The Golden

Deviating from traditional tales that feature lonely vampires who prowl through human society in search of victims or solace, this account of vampires flourishing in their own "inhuman society" takes place in the year 1860, when their centuries-long breeding experiments have finally produced "The Golden," a mortal whose blood is perfect and powerful. Mobilized by the news of this discovery, aristocratic vampire clans arrive at the looming Castle Banat, where they plan to partake of the sublime blood. To their shock, the guests find that The Golden, a young girl, has been brutally murdered and her blood already drained. The story also follows the Inspector Michael Beheim—a recent vampire—assigned to track down the killer. Recounted in full 19th-century literary style with gothic elements and foreshadowing, the inspector navigates his way through the vampire world and the crime therein.

About the Author

Lucius Shepard is a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award and has also received the Hugo, Locus, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards for science fiction writing. His work has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Omni, Playboy, and Spin. He is the author of Green Eyes, A Handbook of American Prayer, and Life During Wartime, and the collected stories in Two Trains Running. He lives in Vancouver, Washington.

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