It's Harb to Be a Vampire: An Example of Short Horror Story

It’s Hard to Be a Vampire, by Viktoria Faust includes eight short stories involving vampires or worlds of a paranormal nature. I was attracted to this book because short story collections are often not as drawn out as full-length novels can be — this way each story had my attention all the way through. There are a few stories in this book that I enjoyed as some are dark-humored and fun, not full of scares and creepiness. Some stories were full of thrilling horror.

Others were lackluster for me, and I will give examples.

A story that has two parts, Gallery of Horrors, with The Painting Strikes Back as the second are excellent. Upon first reading Gallery of Horrors, it was not my cup of tea. I felt as though I was reading about a character who is a confusing raving lunatic written purely for the sake of writing a typical horror story. I felt bored, or I was missing something as I tried to figure out the craziness of it all.

Get quality help now

WriterBelle

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

4.7 (657)

“ Really polite, and a great writer! Task done as described and better, responded to all my questions promptly too! ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

But I hung in there, and by the end of the first story, I enjoyed the madness. After the second story, I came to appreciate the horrific destiny employed.

Regarding the stories that were not my favorites, other readers may enjoy. Faust’s short story style is very short in the accounts. I was surprised at how fast I read the book, but I did not look to see how many pages are in the volume in the beginning.

The story ideas in the book may seem confusing by lacking the typical climax and resolutions that many stories follow while some characters may lack names. For these reasons, it may be hard for readers to feel involved and interested. Even so, I do appreciate an author who has a style that varies from numerous other writers.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a “well written” book with no errors that will be distracting or cause for confusion while reading. The 3 is because this is a small book of short stories with only a few that I enjoyed making it unlikely for a second read.

For those who are adventurous readers of the paranormal genre, I recommend giving this book a try. It is true I did not like all of the stories, but I do think others should read this book to provide all the short stories a chance. Not all of Faust’s stories can be taken too seriously. To me, the book is worth a try even just for the enjoyment of a few good stories.