This is part of an ongoing series that offers story ideas and prompts for writers of speculative fiction. In a previous blog post, I offered some ideas for writing a sci-fi horror novel by blending elements from those genres.
Today, we’ll talk about another story idea that has vast potential … vampires taking over the world.
Vampires Taking Over the World: A Novel Approach
Vampire novels and short stories go way back. In literature, the concept of vampirism dates back to the 1800s, and possibly further. But we really haven’t seen that many stories where vampires take over the world, in a full-on vampiric apocalypse.
In Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot, the night-fearing bloodsuckers attempt to take over a small corner of a small town in Maine. In the Sookie Stackhouse novels (which spawned the popular True Blood HBO series), they inhabit a small town in Louisiana and other enclaves.
But vampires taking over the world? We have’t seen much of that in novels or movies. Until Justin Cronin came along…
Cronin didn’t pioneer the idea of a vampire takeover. Other writers have explored the concept before him. But he did something unique by taking classic elements from the post-apocalyptic fiction genre and merging them with vampires.
He also gave his “virals” superhuman physical capabilities, which is truly terrifying.
Cronin’s trilogy of novels (The Passage, The Twelve, and the City of Mirrors) were built around the concept of vampires taking over the world. No spoilers there; you can get that much from the book jackets.
In these books, he created a future world where vampires and humans battle for dominance. It’s an epic tale that pulls us into a new world full of dangers we can only imagine.
I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic and/or vampire fiction. They are well written and populated by memorable characters.
Despite Cronin’s triumphant addition to this hybrid genre, there is still room for other writers to innovate. Unexplored territory remains. So, if you’re planning to write a novel where vampires take over the world, I would say go for it.
In the meantime, here are some ideas and writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing…
Bending the ‘Rules’ of the Genre
The first thing to know is that vampires are malleable. You can shape them in a way that supports the kind of story you want to tell. And they’ve changed a lot over the centuries.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, the vampire-in-chief was a Transylvanian noble who could function in polite society (while spreading the undead curse at the same time).
In Justin Cronin’s The Passage, published 113 years after Stoker’s seminal work, the vampire minions are animalistic in nature. They can leap from the treetops to attack their human prey. They are fast and strong and terrifying. But the original “twelve” vampires — the bosses, if you will — behave like generals controlling an army.
Cronin took some of the old “rules” and added a fresh twist of his own. He started along the trail blazed by the founders of vampire fiction, while blazing one of his own. That’s one of the great things about speculative fiction. You can speculate!
And you could do the same. As a horror or fantasy writer, you could take the basic concept of a vampire (a once-human creature that preys upon those who are still human), and shape it as you see fit. As long as you’re clear and consistent about it, readers will go along for the ride.
5 Vampire Story Ideas & Writing Prompts
Do you have a post-apocalyptic vampire novel in mind? Looking for ways to breathe new life into the genre? Here are some writing prompts and ideas for your next vampire story.
Idea #1: Vampire dystopia
As the ultimate apex predator, vampires dominate the planet. They keep us alive but enslaved, to serve as their food. They farm and cultivate us. That’s the status quo when the story starts. Thankfully, our intrepid heroes are determined to smash that status quo, restoring humanity to its rightful place in the world. But can they pull it off?
Idea #2: Vampire apocalypse
Readers will always be interested in post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s in our nature to wonder what life would be like, post civilization. So, why not create a vampire apocalypse story?
In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, characters struggle to survive on a scorched planet, while avoiding lawless bands of marauders at the same time. The biggest threat to their survival is not starvation or exposure, but other people.
Now, imagine if the survivors of a post-apocalyptic event had to defend themselves from other humans (as in The Road) along with the existential threat of a vampire race. A sci-fi or horror writer could create multiple levels of conflict with a story idea like this. Handled properly, it could make for one helluva good read.
Idea #3: Vampire military fiction
Here we have vampires versus humans, in an ongoing battle for survival and dominance. What if you followed a group of recruits through a kind of basic training? What would their “boot camp” look like, given the enemy is a bloodsucking night prowler?
In 2007 Max Brooks wrote World War Z, a collection of firsthand accounts about the great Zombie War. I think it’s high time someone wrote a “World War V” type of story, about the great Vampire War. I’d buy it!
Idea #4: Vampire science fiction
As readers, we tend to think of vampires as being fantasy or horror, and science fiction as being … well, science fiction. Two different genres, and never the twain shall meet. Right? Wrong. There are endless possibilities for a vampire sci-fi novel, countless ways to innovate with the genre.
Here’s but one example: A vampire-like virus emerges on an isolated colony on Mars (think Salem’s Lot meets The Martian). Or maybe it erupts on a generation ship somewhere in the far reaches of space. Or maybe time travel is involved.
There are endless avenues to explore with this vampire story idea. What can you come up with?
Idea #5: The vampire resurrection
The last member of a vampire race is found frozen in the ice of Antarctica, along with ancient scrolls that tell of their deeds. Two people race to recover the body. One is a scientist who understands and fears the dangers of what lies frozen in the ice. The other is a madman hellbent on resurrecting it. Vampiric chaos ensues.
What Do You Think?
These are just a few ideas for writing the vampire apocalypse / post-apocalyptic story. What thoughts do you have on the subject? Have you read a great novel that falls into this category and should be mentioned here? Let me know by leaving a comment in the box below. I look forward to hearing from you.