Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla

In a chilling world of dark seduction and supernatural terror, this classic gothic novella is an early work of vampire fiction and a haunting feminist romance.

Laura is a young and naïve girl, living alone with her father in an isolated yet beautiful castle. Surrounded by woodland, Laura’s home is a lonely, almost impenetrable fortress, but when a carriage crashes outside its walls, she and her father offer their hospitality to the injured Carmilla. Mysterious and alluring, Carmilla tells Laura nothing of her life, but the two girls are inexplicably drawn to each other. As their relationship blossoms, Laura begins to experience unsettling dreams and her health rapidly declines.

First published in 1872, Carmilla explores themes of forbidden desire and female sexuality, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. A masterpiece of gothic literature, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s eerie novella is a must-read for fans of horror and the supernatural.