Noted as one of the first pieces of literature to feature vampirism effectively The Vampyre follows the adventures of a wealthy young man named Aubrey who befriends a mysterious suave nobleman named Lord Ruthven. As Aubrey begins to realize just how dangerous Lord Ruthven is he discovers that his beloved sister is in the monster's sights. A product of a competition that also produced Mary Shelley's Frankenstein this classic gothic novella became the foundation of the romantic vampire genre.