The Travelling Vampire Show

Richard Laymon

From Shelf: Winners of the Bram Stoker Award for Horror 2000-2022

THE TRAVELLING VAMPIRE SHOW is Richard Laymon's masterpiece - an evocative, nostalgic trip back to a time when innocence comes face to face with life's darker forces.

On a hot August morning in 1963, the rural town of Grandville is covered with fliers announcing the coming of something extraordinary - a one-night-only performance of The Travelling Vampire Show, featuring Valeria, the only known vampire in captivity. For three local teenagers, it's a show they don't want to miss. The trouble is, the show starts at midnight and they're supposed to be home by then. And in any case, Janks Field, where the show will take place, has been declared off-limits because of its own sinister history. But they can't just sit at home and let Valeria do her thing without them, can they?