Synopses & Reviews
Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree awardwinning author Suzy McKee Charnas offers up her lush stories in this compelling retrospective story collection. In Stagestruck Vampires, the supernatural and the real intertwine seamlessly. A villainous maestro is redeemed by his lovely, apt pupil in Beauty and the Opera or The Phantom Beast.” Inside the Unicorn Tapestry,” a psychotherapist stalks a vampire. A dazzling performance of Tosca is marred by a shocking murder during A Musical Interlude.”
This collection features original work by Charnasthe mystical novelette, Peregrines,” and two original essays. Also included is a collaborative story on vampire themes, Advocates,” written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of the Saint-Germain Chronicles.
Review
Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms exhibits the author at her wide-ranging best.”
Asimovs Science Fiction
So, broad range of talent, nonfiction essays, engaging fiction that dates back 20 years and that was written recently along with a spot-on collaboration. What are you waiting for?”
January Magazine
Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms is a feat of storytelling showcasing an extremely talented writer undergoing a broad scope of undoubtedly personal experiences.”
Bella Online
Synopsis
Themes of transgression, eroticism, and violence thread through this retrospective collection of short stories and essays. A psychotherapist falls under the spell of her vampire patient in "Unicorn Tapestry" and in "Beauty and the Opéra or the Phantom Beast," an evil maestro finds redemption in his lovely pupil, and additional essays "Art Is Long" and "The Stagestruck Vampire" offer autobiographical reflections on the art of writing. Combining lush prose with a biting wit, this terrifying collection will appeal to fans of fantasy, romance, horror, and character-driven suspense.
About the Author
Suzy McKee Charnass ground-breaking novel The Vampire Tapestry was a popular and critically acclaimed exploration of the vampire mythos. The Holdfast Chronicles, a quartet of books that has been hailed as a great work of feminist science fiction, garnered her several Tiptree Awards. She has also won the Hugo, Nebula, and Mythopoeic awards. Charnas adapted The Vampire Tapestry into a two-act play entitled Vampire Dreams. The play had runs in both San Francisco and New York, debuting as part of Springfest in San Francisco in 1990.
Table of Contents
Introduction Paul Di Filippo
A Musical Interlude
Beauty and the Opera, or, the Phantom Beast
Boobs
Evil Thoughts
Listening to Brahms
Peregrines
The Stagestruck Vampire
Theyre Right, Art Is Long
Unicorn Tapestry
Advocates