Little Brown (October, 2006)
This book although a few years old was recommended by another book blogger I met via Twitter, the description intrigued me so I had to go see if I could rustle up a copy from my local library. I was in luck and once I got the book home and started reading I was hooked. My biggest complaint is that to my knowledge this is the only book by the author and 640 some pages isn’t long enough for this wonderful writing.
It took me a portion of 4 days to read this only because I couldn’t sit and read for 8 hours straight each day or stayed up all night to finish the book within 24 hours (yes I suspect this would be about a 16-18 hour read straight through).
I only read Dracula once when I was too young to really get it all but I have been a fan of historical novels, myths and legends since well before that book entered my hands so the concept of another novel in a more contemporary vein but focused on the legends and history surrounding this European figure of Dracula and vampires was something that appealed to me in terms of content and my tendencies toward the historical vein of books. The adventure and history in this tome are so engrossing and involved that the book truly doesn’t need anything else to make it complete. Fans of many genres including fantasy will find this book appealing or perhaps even irresistible in many cases. The legends of medieval Europe are rife with stories of vampires and mysterious tales of the “real†Dracula in many forms. Many of these legends have lived on for centuries amongst the traditions of the people from our neighboring countries across the oceans and channels of the world. The Historian approaches one such legend that although popular and somewhat familiar to many around the world is still embellished enough to present many fictitious details that never belonged to the real story.
Be sure and grab yourself a copy of this book when you have the time to fall into places, people, and cultures many worlds removed from those you encounter daily. The prose and detailed presentation of the characters’ research as they chase the legend of the undead through both aged documents and their contemporary clues across much of central and eastern Europe will entrance readers for hours of escape and enjoyment. (ISBN#0316011770, 704pp, $15.99)
Codicil:
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