The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas (book review).
The idea of vampires, or the blood-drinking undead, has been around for a very long time, appearing in the folklore of all continents. The vampire in literature only properly appeared in the 18th century. Mostly, they are regarded as creatures to keep well away from, though more recently, some authors have tried to rehabilitate them. Writers of horror are still in favour of the evil vampire even where the creature is only being true to its nature.
In ‘The Vampire Tapestry’, first published in 1980, Suzy McKee Charnas brings together the gentler side of a being who is afflicted with a condition that requires him to drink blood and the fears and fascinations of those who either do not understand his nature or wish to exploit it. A tapestry is a woven wall hanging which tells a story, sometimes over several pieces of work. This is the story of Edward Weyland, told in discrete but connected episodes as in a series of weavings.
Similar to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s St Germain, Weyland is a vampire who strives to remain hidden. Unlike St. Germain, Weyland believes he is unique, and there are many differences between the two vampires; Yarbro’s vampire has attributes that align more closely with the traditional view than Charnas’ vampire.
Although he has lived for centuries, we meet Weyland in the first section, ‘An Ancient Mind At Work’, as an academic working in the anthropology department of the Cayslin Center for the Study of Man. This section is from the point of view of Katje de Groot, who also works at the college. She has a vivid imagination and thinks she sees a vampire, Weyland, with a victim. Later, she goes to a public lecture given by Weyland, where he describes what a vampire would be like, debunking the myths around them. He is describing himself as a biological mutation rather than something supernatural. Charnas handles this extremely well, cutting away the lore surrounding traditional vampires and making Weyland her own, unique creation. At the end of this section, Katje shoots Weyland.
The second part, ‘The Land Of Lost Content’, is both a separate story and the continuation of the first part. This is told from the point of view of Mark. He is a teenager given the task of looking after Weyland when the men who find him injured realise he is a vampire. They sell him to Mark’s unscrupulous uncle, Roger, who sees Weyland as an investment and intends to exploit him. Mark befriends Weyland and eventually helps him escape.
In part three, ‘Unicorn Tapestry’, Weyland is hoping to regain his position at the college. To do so, he has to submit to therapy. This is told from the point of view of Floria, the therapist who thinks her new client has a belief that he is a vampire. At the end of this section, he moves to New Mexico to take up a new academic position. In ‘A Musical Interlude’, he is invited by colleagues to an outdoor performance of Tosca. Feeling unwell, he leaves the theatre area. He loses his usual control and kills someone, and not because he is hungry. This section has multiple viewpoints and cleverly intersperses the acts of the opera with the other action going on around the site.
In the last section, ‘The Last Of Dr Weyland’, Weyland has settled into the routine of academia again, but the population is smaller than in New York, and he needs to be careful how and where he feeds. To fit in better, he has started a liaison with Alison, a graduate student. The past is catching up with him, and characters from earlier sections either reappear or memories of them influence his actions. To protect those he has come to care for, he decides it is time to enter hibernation, something that can last fifty years, and hopes that his hiding place is not discovered.
The joy of this book is the way that Charnas weaves together the modern issues of a vampire living undetected and the concepts the people he meets have of him. There is a lot to discuss about the archetypes she uses within the book, especially in the third and fourth parts. This is a book that can be enjoyed at many levels and especially by the intelligent reader. The original publication date was 1980, so it would be interesting to see what a new writer would do with the character when Weyland wakes in 2030. Anyone interested in the challenge?
Pauline Morgan
November 2025
(pub: TOR/Forge, 2008. 285 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US), $16.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-2082-7)
check out website: www.tor-forge.com and www.suzymckeecharnas.com