Hey Kids! It’s Varney the Vampire!! The vicious 19th-century bloodsucker who has mostly been forgotten these days but who set many of the precedents that would follow for the vampire sub-genre.
What Is It?
This book focuses on Sir Francis Varney, who appears to be an ancestor of the Bannerworth family and who was turned into a vampire after betraying a royalist to Oliver Cromwell in the 17th Century. He returns in the mid-1800s and attempts to reclaim his ancestral home, Bannerworth Manor, from his relatives who currently occupy it. He attacks the young Flora Bannerworth early in the story but later resists his draw to her because of the feelings he develops for the young lady. He then offers to purchase the house from the Bannerworths, but they are dubious of his motives, even though they need his money because of their poor financial state. From there, the story recounts Varney’s interactions with his family and others as he becomes increasingly troubled by his existence as a vampire.
Authors: James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Peckett Prest
Originally Published:
Serialized in the Penny Dreadfuls from 1845 to 1847
Published as Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood (A Romance of Exciting Interest) in 1847
Legacy:
Not well known today, this was an early serialized tale published at a time when horror literature was becoming more popular in the nineteenth century. It established many of the genre’s standards while also helping to popularize vampire stories.
A Closer Look:
No, this is not the story of some cuddly, purple-skinned vampire who sings songs to children or a number-obsessed Muppet refugee from Sesame Street. This is the mid-century tale that appeared in the British penny dreadfuls (sort of an early version of pulp magazines) that actually set many of the precedents the vampire sub-genre would follow in the years to come.
Varney the Vampire (aka The Feast of Blood) ran for three years from 1845 to 1847 across 109 “issues” — a total of 667,000 words (longer than War and Peace!) — and followed the story of the somewhat-reluctant vampire Sir Francis Varney. And while vampires had previously appeared in literary works (most notably Lord Byron’s The Giaour and John William Polidori’s The Vampyre), Varney was very much the prototype for what we have since come to expect.
He is a cultured gentleman, much like the later Dracula (Bram Stoker’s book was not published until 1897), even though his appearance is hideous, along the lines of Count Orlok from Nosferatu. He has fangs and the ability to mesmerize his victims, and he also possesses superhuman abilities. He develops into something of a sympathetic character, much like we would later see with Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows as well as some of Anne Rice’s characters in Interview with the Vampire. And one of the more recent tropes — vampires being able to survive in sunlight (as in the Twilight books and movies) — started with Varney the Vampire. The story even throws in the angry mob of villagers with torches and pitchforks for good measure.
But while this book is interesting for the precedents it set, I can’t tell you that it’s a particularly great read. I made it through volume one (which is twenty hours of audiobook listening), and it was definitely a chore. It was written by hack writers mostly interested in cranking out tantalizing serialized tales that would appeal to the lower-class readers drawn to the penny dreadfuls. The original story was credited to Thomas Peckett Prest, though James Malcolm Rymer apparently assisted on it as well (interestingly, that duo also created Sweeney Todd). They were apparently paid by the word, because the prose is undeniably rambling, with scenes that drag on much longer than needed or feel completely unnecessary (including the “stories within stories” scattered throughout). There are a few moments of inspiration, but sadly those come far too rarely.
The story of the first volume starts out well enough but drags on far too long, with plenty of unnecessary digressions, and the dialogue can be outright cringe-worthy at times. It also appears that, after a certain point, the authors were just making it up as they went along and trying to pad the story as far as they could. Other nineteenth-century genre novels such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea can seem padded and slow at times, but with those, the journey proves worth it once you reach the end. Not so much with Varney the Vampire, which feels like a hack-work because of the often mediocre-to-poor writing. Fans of the vampire sub-genre should definitely check it out just for all the precedents it sets, and those who love horror in general should find plenty of historical interest in this early work. But while this is a notable early entry in the vampire canon, it doesn’t quite count as a classic.
If you plan on tackling this tome, I’d suggest the print version, because there are plenty of sections that just need to be skimmed over, especially if you want to make it through all three volumes. (I have no plans to undertake that burden myself, but there’s a site with chapter summaries and commentaries to help you through if you’re up for the challenge.) The book is interesting for the influence it would have on later works in the genre (as well as the 1930s Universal monster movies), but it feels more hackneyed than original due to its often weak writing. It’s definitely a curio of genre literature, but not a must-read.
Why Was There No Sequel?
While many books from the 1800s had sequels or continuations, they were not especially common at that time and not always expected of a literary work. And at 232 chapters, Varney the Vampire pretty much covered all it could in terms of Sir Francis Varney’s exploits. Considering that the story ended with (SPOILER ALERT) the demise of the character, there wasn’t much more that could be done with him. Perhaps the authors could have explored other characters from the story — turning one or more of them into vampires — but they chose to move on to other things (most notably, the Sweeney Todd tales).
Should It Be Revived/Rebooted?
While Varney the Vampire is not well known today, there’s plenty of potential to revive the character and possibly create a whole franchise. One stumbling block, though, is the name of the vampire, which sounds a little too close to the saccharine purple dinosaur who entertained generations of children on television. If a revival were to draw inspiration from that and turn it into a tongue-in-cheek take on the vampire genre, that could work. Or they could play down the “Varney” name or change it entirely and go with The Feast of Blood title. There’s plenty of story material from the original book that could be sifted through and re-shaped into a strong horror entry, and this one certainly deserves some consideration on that front.
Comments on the Audiobook:
I downloaded the audio version of this for free from Librivox (at this link), and it definitely demonstrates how important a good reading is to an audiobook. Librivox books are narrated by volunteers and typically have different readers for different chapters. My experience with Librivox adaptations has been hit or miss, with some really good ones like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and some just passable ones like War of the Worlds.
Varney actually started out quite well, with Annika Feilbach providing very moody vocals that fit perfectly with the book’s Gothic setting. If it hadn’t been for her excellent intro chapters, I might not have stuck with the book. Unfortunately, she reads only the preface and first chapter, and what follows is a (very) mixed bag of readers. To Annika’s credit, the first chapter seems better crafted than later ones, likely because it wasn’t as rushed. But the mediocre writing that followed could have used any sort of boost to make it more enjoyable, and fortunately a few of the later narrators did manage that.
I hate to knock the Librivox readers because they’re all volunteers, but some narrators for this book are downright unlistenable, which made the experience that much worse. As a plus, the reliable Roger Melin reads more chapters than not, and I’ve enjoyed other works he’s narrated for Librivox. He delivers a very straightforward reading that doesn’t enhance the prose like Annika Feilbach’s narration but doesn’t detract from it either. Had he not been onboard, I definitely would never have finished volume one.
I just also discovered an audio version done by Edward French who is a makeup artist and who has also done some professional audiobooks. His narration for Varney the Vampire is on YouTube and covers twenty-five chapters so far. This began in 2020, and the most recent chapter was posted in December 2024. I don’t know if he has plans to continue through the book, but what I have listened of his recordings are quite good. I don’t see that this is available to download, so you will have to listen online, but he does provide top-notch narration for the story. Audible also has an audio version covering the first volume and that is read by Finn J. D. John. I have listened to the sample, and he provides a pretty good narration as well.
Interesting Facts
Many of the vampire tropes associated with Dracula appear in Varney the Vampire like fangs, hypnotic powers, aristocratic charm, and superstrength. Bram Stoker’s novel was published in 1897, so it is likely he was influenced by this vampire predecessor that appeared in the penny dreadfuls.
The work is generally attributed to James Malcolm Rymer or Thomas Peckett Prest, or possibly both. Many penny dreadfuls were collaborative or anonymous, and the surviving publication records and author credits are murky.
SPOILER ALERT: In the finale, Varney, weary of his curse, throws himself into Mount Vesuvius. His death by self-destruction adds an existential layer to the pulp horror and a surprisingly dark, almost Romantic conclusion to a story that began as cheap sensationalism.
Where Can You Read It?
The entire work is available for free in ebook format at Project Gutenberg and in audio at Librvox (see my comments on that above). You can can find an inexpensive Kindle version of the book at this link, and it is also available in paperback and hardcover.
