Dark Banquet

“A jaunty, instructive and charmingly graphic look at nature’s born phlebotomists.”—Natalie Angier, The New York Times

“Schutt illuminates the bizarre world of sanguivores with the wizened voice of a biologist who’s gotten his hands dirty.”—Orion Magazine

“Wide ranging … packed with fascinating facts and anecdotes.”—The Star-Ledger

“It’s creepy, funny and really, really interesting.”—Baltimore Sun

“My vote for the most fun and best-written ‘nature book’ of the past several years.”—Idaho Nature Notes

“Schutt reveals elements of nature that few authors have written about with such vigor and wit.”—Albuquerque Journal

“I love Bill Schutt’s book… . Schutt writes with obvious enthusiasm about fascinating creatures that, quite frankly, repel most of us.”—The Nature Conservancy

“Schutt may have a doctorate in zoology but he has also mastered the pen along the way. And, he gets an A+ for his droll sense of humor.”—Roanoke Times

“A natural history of bloodsuckers that shines in gory glory.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Absorbing and insightful … an interesting, well-written volume … educational and fun to read. Written in clear language in a witty conversational style … intriguing … highly recommended.”—American Library Association

“Witty and illuminating … Schutt’s fascination for ‘sanguivores’ goes a long way towards disarming, while defining, our primal fear of creatures that feed on blood.”—Publishers Weekly

“With great scientific accuracy (backed up by extensive notes … ), text couched in layman’s terms, and a sense of breathless discovery, Schutt will make blood feeding just another choice on the culinary spectrum.”—Booklist

“Hooks the reader on the first page … riveting … well-rounded … engrossing science.”—Library Journal

“Dr. Schutt’s voyage through the world of blood-feeders is alive with humor and the sheer fun of scientific exploration. He may become the literary heir to Stephen Jay Gould—if you can imagine Gould writing after downing twelve cups of coffee sweetened with nitrous oxide.”—Charles Pellegrino

“Having donated some of myself to most kinds of bloodsuckers during my field research around the world, mercifully with the exception of vampire bats and candiru catfish, I was totally absorbed by this thoroughly charming and scientifically accurate account.”—Edward O. Wilson

Bill Schutt is a vertebrate zoologist and author of six nonfiction and fiction books, including the New York Times Editors’ Choice Cannibalism- A Perfectly Natural History. Recently retired from his post as professor of biology at LIU Post, he is a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, where he has studied bats all over the world. His research has been featured in Natural History magazine as well as in the New York Times, Newsday, the Economist, and Discover.

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