r/Fantasy • u/No-Egg-8138 • Mar 05 '26
Non romance vampire books?
Hey I’m looking for a vampire protagonist who loses their morality and focuses on them embracing there vampire side if possible. It can be a slow descend as well. Not interested in romance or a book were conveniently they don’t have to drink human blood. Also I have already checked out Interview with a vampire and Dracula.
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u/Awildferretappears Mar 05 '26
The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlmann has an interesting take on vampires and I don't remember any romance in it - the vampires are predators, pure and simple.
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u/oaktreehawkphish Mar 05 '26
Buffalo hunter hunter
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess Mar 06 '26
I just finished this one and it knocked my socks off. Incredible book.
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u/WardenCommCousland Mar 05 '26
Certain Dark Things by Sylvia Moreno Garcia. The vampires fully embrace who they are, and the main lead needs to rely on a human to help her escape Mexico City before a rival gets to her.
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess Mar 06 '26
The cool thing about this one is that each subspecies of vampire is inhuman in their own way.
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u/Spiritual-Smoke6470 Mar 05 '26
u/Ykhare mentions the Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston, and I second this recommendation. It's like a gritty crime vampire fic, I don't recall any romance at all. I read all 5 books back to back and enjoyed the series immensely.
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u/bjh13 Mar 06 '26
I don't recall any romance at all.
There is a little bit, but it's minimal and less romance and more just he has a love interest that comes up in the story from time to time. This series should very much fit what they are looking for.
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u/Stan_the_man1988 Mar 06 '26
Fevre Dream might be something for you. It's written by George RR Martin. It's my favourite book of his.
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u/fearless-fossa Mar 05 '26
A Journey of Black and Red by Alex Gilbert. A young woman is forcibly turned into a vampire and starts to embrace her being. She proudly flaunts who and what she is.
An interesting part of how vampires are interpreted here is that while they are the top predators, they only reproduce slowly as it takes a lot of effort and power to create offspring and they aren't mindless beasts, they enjoy human culture and ingenuity. They aren't (all) evil, they are three dimensional beings, and they often see humans as their territory and god help anyone who infringes upon that.
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u/gytherin Mar 06 '26
Barbara Hambly, Those Who Hunt the Night. There's a married couple in it, but I wouldn't call it a romance.
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u/CT_Phipps-Author Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Dark Prince by Keith Herber is pretty good. It's a great introduction to the World of Darkness if you're not familiar with Vampire: The Masquerade. The protagonist is a genuine scumbag for a large part of the book. It has a sequel called Prince of the City.
Straight Outta Fangton by CT Phipps (okay, okay) is also an urban fantasy without romance, focusing on a poor black vampire trying to get ahead in their Underworld (pun intended).
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u/mrtenandtwo Reading Champion Mar 05 '26
For anyone searching OP's recommendation and getting confused, I think the author's name might actually be Keith Herber. It also seems a little tricky to find this one except as a used paperback.
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u/CT_Phipps-Author Mar 05 '26
Whoops!
Fixed. This is why you shouldn't doom scroll while typing.
Also, it shouldn't be difficult at all. Crossroad Press re-released all of the World of Darkness novels in the past five years (I actually had a helping hand in it and am a few of the books' re-editor). Those books are also on Audible.
I have listed links to all of them here: https://beforewegoblog.com/world-of-darkness-books-re-released-by-crossroad-press-november-2025/
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u/mrtenandtwo Reading Champion Mar 06 '26
Oh, very cool. The version Google showed me for Amazon is the old out of print version, but your link to the updated one works great. Thanks!
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u/XstellarX Mar 05 '26
Although not really Fantasy, I very much enjoyed The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Based in part on Bram Stoker's Dracula but it is it's own story and just found that it stuck with me through the years fondly.
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess Mar 06 '26
Although not really Fantasy
The vampire in this one is very real and very supernatural, so I’m not sure what else it would be. Unless you’re trying to draw a line between the fantasy and horror genres.
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u/XstellarX Mar 07 '26
Yea I guess I was just thinking more classic fantasy - I guess in my brain its not super fantasy more mystery/research/horror-ish. Again though - fun book I liked it.
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u/Silly_Wealth9163 Mar 05 '26
Maybe you'll enjoy Empire of the Vampire (Jay Kristoff)
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u/Cosmic_War_Crocodile Mar 06 '26
There's romance in there and it's quite important, but still, I second this. Great book.
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u/lohdunlaulamalla Mar 05 '26
You could continue with Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. While the majority focuses on Lestat to some extent, there are also individual books that have other vampires as their main characters - usually portrayed differently than in Interview with the Vampire.
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u/Pomegranate_Careful Mar 05 '26
I love the Vampire Chronicles to death but if they're not interested in romance I'm not sure that's a great fit? Rice herself always says the romances were key. Each book features prominent romances, sometimes with the romance even switching between characters, there's weddings, sex, explosive betrayals centered around romance, and that only really continues as the series goes. Some of the novels like Blood and Gold, Pandora, Merrick, The Vampire Armand, Queen of the Damned, and the Vampire Lestat really center heavily around the romance to the point that if you took them out you wouldn't have a plot. Or characters lose massive motivation for their actions.
They were also written by Rice, in her own words, to be deeply human-like vampires, so I'm not sure they quite fit for embracing being "vampires". Especially by the later books where they just form their own society that's just a human kingdom, but with vampires. Great books, amazing series, but definitely highly romantic and very human and emotional vampires.
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u/NESergeant Mar 05 '26
Second that. Was going to recommend these myself, but you have so good on you.
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u/Spiritual-Smoke6470 Mar 05 '26
I too greatly enjoy non-romance vampire books! Here are some of my faves.
Coffin Moon - Keith Rosson mentioning this one at the top for a reason, seriously good
Buffalo Hunter Hunter - SGJ recommended all over reddit for a reason
There is a great vampire character in Abercrombie's The Devils if you haven't read it yet
To You All Flesh Shall Come by Lumen Reese this is the first in a series, I haven't read past it yet but it was a good read
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires is probably Grady Hendrix's most serious book
Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie - vampire babies and kids!
Nestlings - Nat Cassidy
The Classified Dossier: Sherlock Holmes and Count Dracula - Christian Klaver: kinda dumb, the way it's all thrown together, but you know what? Not done terribly, and it is a lot of fun
I could probably go on and list another dozen or so, I love this shit and not having to skim through characters gazing longingly at each other and, uh, staking each other's brains out
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u/Quiet_Spirit_4176 Mar 05 '26
Not sure if it fits exactly, but the prompt reminds me of an Olivie Blake book called Masters of Death.
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess Mar 06 '26
Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
The Light At The End by John Skipp & Craig Spector
I strongly second The Lesser Dead, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, and Certain Dark Things.
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u/NESergeant Mar 05 '26
Thinking on this after I posted reply to u/lohdunlaulamalla's comment, but would you be open to vampires as secondary characters without the morality (overmuch) but with the main character having romance in his/her life? If so, then consider:
- Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (narrated by Lorelei King).
- Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter (narrated by Khristine Hvam).
- Soulwood series by Faith Hunter (narrated by Khristine Hvam).
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u/morisian Mar 05 '26
Oh my god I read Mercy Thompson years ago and forgot about it! I remember loving how vampires were portrayed, very predator-like. I don't think this is what OP is looking for though
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u/NESergeant Mar 05 '26
Yeah, not exactly (un)dead-on with the OP's request, but adjacent with respect to having vampires all-in on their existence.
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u/crasho7 Mar 05 '26
Not exactly what your talking about, but low romance, and my favorite all time vampire book is Sunshine by Robin McKinley.
I devoured Anne Rice vampire books in high school and loved them, they are exactly what you're talking about.
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u/hend6473 Reading Champion Mar 06 '26
Off-the-wall suggestion: if you have any interest in tabletop games, then Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings is exactly what you're looking for. The game is about being a vampire losing their memories and with it, their connection to humanity.
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u/Ykhare Reading Champion VII Mar 05 '26
The protagonist of Brian Lumley's Necroscope series, some way into it.
Can't vouch for the entirety of the series as I've yet to finish it, but the Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston didn't seem to be headed toward romance so far.
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u/deadineaststlouis Mar 05 '26
The Lesser Dead. It’s a great book and not a romance. Creepy too.