The Hunger

The Hunger (1981) is a novel by Whitley Strieber. The plot involves a beautiful and wealthy vampire named Miriam Blaylock who takes human lovers and transforms them into vampire-human hybrids.

The novel is unusual in that it deals with the practical considerations of vampirism, such as the difficulty in obtaining victims and concealing frequent murders. The Hunger suggests a science-fiction explanation for vampirism, that vampires are a species that bears a resemblance to humans. They are not immortal but do not age after reaching physical maturity and are extremely strong and difficult to kill. Miriam discovers that some vampire traits, such as prolonged youth, can be transmitted to humans by performing a blood transfusion.

Strieber wrote two sequels to the novel: The Last Vampire in 2001 and Lilith's Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life in 2003.