Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite

by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker

Overview

Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices fill this bestselling anthology—including V.E. Schwab's First Kill, now a major Netflix adaptation!

"Boundary-pushing... Stories that stake a new claim on old tropes." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.

Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.

An Imprint Book

"Vampire fans, sink your teeth into this satisfying collection." —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250802774
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	09/26/2023
Series:	Untold Legends , #1
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	593,682
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than two dozen novels and short stories, including the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence, and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. In addition to writing novels, she serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books, and is the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old, as well as the cohost of the writing podcast, Deadline City. She writes romance novels as Zoey Castile. Zoraida was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and calls New York City home. When she’s not working, she’s roaming the world in search of magical stories.

Natalie C. Parker is an author, editor, and community organizer. She has written several award winning books for teens and young readers and has edited multiple anthologies including the Indie Bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old. Her work has been included on the NPR Best Books list, the Indie Next List, and the TAYSHAS Reading List, and in Junior Library Guild selections. In addition to writing, Natalie also runs Madcap Retreats, which has partnered with We Need Diverse Books and Reese's Book Club to host the writers workshops for the Lit Up internship. She grew up in a navy family finding home in coastal cities from Virginia to Japan and currently lives with her wife on the Kansas prairie.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/17/2020

In their introduction to this bloodthirsty anthology, Córdova (The Way to Rio Luna) and Parker (the Seafire trilogy) note that, “despite queer subtext and outstanding nonwhite examples,” the most famous vampires are “predominantly men, white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied.” This boundary-pushing collection seeks to upend the default with 11 toothsome stories that stake a new claim on old tropes, centering an intersectionally diverse range of protagonists. Reflecting pop culture touchstones, Julie Murphy’s nod to Buffy, “Senior Year Sucks,” centers a fat white Texas teen who juggles cheerleading and vampire hunting; “The Boys from Blood River” by Rebecca Roanhorse stars a gay Indigenous teen who invokes an urban legend in hope of a better life. Samira Ahmed’s tongue-in-cheek “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” looks at vampire tropes through a self-aware, social media–savvy Indian filter; Kayla Whaley’s wheelchair-using heroine confronts her murderer in “In Kind”; and Dhonielle Clayton’s “The House of Black Sapphires” presents a lush picture of a New Orleans populated by immortals. If some stories end abruptly, it seems within the bounds of the vampire canon to leave readers wanting more. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Proving that vampires never go out of style... Vampires Never Get Old is perfect for any and all lovers of vampires, be it Twilight stans or Dracula fans!" —The Nerd Daily

"This boundary-pushing collection seeks to upend the default with 11 toothsome stories that stake a new claim on old tropes, centering an intersectionally diverse range of protagonists." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"With dark humor and compelling narratives, this collection invites readers to reconsider what they know about vampires. The stories are bite-sized and well-crafted windows into various vampiric worlds that will leave readers wanting more. Fans of the paranormal will sink their teeth into this one." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2020

Gr 7 Up—Gathering a range of voices and narrative styles, this collection centers stories in which vampire tropes are reimagined with an eye toward diverse intersections of identity. To name just a few, there is an advice guide for the recently-turned Desi vampire, including suggestions about maintaining close family ties and feeding on colonizers, by Samira Ahmed; queer tales of the tangled attraction between slayers and vampires, one from Victoria "V.E." Schwab and another from Julie Murphy; and an exploration of the power and risk of online friendship with a vampire by editors Córdova and Parker. Each story is followed by a short interjection from Córdova and Parker commenting on an aspect of vampire lore that is explored in the story, making the collection appealing for young adult scholars as well as adolescent readers. With dark humor and compelling narratives, this collection invites readers to reconsider what they know about vampires. The stories are bite-sized and well-crafted windows into various vampiric worlds that will leave readers wanting more. VERDICT Fans of the paranormal will sink their teeth into this one.—Jen McConnel, Queen's Univ., Ont.

School Library Journal

2020-07-08
Fresh takes on a perennial paranormal favorite from leading YA authors.

The classic vampire archetype—“white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied”—makes way for a diverse reimagining of the blood-drinking immortals in this anthology. In Tessa Gratton’s “Seven Nights for Dying,” an anonymous narrator is given a week to consider an offer while grappling with furious grief. A lonely teenage Latinx vampire makes an unexpected connection through his blog in Mark Oshiro’s “Mirrors, Windows & Selfies.” An Eternal woman and a Shadow Baron make a wager in Dhonielle Clayton’s “The House of Black Sapphires,” set in a dazzling alternate version of New Orleans. A gay Native teen summons an urban legend in Rebecca Roanhorse’s “The Boys From Blood River” but gets more than he bargained for. Themes of power, transformation, and agency weave through these 11 tales, which also feature a 19th-century grave robber, a cheerleading vampire slayer, and an Instagram-savvy elder vampire. The tone of the stories ranges from the playful narration of Samira Ahmed’s “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” to the simmering rage of Kayla Whaley’s disabled protagonist in “In Kind.” The cast, living and (un)dead, includes characters who represent multiple dimensions of diversity. Each story is followed by a brief commentary and thought-provoking questions from the editors.

Vampire fans, sink your teeth into this satisfying collection. (editors' note, author bios) (Paranormal fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews