German-born author George Sylvester Viereck was a fascinating character who palled around with some of the most influential figures of his age, only to alienate many of these friends later as he devolved into strident German nationalism during World War I and World War II. His groundbreaking work The House of the Vampire is one of the first horror novels to delve into the psychic and emotional aspects of vampirism, lending a measure of psychological suspense to the story.