Rating: 
Summary: Excellent alternative-history and dark fantasy
Review: At the moment I write this, Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" is out of print. (Hopefully, by the time you read this, it will be available again.) It baffles me that such a wonderful recent novel (1992) could easily slip out of publication, especially when it is still very popular: apparently used bookstores can't keep this one their shelves for more then a day. With the huge success of Alan Moore's graphic novel "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" you would think this similar blending of Victorian personages, both historical and fictional, would widely available. This is really the dark fantasy version of Moore's heroic graphic novel, and anyone who enjoys either 1) alternative history, 2) vampire novels, or 3) dark fantasy will adore this book and never let their copy out of their greedy reading hands.Mr. Newman imagines Victorian England if the bloodsucking count had been the victor in Dracula. The Count marries Queen Victoria and becomes ruler of an England rapidly becoming the territory of 'new-born' vampires, who seek to be 'turned' so they can rise in rank. Dracula opens up a reign of terror reminiscent of a medieval monarchy, yet still filled with traditional British Vicotrian attitudes. It's a delightful mixed brew of history and gothic darkness. Into this thrilling setting slinks Jack the Ripper (also known as 'Silver Knife'), slashing vampire girls in Whitechapel. Charles Beauregard, a human (or a 'warm' in vampire terms) who works for a secret society, and Genevieve, a vampire of an ancient boodline who has great distate for Dracula's reign both search for the murderer. Coming from two different angles, they join forces to try to fathom the mystery of the killings. Their invesitgation will lead to repercussions for all of this topsy-turvy, nightmare version of England. "Anno Dracula" is an extraordinary feat of imagination: bloody, violent, erotic, and chock-full of historical and fictional guest stars: Oscar Wilde, Arthur Holmwood, Henry Jekyll, Jack the Ripper, Dr. Moreau, Danny Dravot (from Kipling's "The Man Who Would be King"), Professor Moriarty, George Bernard Shaw, etc. Even a quick mention of Lewis Carroll and Allan Quartermain! It's a Victorian literature lover's dream come true -- and one for any fan of dark, exciting, BLOODY good fantasy and horror. Look for a copy, and let's hope it will be back in print soon!
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: Finally a literature piece about a halfway decent, but realistically scary story with a very moving plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspired
Review: Gee, I wasn't as impressed as you guys. I found it quite tedious. Bram Stoker's original is one of a kind. This is not even remotely in the same league. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Please reprint this book!!
Review: I bought Kim Newman's book 'Dracula Cha Cha Cha' a couple of years ago, and enjoyed it so much I resolved to buy the other books in the series. However, they appear to be out of print, and 'Anno Dracula' was only available through Amazon's (excellent) second hand book sales facility.
I was delighted when the book arrived, and the book itself lived up to my anticipation. There are so many literary and historical allusions to the era (1880s / 1890s )and part of the fun is seeing how many you know or can understand. They add to rather than detract from the excellent story telling.
This book should really be reissued.
Rating:
Summary: Please reprint this book!!
Review: I bought Kim Newman's book 'Dracula Cha Cha Cha' a couple of years ago, and enjoyed it so much I resolved to buy the other books in the series. However, they appear to be out of print, and 'Anno Dracula' was only available through Amazon's (excellent) second hand book sales facility.
I was delighted when the book arrived, and the book itself lived up to my anticipation. There are so many literary and historical allusions to the era (1880s / 1890s )and part of the fun is seeing how many you know or can understand. They add to rather than detract from the excellent story telling.
This book should really be reissued.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT! I could not put it down
Review: I did not know anything about the author Kim Newman but when I read the jacket I knew i had to have this book.
The mixing in all of the fictional and non-fictional characters was a brilliant idea.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining...
Review: I, like many of the other reviewers here, had never even heard of Kim Newman...until "Anno Dracula" caught my eye in the bargain-bin at my local half-priced book store. It looked like it might be interesting, so I wagered the 50 cent cost that it would be. Well to my pleasant surprise it was good! Newman does an excellent job weaving fiction and non-fiction...particularly the events surrounding the real-life Jack the Ripper, a topic I too have always been fascinated with (in fact I found myself not only reading this book for the pure enjoyment of it, but also often stopping and comparing Newman's version of Jack the Ripper with non-fiction books on that subject I also own...he did an impressive and believable job with his "alternate/vampire" version). I guess the only thing that was distracting for me was Newmans portrayal of vampirism as simply another way of "life"...to the point that it was commonplace in society...even "tres chic". But after finishing the novel and reflecting on it, as written it does make sense. But I have to admit it took a long time for me to "familiarize" myself with his version of vampires...took at least 100 pages just to figure out exactly what was going on in his world! (e.g. vampires having careers, working alongside regular people, etc. I guess I'm still biased to the "old-fashioned" notion of vampires as purely evil and scary who live in coffins...not as furry, shapeshifting hookers, genial newspaper reporters, or possible girlfriends as is the case with Newmans vampires!). But anyway, I'm glad I stayed with it though the potentially confusing initial setup, because the novel as a whole turned out to be a fun and thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend it, too. (Oh, and I'll also admit that the "name-dropping" of famous people of that era who pop in and out of the story at any given time (those both fictional and non-fictional) added to the fun too...but I will say that having the Elephant Man "save the day" at the end was really pushing it!) :-)
Rating:
Summary: It was a bloody good year
Review: Kim Newman acknowledges Howard Waldop (among many others) in the back of this book, with the note, "I'm not worthy." I disagree. Newman has his own take on alternate history, and there's room enough for him, even around the legendary Waldrop. In all actuality, Anno Dracula isn't alternate history--it's alternate fiction, because Newman's stepping off point from the norm isn't in any history book, but Bram Stoker's Dracula (in fact, on page 249 of Leonard Wolf's annotated edition, recently updated as The Essential Dracula). To compare Newman with another author, you might say that Anno Dracula is the horror novel that Philip Jose Farmer would have written if he still did that sort of thing (instead of collaborating with that ... Piers Anthony), for Anno Dracula also pulls in Inspector Lestrade, Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Moreau, Mycroft Holmes, among others. In fact, after awhile, I started wondering if my pulp education had missed something in that I did not recognize where the protagonist, Charles Beauregard, came from (although I did finally recognize the origin of Genevieve from the references to Camilla). There's one page that reads as an homage to all the vampires in fiction, and any vampire trivia fan's nightmare. But Anno Dracula is more than a mere bundle of literary in-jokes. It's also a well-written adventure novel, in the vein (pun intended) of Tim Powers, to mention yet another author. While it is marketed as a horror novel, and has a requisite amount of gore and teeth, I felt that the noveau term "dark fantasy" fits it better, or even steampunk, to once again compare it to Powers and books like The Anubis Gates and Jeter's Infernal Devices. I used to read Interzone fairly regularly, and Newman was quite a staple of that magazine in recent years. I was never overly impressed by his writing there, although I recognized that he had talent. Given Anno Dracula, however, I'd be willing to give Newman several other chances.
Rating:
Summary: Alternate "History" -- Dracula Meets Jack the Ripper!
Review: Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" has one of the most audacious plots imaginable -- let's assume that Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was non-fiction, and that Dracula defeated his nemesis, Van Helsing. Then, let's assume that Dracula "seduced" Queen Victoria and is now the Prince Consort, effectively ruling Great Britain. Throw in Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Jekyll, John Merrick (the Elephant Man), Jack the Ripper, and even a brief reference to the Lone Ranger(!), and you've got one heck of an amazing world to spin a yarn.
Newman's Victorian England is populated by vampires and "warm" humans, and there is little shame in being a vampire. But not every vampire becomes a "lord of darkness" -- Newman shows many vampires scraping by, selling themselves just like the "warm" cheap harlots of London's lower neighborhoods.
In that murky world, Jack the Ripper is butchering vampire prostitutes, using vicious silver blades. Two kindred spirits, the "warm" adventurer Charles Beauregard and the ancient vampiress Genevieve, pursue Jack and seek to put a stop to his diabolical ends. Beauregard works at the behest of the mysterious cabal known as the Diogenes Club, a group dedicated to the removal of Dracula's power, while Genevieve chases Jack out of mercy, trying to save the vampire-girls Jack seems hell-bent on savaging.
Newman packs "Anno Dracula" with action, unlike other "alternate vampire histories" (granted, a limited genre) like Brian Stableford's "Empire of Fear." Beauregard's prowess with a sword is easy to grasp, but Genevieve, an "elder" vampire even more ancient and powerful than Dracula, has powers far beyond the grasp of even other vampires. And even Genevieve meets a vampire that she cannot fend off for long, a Chinese horror sure to give more than a few readers nightmares.
A detective story that takes place in a London ready to explode in civil war where the "warm" take on the vampires and the vampires fight among themselves, "Anno Dracula" is a lark. Packed with enough gore and gothic eroticism to satisfy the vampire afficionado, "Anno Dracula" rarely goes over the top and manages to stay fairly grounded. A terrifying climactic stand-off between Beauregard, Genevieve, and Dracula ends ominously - Dracula is still out there, and he's not going to take his lumps lying down. Here's looking forward to the next in the series!
Rating:
Summary: The Ending worth its Weight in Gold
Review: Many of these reviews have already laid out the story's premise and characters. I feel it my duty to comment on the last 20 pages, which are as deeply haunting as they are unforgettable. In those pages, the detective protagonist finally confronts the Prince of Vampires, and Kim Newman shows he is a true wizard of imagery. Dracula's court is a mixture of Bram Stoker's vision and an Hieronymous Bosch painting, and leaves an undelible mark on the reader.
|
