Unspeakable Horror!

In his Young Adult novel, My Swordhand is Singing, Marcus Sedgwick draws from 17th Century Transylvanian folklore to create a creepy and engaging vampire story.

The book is marketed to teenagers; however, adult vampire fans will find a lot to engage their interest.  The protagonist is a young woodcutter named Peter.  The story contains a bildungsroman (coming-of-age) componenet that is typical of the YA fiction genre.  Sedgwick does a nice job with this. What is really unique and noteworthy about this novel is the way Sedgwick crafts creepy vampires out of the strangest aspects of Transylvanian folklore.  I've encountered some of the odder superstitions about vampires while reading folklore; for example, throwing grains of rice on the floor to delay a vampire.  The vampire will be overcome with a compulsion to count every grain of rice before he can come after you again.  Sedgwick uses these odd pieces of folklore to create suspenseful and surprisingly believable moments in the story.  Very creepy stuff.  And he never uses the word "vampire," which is really cool.

Also, the characters are great, and the landscape of the 17th Century Transylvanian forest is unforgettable. 

I definitely recommend this book for all vampire aficionados.