Review Tuesday: Carmilla and Laura by S.D. Simper

  

Carmilla and Laura

by S.D. Simper

When Laura has an unexpected guest, Carmilla turns out to be much more than a pretty woman.

I adore vampire tales that came before Dracula by Bram Stoker. Much to my surprise, I wasn't aware of CARMILLA by Sheridan Le Fanu, until my best friend mentioned it to me. So I read it and read the less edited variations of the gothic horror novel. It was groundbreaking for the time as it describes the taboo topic of a lesbian seduction. It's pretty mild by modern standards, but bear in mind this was written some 150 years ago.

The potential love-story between Laura and Carmilla has been something debated as it's something that has to be assumed, guessed, and read between the lines.

That is, until NOW!

S.D. Simper took on the task of rewriting the Gothic horror under the title CARMILLA AND LAURA.  As an outline, she hits most of the major topics and themes from the original. The biggest difference would be the level of detail. You don't need to read between the lines and debate with your friends what is going on in this book. If are rewarded with answers to everything if you read this from cover to cover. Believe me, it's worth it.  

Yeah, I don't want to go into much detail at all because it will be full of spoilers, but if you liked the original tale, you should enjoy this as well, perhaps even more.  

The Comparison...

I find myself asking, which version of this story do I prefer. I don't see the original as a cautionary tale about homosexuality, I see it as a cautionary tale about VAMPIRES. At the time vampires were seen as mischievous creatures that infect your life and ruin you and everyone you know, and didn't always lead to death. This is exactly what Le Fanu portrayed. In her retelling, Simper goes more into the romance and deeper connection between the two main characters of the story.  It's a paranormal lesbian love-story / erotica. It's well-written and she does a pretty good job of keeping the literature era appropriate.  

My recommendation, read the original then read this version. They compliment each-other well.