[Jasonmh]

Hopefully I have this in the right section.  I'm looking for recommendations for good vampire series that are not vampire-romance novels.  So many I have run across lately are not really my kind of thing, ie- Twilight, Kiss of Midnight, the Black Dagger Brotherhood, etc.  They are well written (my wife loves Twilight), so I am not trying to bag on them, but they are not my cup of tea.  I am really tired of the: "My entire race is being wiped out and we are the only ones who can save them.  But I'm going to spend the entire book looking for that one special girl, cause really I am just a misunderstood vampire".  Not saying that there should be no romance, but I'm a guy, and when i read these all I can think about is Fabio with fangs on the cover.  Anyone got some good recommendations that aren't too over the top with the romance?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[lostknitter]

I am reading "The Strain", about 1/4 thru and it is supposed to be the first of a three book series, and it is pretty good so far. Jeni

 

[jaspertyler]

Have you read Laurell K Hamilton's books?  I love these books, especially the first ones.  They are action packed, etc.  Later on (about book 10 or so) they do turn into porn though

 

[Forster]

I've read the first few Necroscope books by Brian Lumley, pretty good, very different.

Alas, not on kindle yet.

 

[Vegas_Asian]

Kim Harrison's Hallows series is good. one of my favorites. sometimes its a bit hard to start the first book, but things pick up the first book is: Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)

from amazon:
Rachel Morgan is a runner with the Inderland Runner Services, apprehending law-breakers throughout Cincinnati. She's also a witch, one of the many Inderlanders who revealed themselves after a genetically engineered virus wiped out 50% of humanity. Witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves-the creatures of dreams and nightmares have lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But now they've stopped hiding, and nothing will be the same.

On the run with a contract on her head, Rachel reluctantly teams up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shapechanging assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crimelord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death, not to mention her own roommate!

Fun, sassy, filled with action, humor, and romance, Dead Witch Walking is the perfect summer read for anyone who likes vampires, paranormal fantasy, romance, or just a great beach book.

sometimes its a bit hard to start this book, but things pick up

 

[Vegas_Asian]

Have you read Laurell K Hamilton's books? I love these books, especially the first ones. They are action packed, etc. Later on (about book 10 or so) they do turn into porn though

book number....16-ish came out last week. less porn in that one...hoping it'd stay that way

Michael Romkey's books are okay

 

[crca56]

fred saberhagens' dracula series.  first one is the dracula tapes. retells the story from draculas point of view. the holmes dracula file. thorn, several other titles i don't currently remember. not on kindle yet, but very good.

 

[Forster]

I'm assuming you've read Anne Rice?

 

[sharyn]

Maggie Shayne's vampire books are very good. (She had a "Twilight" series long before Stephanie Meyer ever thought about one.)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_kinc?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=twilight+maggie+shayne&x=11&y=11

Sharyn

 

[RavenclawPrefect]

I can second Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. As has been pointed out, she got a bit short on plot and way overloaded on sex for several books but she is going back towards more plot again. I just got the newest book this evening to read.

 

[koolmnbv]

I can second Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. As has been pointed out, she got a bit short on plot and way overloaded on sex for several books but she is going back towards more plot again. I just got the newest book this evening to read.

3rd this

 

[Forster]

How do the Anita Blake books compare sex wise compared to the Sookie books?  The Sookie books are at about my toleration level.

 

[worktolive]

Have you tried the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris? It's a favorite with just about everyone and it is the series that is current HBO series "True Blood" is based on. There are nine books in total. I've read through 7 and enjoyed every one of them. Each book has a mystery going on, but it's a light read - nothing too serious. There is some romance also, but that's not really the primary focus of the books either. The main character is a natural born telepath named Sookie Stackhouse who works as a barmaid in Northern Louisiana and gets more and more caught up in the supernatural world of vamps, shapeshifters, etc. as the series goes on. There's even a book klub here on KB about it.

 

[Rasputina]

Not a series but have you read The Historian?

 

[Forster]

Kim Harrison's Hallows series is good. one of my favorites. sometimes its a bit hard to start the first book, but things pick up the first book is: Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)

I'll second these books. Not necessarily a vampire book per se but it's got all the supernatural varieties in it.

 

[jaspertyler]

The LKH books have way more sex than the Sookie books.  The first few don't but I am serious when I say the later books are porn.  They are VERY graphic. 

 

[crca56]

forster, if sookie is your limit, then most of the anita blakes will be well out of your comfort zone, although the newest one has very little sex, and lots of story.the first 5 or so have minor sex scenes, and the same with obsidian butterfly, my personal favorite at least until skin trade came out, now it's a toss up between the two.you will be able to easily tell when the sex is becoming the major parts of the story for at least several books.

 

[RavenclawPrefect]

How do the Anita Blake books compare sex wise compared to the Sookie books? The Sookie books are at about my toleration level.

You don't want to read Anita then. The first...maybe 5 or 6 books were not very graphic but then they got incredibly graphic. She is getting away from so much graphic sex and back to plot though.

 

[Forster]

Good to know on the Anita books. I really like the urban fantasy type books and I think I've read all the tamer ones. I've tried a few others, liked the stories, the characters but well I get a little bored reading page on page of umm the romance sections, lol. I guess I'm not the target audience.

The ones I've liked are:

The Dresden files by Jim Butcher
The Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison
The Kate Daniels books by Ilona Andrews
The Mercedes Thompson books by Patrica Briggs
and Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris

Any other series along those lines that anyone is aware of that keep the romance sections to a minimum?

And oh, I got another series for the OP, love these books, Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight:

The first one is on kindle, just no linkmaker for it.

 

[NogDog]

... I really like the urban fantasy type books and I think I've read all the tamer ones....[/url]

Have you read either of these Charles Stross books? They're sort of urban fantasy with a bit of a cyberpunk flavor.