A little themed reading in the Hallowe’en season can’t hurt but if themed reading isn’t your thing this novel makes several less specious claims for attention.
Published in 1897, the same year as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one vampire novel thrived while the other was buried beneath layers of obscurity. Victorian Secrets, specialist publishers of neglected Victorian writers, have disinterred this worthy curiousity in a beautifully presented critical edition, with a collection of contextual appendices, a fascinating critical appraisal (best read at the end) and well-judged footnotes.
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A Rat in the Book Pile 