Carmilla

A masterpiece of Gothic horror and one of the earliest works of vampire fiction, Carmilla introduces readers to a world of mystery, desire, and dread. In a secluded castle nestled deep within the forests of Styria, young Laura lives a quiet, isolated life with her father—until a beautiful stranger named Carmilla is brought into their home after a mysterious carriage accident. At first, Laura is enchanted by her guest’s elegance, intensity, and charm, and a strange bond grows quickly between them. But as Carmilla’s affection turns possessive and Laura begins to waste away with a baffling illness, a terrifying truth unfolds: Carmilla is not what she seems. With its haunting atmosphere, themes of forbidden love, and one of literature’s earliest lesbian vampires, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla predates Dracula by over twenty-five years and established many of the tropes that would define vampire lore for generations. This timeless novella is both a chilling supernatural tale and a daring exploration of intimacy, obsession, and the monstrous side of desire.