Isolated in a remote mansion in a central European forest, Laura longs for companionship - until a carriage accident brings another young woman into her life: the secretive and sometimes erratic Carmilla. As Carmilla's actions become more puzzling and volatile, Laura develops bizarre symptoms, and as her health goes into decline, Laura and her father discover something monstrous.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's compelling tale of a young woman's seduction by a female vampire was a source of influence for Bram Stoker's Dracula, which it predates by over a quarter century. Carmilla was originally serialized from 1871 to 1872 and went on to inspire adaptations in film, opera, and beyond, including the cult classic web series by the same name.

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144 pages

Average rating: 7.3

56 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

oh_let3
May 16, 2023
8/10 stars
le fanu was a great ghost story writer but his vampire story is astonishingly ahead of its time
E Clou
May 10, 2023
8/10 stars
This predates Dracula? It's obviously a lesbian love story as best as it could be told back then. Charming, and a bit of a cozy horror if there is such a thing.
carmzies
Apr 26, 2023
8/10 stars
3.5 | strong start, weak ending
maxliv
May 23, 2022
7/10 stars
It was a delight to read this. Such a short story, but developing the feeling of uneasily thought the whole way in a beautiful pacing. And seeing a book from 1871 dealing with the topics of homosexuality in a explicitly erotic way and even a openly romantic atmosphere gives a new perspective on things. Nonetheless, it's an amazing horror story, creating some of the most known mythology and stereotypes on vampire fiction that many of what we see on the screen or pages today are huge influenced by it. Sapphic gothic vampires? Count me in.

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