A magnificent, compulsively readable thriller . . . Rice begins where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth-the education of the vampire. -Chicago Tribune Unrelentingly erotic . . . sometimes beautiful, and always unforgettable. -Washington Post If you surrender and go with her . . . you have surrendered to enchantment, as in a voluptuous dream. -Boston Globe A chilling, thought-provoking tale, beautifully frightening, sensuous, and utterly unnerving. -Hartford Courant