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VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: Page Three 2001
In Search of Dracula : Raymond T. McNally & Prof. Radu Florescu As a change to my usual reviews of vampire fiction I decided that this week I would recommend to you a favourite in my reference collection. 'In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires' was first published in 1972 and was so popular that it has since become a collector's item. The authors of this book seek to discover the truth behind the vampire legends surrounding Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia, through museum and library research and study of geographical location. The historical facts about Vlad Tepes are presented along with the sources that Bram Stoker may have used to remodel him into the Dracula of his classic novel. The translated documents of actual oral accounts of Vlad Tepes himself at the end of the book are particularly interesting as they serve to highlight the differences in folklore between the Romanians, Germans and Russians. For those interested in further researching vampire folklore the bibliography is also exceptionally useful.
Unlike my copy, which was purchased for me a few years ago, the edition pictured here is newly revised with a cover illustration by Edward Gorey. It also now includes an account of the campaign to make Vlad Tepes a national hero by Nicolae Ceausescu, a study of Dracula and vampires in modern day theatre, movies and literature and entries from the newly discovered diaries of Bram Stoker himself. 'In Search of Dracula' provides a fascinating insight into the folklore of vampirism and is a genuinely enjoyable and absorbing read; one which I would heartily recommend as an essential purchase for your own reference collection.
Dracula : Bram Stoker This is the novel that started it all for me. I read Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' at the age of fourteen and have been vampire obsessed ever since.
Bram Stoker wrote his novel of gothic horror in 1897 and although he maintained that a severe nightmare was his inspiration it is more widely understood that a meeting with Arminius Vambéry provided Stoker with the information necessary to begin his work. Vambéry was a well known Hungarian adventurer and folklore historian of the time and had documented the eastern european vampire stories of Nosferatu and the chilling history of Vlad Tepes, Lord Dracula.
Although 'Dracula' is presented in the common victorian form of letters, news clippings and diary entries (which can be difficult for those unused to this style) it is still able to leave a vivid impression on the reader. Dracula is a powerful character whose presence looms over the entire action of the novel even when he does not actually appear in the scene himself. Indeed, the large numbers of vampire movies and fiction that have followed since the publication of 'Dracula' are a testament to the enduring horror of Stoker's central character.
Of course, 'Dracula' was not the first piece of vampire literature ever written but in the writing of this novel Bram Stoker has created a monumental figure that will continue to both inspire and terrify us for centuries. Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is a masterpiece of horror fiction and an essential novel for anyone with an interest in vampires.
Lord of the Vampires : Jeanne Kalogridis Since the death of his vampire father Arkady and his half-brother Stefan at the hand of Vlad Tsepesh, Lord Dracula, Abraham van Helsing has travelled the world as a vampire slayer. With every vampire he destroys Vlad is weakened further and Bram becomes more powerful; it is this power that Bram will harness with the intention of destroying the terrifying vampire head of the Tsepesh family who has kept them enslaved through an ancient blood-bond ritual for centuries: Lord Dracula himself.
Aware that he is under threat, Dracula and the exquisite Zsuzsanna, his vampire great-niece, conspire with the Countess Elisabeth Bathory to murder Bram. The Countess herself is a woman of unnatural beauty and also a most vicious and powerful vampire. Upon discovery of the plan for his destruction Bram enlists the help of his mortal friends in Victorian England. Amongst their number are Dr. John Seward and Mina Harker. As in Bram Stoker's classic 'Dracula', they finally succeed in defeating Vlad thus preventing Bram's own death.
However, the story does not end with the death of Dracula. Bram discovers that there is another stronger force that drives him and all vampires. Something that Bram alone must risk his soul to destroy: the force embodied in the Lord of the Vampires.
In this conclusion to The Diaries of the Family Dracul trilogy Jeanne Kalogridis expertly interweaves the characters of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' with folklore and historical facts about Vlad the Impaler. Written in the original diary form of 'Dracula' this book more fully creates a sense of history and background for Stoker's characters than the original novel. The character of Bram himself is sensitively portrayed with incredible depth and humanity.
The first two books in this trilogy are 'Covenant with the Vampire' and 'Children of the Vampire' and I would strongly suggest you read these first. However, in my opinion this book is so breathtakingly well written that it is able to stand apart as a separate novel in its own right.
The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula : Roderick Anscombe This first novel by Roderick Anscombe vividly details the descent into vampirism of Laszlo, Count Dracula. It begins at a sanitarium in Paris where Laszlo is a medical student studying diseases of the mind under the tutelage of Professor Charcot. It is in here that Laszlo has his first erotic experiences with blood. He takes a sanitarium patient as his mistress and eventually causes her death by 'accidentally' slitting her throat in a jealous rage. Under suspicion of murder Laszlo flees to his family home in Hungary where he assumes the title of Count Dracula following the death of his older brother. It is from this point that Laszlo's erotic obsession with blood develops into a serious psychopathic tendency and the ensuing attacks and murders amongst the townsfolk leave behind evidence that begins to breed suspicions of vampirism.
This novel cannot easily be categorised as 'horror' or even as 'romantic' vampire fiction. It is more akin to a psychopathological case study; an exploration into the mind of an erotic killer. Roderick Anscombe's experience and training as a psychiatrist is evident in this excellent reworking of the classic Dracula figure into a Lecter-esque medical student turned psychopath.
This book is now unfortunately out of print but it should be easy to find a second-hand copy in a bookstore somewhere. If you do manage to find it then your search will be more than rewarded.
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2002| Page One | The Beast Within
: Ed. Stewart Wieck
Tall, Dark and Gruesome
: Christopher Lee
The Mammoth Book of Dracula : Ed. Stephen Jones
Pandora : Anne Rice |
| Page Two | The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires
: Jay Stevenson, Ph.D.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pop Quiz
: Cynthia Boris
The Queen of the Damned : Anne Rice |
| Page Three | The Vampyre : And Other Tales of the Macabre
: Ed. Robert Morrison & Chris Baldick
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women : Ed. Stephen Jones
The Vampire Encyclopedia : Matthew Bunson |
| Page Four | Lost Souls
: Poppy Z. Brite
The Keep : F. Paul Wilson
Mina's Journal : Kimberley Zagoren |
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2001| Page One | Dracula the Undead : Freda Warrington
Salem's Lot : Stephen King | | Page Two | The Vampyre: A secret history of Lord Byron : Tom Holland
Sunglasses After Dark : Nancy A. Collins
Love in Vein : Ed by Poppy Z. Brite | | Page Three | In Search of Dracula : Raymond T. McNally & Prof. Radu Florescu
Dracula : Bram Stoker
Lord of the Vampires : Jeanne Kalogrides
The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula : Roderick Anscombe | | Page Four | Sins of the Blood : Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Rulers of Darkness : Steven Spruill
Guilty Pleasures : Laurell K. Hamilton |
| Page Five | The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide : Stephen Jones
This Dark Paradise : Wendy Haley
Interview with the Vampire : Anne Rice |
| Page Six | The Vampire Book : J. Gordon Melton
Bad Dreams : Kim Newman
Vampire World I: Blood Brothers : Brian Lumley |
| Page Seven | Sips of Blood : Mary Ann Mitchell
The World on Blood : Jonathan Nasaw
Vampire : The Masquerade : White Wolf Publishing
Ravenloft: Vampire of the Mists : Christie Golden |
| Page Eight | Batman : Bloodstorm : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
Batman vs Dracula : Red Rain : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
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| Page Nine | The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories : Ed. Alan Ryan
Piercing The Darkness : Katherine Ramsland
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| Page Ten | Vampire$ : John Steakley
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Obsidian Fate : Diana G.Gallagher
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire : Karen Elizabeth Gordon
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