by the same malevolent forces. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this one has several layers of meta storytelling (it’s about a documentary covering the creation of a film based on a fictional historical event), and a deeply messy cast of wlw whose stories don’t entirely line up with each other. more comedic than some of the others listed here.
monstrillio (gerardo sámano córdova) - a grieving mother cuts out a sliver of her deceased son’s lung, and feeds it until it grows sentience, becoming a carnivorous creature that both does and does not resemble the child she lost. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this is another one of my favorite books. this is a story about grief, the ways well-intentioned parents can still fail their children, the weight of expectations, queerness, monstrosity, and humanity. read it read it read it.
our share of night (mariana enriquez) - a man and his son embark on a road trip to their deceased wife/mother’s ancestral home only to be swept into the thrall of the cult she narrowly escaped, one which desperately seeks immortality and believes them to be the perfect vessels. steeped in the history of argentina’s military dictatorship and the aftermath, the story follows gaspar, the son, as he attempts to assert his own destiny. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this is a complex family story, a ghost story, a love story. how people who love each other fail each other, and how that love persists in spite of the failure. another one i cannot recommend enough.
the historian (elizabeth kostova) - a young girl discovers a sheath of letters in her father’s library, beginning a journey through the mystery of her father’s history and her mother’s disappearance. traveling from london to istanbul to budapest, she discovers links between her family and the legend of dracula. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: epistolary format, tracking vampire legends throughout history (claudia would approve), a sweeping and richly researched historical epic.
the devil three times (rickey fayne) - yetunde, stolen from her home and aboard a slave ship strikes a deal with the devil, desperate to prove himself to an indifferent god by protecting her and her family through time. a generational saga follows her descendants, each encountering the devil in moments of despair where he offers his own version of salvation in hopes of maybe finding something like it for himself. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: southern gothic, themes of redemption and forgiveness, a family saga that tracks black experiences through american history through the lens of a single family. can the devil be redeemed, and what does forgiveness truly look like? underrated 2025 debut by an author to watch.
the buffalo hunter hunter (stephen graham jones)* - set in the american west in 1912, this novel follows a lutheran priest transcribing the life of a blackfeet vampire who haunts the fields of the reservation looking for justice. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: quite literally about an interview with a vampire! i am still waiting on my hold for it at the library but have heard nothing but fantastic things about this one. stephen graham jones is truly a legendary modern horror writer.
house of hunger (alexis henderson)* - a poor young woman enlists as a bloodmaid at the titular house of hunger and finds herself swept in the thrall of the countess at the center of the hedonistic court. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: queer gothic vampire horror touching on themes of colonialism and exploitation. another one i have only heard good things about.
the vampyre (john william polidori)* - a young english gentleman’s curiosity is piqued by a strange newcomer to society. when the stranger returns after being seemingly killed in a fight with bandits, the gentleman begins to suspect something sinister. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: one of the (if not the) oldest fiction publications available on vampires (though the stories certainly predate any publications). alongside dracula and carmilla this is considered one of the foundational texts of the vampire genre.
fledgling (octavia e butler)* - a seemingly young amnesiac girl begins to question her own origins, and the discovery that she is, in fact, a 53 year old vampire. she struggles with her nature while attempting to unlock the secrets of her past and those that seek to do her harm. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: explores the unique challenges of a vampire trapped as a child, while dealing with intersectional themes of race, sexuality, community, history, and identity. have heard this is a very uncomfortable read at times, but a deeply worthwhile one.
the book with no name (anonymous)* - supernatural detective miles jensen is called to a lawless town to investigate a mysterious blue stone, the various entities (both human and not) all desperate to get their hands on it, and the nameless book that seems to connect them all. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: has been described as a western with vampires, with multiple (occasionally conflicting) points of view, a strong central mystery, and a frenetic, fast paced plot.
salem’s lot (stephen king)* - a writer returns to the small town where he used to live, hoping for closure and inspiration for his new book. when two boys enter the woods and only one returns alive, he is forced to reckon with the evil forces plaguing his hometown. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: another vampire genre staple! this is a reimagining of dracula in small town america.
an uncertain place (fred vargas)* - the discovery of a pile of shoes, all containing severed feet, in an old highgate ceremony prompts visiting french detectives to be drawn into the sinister world of vampires and vampire hunters, a world which follows them home. technically in a series but can be read independently. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: the premise immediately reminded me of a certain vampire’s souvenir collection. this is a blend of mystery, superstition, and hints of the supernatural that touches down in paris but travels across europe.
compiling a list of books to fill the hiatus! asterisks are for books i have not yet read, so cannot personally vouch for but seem like a good fit/have been recommended by others. i’d love for this to be an evolving list so let me know if there is anything you think should be included. :)
some themes/concepts i looked for: vampires, gothic horror (particularly southern gothic), generational trauma, queer identity, unreliable narrators, theater/performance, complicated family dynamics, grief, historical setting/flashbacks, new orleans/paris/cross country travel as a setting, epistolary/interview format.
shoutout to my lovely friend, @shamixlour for the suggestions and letting me ramble <3
the vampire chronicles (anne rice) - the only one i will not give you a plot synopsis for, because if you are an iwtv/tvl fan… you’ve probably already got an idea. i genuinely loved both interview with the vampire and the vampire lestat novels. queen of the damned was a bit more hit and miss for me, but there’s some fascinating lore and great character building. i have not ventured further at this point, but know the show has already begun to incorporate story beats from tale of the body thief, merrick, the vampire armand, and the prince lestat trilogy (the last of which seem to be many fans’ favorites beyond the original three novels).
dracula (bram stoker) - real estate agent jonathan harker is sent to a mysterious castle in transylvania to help a wealthy recluse purchase land in london, kicking off a sinister and terrifying series of events. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: it’s dracula. in addition to being a staple of the vampire genre and a classic, it is simply a magnificent story with a colorful cast of epistolary narrators (who are slightly more reliable than our dear friends in dubai/montreal).
carmilla (sheridan le fanu) - laura lives with her father in a solitary castle deep in the forest, and finds her world upended when she encounters a beautiful young woman named carmilla who is involved in a carriage accident and recovers in their estate. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: the original lesbian vampire novel, this is short, haunting, and sensual. required reading for gothic horror fans. potentially the reason one of lestat’s codenames is sheridan.
thistlefoot (gennarose nethercott) - estranged siblings bellatine and isaac yaga are forced back into each other’s lives when they inherit a sentient house on chicken legs from their ancestral home outside kviv. the house is followed by the sinister longshadow man, who trails the siblings as they reluctantly begin a final tour of their family’s traveling puppet show, bringing with him violent secrets of their family’s past and the strange abilities that the siblings have alternatively abused and tried to smother. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: one of my personal favorite books. beginning with a street magician/thief in new orleans, we have themes of generational trauma, a cross-country tour of performances, a show featuring puppets brought to life (that would fit nicely in the theatre de vampires), queerness, and a lovely blend of horror, fantasy, and character study.
the sleeping car porter (suzette mayr) - in 1929, baxter is a black sleeping car porter on a train that crosses the country and wants nothing more than to save enough to begin dental school and to keep a lid on his sexuality. when the train becomes stranded after a mudslide, many sleepless nights begin to cause hallucinations to seep into his reality while baxter contends with the capricious white passengers and their secrets, as well as his own. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: exploration of real black queer history during the 20s with a sleep deprived narrator’s increasingly unreliable perception of events. not strictly horror but very tense and atmospheric.
the reformatory (taranative due) - in 1950’s florida, 12 year old robbie stephens is sentenced to 6 months at a reformatory after defending his sister against the unwanted attentions of a white neighbor. robbie has always had the ability to see ghosts, an ability which quickly turns sinister when he is haunted by the many victims of the abusive leadership at the graceland school for boys, while his sister tries desperately to rally the community for his release. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: southern gothic horror (inspired by horrifying real history), a wide net of compelling narrators all of whom are richly developed. make sure to check the content warnings on this one. due also has a vampire novel called my soul to keep that has been compared to iwtv but i haven’t got the chance to read it yet.
the city of lost fortunes (bryan camp) - jude is a street magician in post-katrina new orleans, a city haunted by the hurricane’s devastation and a pantheon of deities, with a knack for finding lost things. he has been trying to disappear but is pulled back into the world of magic (and the father he never knew) when the fortune god is murdered and the fate of an elusive card game of the gods determines the city’s future. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: if you miss the nola vibes from the first seasons, this is an excellent read, which takes full advantage of the setting. exploration of queerness, gender expression, faith and consequence. more of an urban fantasy than horror but a hidden gem imho.
the phantom of the opera (gaston leroux) - classic story of a paris opera house. a young singer receives voice lessons from a mysterious figure she believes to be the angel of music her father told her stories of as a child. meanwhile, the new opera house owners are plagued by stories of a phantom. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: i’d actually recommend the stage musical of this one over the book, but there are some clearly phantom inspired elements this season.
plain bad heroines (emily m danforth) - a series of events that begins in 1902 at a boarding school for girls has consequences ripple into the present. the scandalous friendship and mysterious deaths of two students becomes the subject of a film, wherein the actors playing the girls begin to find themselves haunted by the same malevolent forces. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this one has several layers of meta storytelling (it’s about a documentary covering the creation of a film based on a fictional historical event), and a deeply messy cast of wlw whose stories don’t entirely line up with each other. more comedic than some of the others listed here.
monstrillio (gerardo sámano córdova) - a grieving mother cuts out a sliver of her deceased son’s lung, and feeds it until it grows sentience, becoming a carnivorous creature that both does and does not resemble the child she lost. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this is another one of my favorite books. this is a story about grief, the ways well-intentioned parents can still fail their children, the weight of expectations, queerness, monstrosity, and humanity. read it read it read it.
our share of night (mariana enriquez) - a man and his son embark on a road trip to their deceased wife/mother’s ancestral home only to be swept into the thrall of the cult she narrowly escaped, one which desperately seeks immortality and believes them to be the perfect vessels. steeped in the history of argentina’s military dictatorship and the aftermath, the story follows gaspar, the son, as he attempts to assert his own destiny. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: this is a complex family story, a ghost story, a love story. how people who love each other fail each other, and how that love persists in spite of the failure. another one i cannot recommend enough.
the historian (elizabeth kostova) - a young girl discovers a sheath of letters in her father’s library, beginning a journey through the mystery of her father’s history and her mother’s disappearance. traveling from london to istanbul to budapest, she discovers links between her family and the legend of dracula. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: epistolary format, tracking vampire legends throughout history (claudia would approve), a sweeping and richly researched historical epic.
the devil three times (rickey fayne) - yetunde, stolen from her home and aboard a slave ship strikes a deal with the devil, desperate to prove himself to an indifferent god by protecting her and her family through time. a generational saga follows her descendants, each encountering the devil in moments of despair where he offers his own version of salvation in hopes of maybe finding something like it for himself. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: southern gothic, themes of redemption and forgiveness, a family saga that tracks black experiences through american history through the lens of a single family. can the devil be redeemed, and what does forgiveness truly look like? underrated 2025 debut by an author to watch.
the buffalo hunter hunter (stephen graham jones)* - set in the american west in 1912, this novel follows a lutheran priest transcribing the life of a blackfeet vampire who haunts the fields of the reservation looking for justice. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: quite literally about an interview with a vampire! i am still waiting on my hold for it at the library but have heard nothing but fantastic things about this one. stephen graham jones is truly a legendary modern horror writer.
house of hunger (alexis henderson)* - a poor young woman enlists as a bloodmaid at the titular house of hunger and finds herself swept in the thrall of the countess at the center of the hedonistic court. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: queer gothic vampire horror touching on themes of colonialism and exploitation. another one i have only heard good things about.
the vampyre (john william polidori)* - a young english gentleman’s curiosity is piqued by a strange newcomer to society. when the stranger returns after being seemingly killed in a fight with bandits, the gentleman begins to suspect something sinister. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: one of the (if not the) oldest fiction publications available on vampires (though the stories certainly predate any publications). alongside dracula and carmilla this is considered one of the foundational texts of the vampire genre.
fledgling (octavia e butler)* - a seemingly young amnesiac girl begins to question her own origins, and the discovery that she is, in fact, a 53 year old vampire. she struggles with her nature while attempting to unlock the secrets of her past and those that seek to do her harm. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: explores the unique challenges of a vampire trapped as a child, while dealing with intersectional themes of race, sexuality, community, history, and identity. have heard this is a very uncomfortable read at times, but a deeply worthwhile one.
the book with no name (anonymous)* - supernatural detective miles jensen is called to a lawless town to investigate a mysterious blue stone, the various entities (both human and not) all desperate to get their hands on it, and the nameless book that seems to connect them all. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: has been described as a western with vampires, with multiple (occasionally conflicting) points of view, a strong central mystery, and a frenetic, fast paced plot.
salem’s lot (stephen king)* - a writer returns to the small town where he used to live, hoping for closure and inspiration for his new book. when two boys enter the woods and only one returns alive, he is forced to reckon with the evil forces plaguing his hometown. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: another vampire genre staple! this is a reimagining of dracula in small town america.
an uncertain place (fred vargas)* - the discovery of a pile of shoes, all containing severed feet, in an old highgate ceremony prompts visiting french detectives to be drawn into the sinister world of vampires and vampire hunters, a world which follows them home. technically in a series but can be read independently. recommendation for iwtv/tvl fans: the premise immediately reminded me of a certain vampire’s souvenir collection. this is a blend of mystery, superstition, and hints of the supernatural that touches down in paris but travels across europe.
very VERY excited for this adaptation....i'm still mid novel but i'm already obsessed and so very much pleased to hear we're having a tv adpatation and 3 seasons secured i heard????? noice
It's kind of a blast and extremely interesting to see non-fried brained fan culture obsessed people (and before you come at me, i kind of consider myself so, i mean i am writing this post on tumblr) love tvl and share how great of a season it had been and how the performances of each actors was quite impressive but most importanlty how excited they seem to be regarding season 4.
Idk, it provides such interesting perspectives and definitely allows you to take a step back from the fandom discourses and realise that at the end of the day, the general audience love a great show and iwtv and tvl are just that. It's so funny to read such praises when you compare them to the horrendous takes it had been during quite the entirety of the show on here or even on twt.
Saw a few moments of Jacob at sdcc and he was missing his best friend so much!!!! Wow i can't believe Sam and Jacob found their platonic bestie in their 30s, lucky dudes fr
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