Book Review: Vlad - The Epic Novel of The Real Dracula - C.C. Humphreys

Although synonymous with vampires, the use of the name Dracula by Bram Stoker for his 1897 novel was just that; the use of a name. It would appear that Stoker knew little or nothing of the life of the 15th Century prince of Wallachia, Vlad III, known by both friends and enemies as Vlad "The Impaler".

C.C. Humphreys, in his novel Vlad sets attempts to set the life of Vlad III in it's historical context. The novel is set within a trial which hopes to re-establish the prince as a hero of Christendom, rather than as a monster. His story is told from the perspective of three witnesses, the people who knew Vlad best; his lover, his best friend and his confessor.

Each witness adds to part of the tale. They tell of Vlad's time as a youth at the Ottoman court where he is a hostage against his father's good behaviour, and where he learns the art of torture and cruelty, including the "art" of impaling. We see him seizing his father's crown as Prince of Wallachia, and his lifelong crusade against the Ottomans. Finally we see his enemies on all sides conspire to bring him down and yet, even humbled, he is feared by many but still loved by some.

The novel doesn't attempt to paint Dracula as some sort of misrepresented and maligned saint, but rather explores the possible influences which led him to commit some barbaric atrocities. Neither, in the end does it provide an answer as to whether Dracula was a patriot and saint, or a psychopathic monster; it is left up to the reader to decide. The book also doesn't seek to explain whether Vlad's atrocities were the work of madness or Machiavellian calculation. It seems to me that at different times both are set out as possibilities.

I am not sure whether I actually "enjoyed" this novel, nevertheless it was interesting and I found myself engrossed and caught up in the story. The descriptions of impaling were graphic and haunted me for a long time afterwards, however, I would not accuse the author of being gratuitous. At times I found the character of Vlad coming across as admirable, and I could empathise, or at least sympathise with his situation. I think the descriptions of impaling would then bring me up short, and I would be forced to reassess how I felt about him.

I would recommend this book to others, although there is little or nothing here for the fan of the Vampire genre. This is a work of fiction which sets out to fill the gaps in the, admittedly poor, historical records, nevertheless it is as far as I can tell, well researched. In the end the novel does not present us with any conclusions about the man Vlad Tepes, but the reader can begin to understand why he is considered a national hero for many Romanians.

If you would like to read Vlad, you can purchase a copy from Amazonalternatively, if you have a Kindle you can download it here.

Book Review: Bite - Laurell K. Hamilton et al.

Being a fan of both Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Harris, I thought this book might introduce me to some new authors in the genre. For those of you who don't know that genre is the Vampire novel, usually with an erotic twist.

The Laurell K Hamilton story, The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death, forms part of her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and takes place between the events told in Blue Moon and Obsidian Butterfly (for those of you reading the series in order). Anita Blake has to track down a young woman who wants to become a vampire, much against her mother's wishes. Her search brings her back into the orbit of her old flame Jean-Claude, Vampire and Master of the City.

I am very familiar with Laurell K. Hamilton's books so I enjoyed reading this story as I was familiar with all the characters and their back stories. While Hamilton does explain the relationships between the characters as she goes along, she is writing a short story so does not go into great depth. What I don't know is how it  would appear to anyone who has never read any of her other works and whether it would inspire them to read more.

The Charlaine Harris story One Word Answer is part of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie receives a visit from two people, one of them a strange vampire, who bring news of a legacy left to Sookie by a cousin who, it turns out, was also vampire and had been staked the previous month. There appears, however, to be something of a mystery concerning her death and it is up to Sookie to solve it. The story was interesting and has inspired me to reread the series. Again, I was familiar with most of the characters and their back stories, but I think the story works sufficiently well to stand on it's own.

MaryJanice Davidson presents us with a story about a vampire vet called Biting In Plain Sight.  Everyone in her local community knows Sophie Tourneau is a vampire but she is such a good vet that no one says anything. She discovers that a rogue vampire is responsible for the suicide of some teenage girls and sets out to stop him, aided by a hitherto secret admirer, and the teenage vampire queen, Betsy Taylor. Although the story was enjoyable, some of the dialogue reminded me slightly of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, particularly in the lair of the vampire queen. This story may therefore appeal more to readers migrating from the Buffy series. 

More fantasy than supernatural, Angela Knight reworks the Arthurian legend in Galahad. Probably my least favourite story in the collection, Knight presents the eponymous hero as a type of good vampire helping a human witch defeat the evil vampires while still finding time for lots of sex with said witch. I suspect that it was more the fantasy setting of this story that put me off when I was in the mood for reading a book of vampire stories, rather than the story itself. Possibly, if I had been reading a fantasy anthology and come across this story, I would have felt more positive about it.

Vickie Taylor presents us with a tale of revenge in Blood Lust. Daniel Hart is a scientist who has discovered a formulae for synthetic blood. However, his secret and his fiancée are both stolen by a vampire. Daniel sets out to take revenge and rescue his fiancée by becoming a vampire himself. A readable story with an interesting twist in the tail.

All the stories in the book are readable although, apart from Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris, I didn't find any of the authors really made me want to read more of their work with the possible exception of Vickie Taylor.

If you would like to read Bite, you can purchase a copy at Amazon alternatively, if you have a Kindle you can download a copy here