It's true that sometimes vampires are scorned as valid subjects in our field. "Been there, done that," we comment smugly, feeling that we've somehow outgrown the phase Bram Stoker might have sparked but too many vampire-loving writers and fans have done to death. Still, occasionally one sees a member of the anti-vampire clan look surreptitiously about, duck the head, check the rear-view mirror, and go on to pen precisely the kind of yarn that same person has vilified publicly for years. Why is that?

The fact is that there will always be some affection for one of the field's first and foremost icons. Every one of us will at one time or another succumb to the urge to play in Little Brammy Stoker's playground. Why? Because it's fertile ground, that's why, even after all this time! Yes, there may have been a glut. But the vampire, by its nature and connection to so many mythologies, is and will remain sexy and mysterious, tragic or terrifying, continuing to allow us to make observations about mortality, procreation, morality, repression, lust, and any of a dozen other such themes. Which brings me to "In the Shadows," Bradley Sinor's new chapbook.

Having done most of my Master's work (far longer ago than I'd like to admit) in Medieval and Arthurian literature, I was immediately drawn to this mini-collection from ever-intriguing Yard Dog Press because, in a momentary "wish I'd done that!" lapse of authorial envy, I found myself reading about Lancelot the Vampire. What a great conceit, blending two traditions into a consistently readable, exciting and ultimately entertaining amalgam I found much to my taste. Of course, "conceit" here is meant in the "fanciful ingenious idea" sense! Three of the stories herein are directly connected—"Oaths," "Central Park," and "Final Score"—by their solid Arthurian pedigree. These tales may not be greatly detailed historical dramas, but they are grand swashbuckling fun and worth your time if you like your Arthurian fare with a bit more bite.

The other stories—"Hunt," "Fireflies," and "A Small Matter"—feature The Family and are also intriguing, though perhaps just a bit less so... But only because I yearned to read a Lancelot novel. Mr. Sinor, are you listening?

Even if you've read Bradley Sinor's stories before, in the various anthologies from which these were culled, the six work very nicely together in one slim, inexpensive volume that's just right for the bus or those long airport lines. Sometimes people forget that what we as writers do, ultimately, is write to entertain as well as illuminate — you know, like those guys Shakes and Chuck Dickens did. I found these tales very entertaining, indeed.