Rating: Summary: Dracula defeats Van Helsing. Now what? Review: One of the best vampires books ever written. It combines the
suspense of a mystery novel with the mysteries of the vampire.
Dracula has defeated Van Helsing, and become Queen Victoria's
advisor. Now it's 'in' to be a vampire, and vampires are
appearing in all walks of life, but someone in Whitechapel
is killing off the vampire whores. We are re-introduced to
the characters from the original Bram Stoker novel, but as
an added bonus to history and literature fans, there are cameo appearances from some of the greatest characters from
the literature and history of the Victorian era, from Jack
the Ripper to Sherlock Holmes, and even a friendly jab at
Anne Rice. A definite MUST read for any vampire/history/literature
fan.
Rating: Summary: Dracula defeats Van Helsing. Now what? Review: One of the best vampires books ever written. It combines thesuspense of a mystery novel with the mysteries of the vampire.Dracula has defeated Van Helsing, and become Queen Victoria's advisor. Now it's 'in' to be a vampire, and vampires are appearing in all walks of life, but someone in Whitechapel is killing off the vampire whores. We are re-introduced to the characters from the original Bram Stoker novel, but as an added bonus to history and literature fans, there are cameo appearances from some of the greatest characters from the literature and history of the Victorian era, from Jack the Ripper to Sherlock Holmes, and even a friendly jab at Anne Rice. A definite MUST read for any vampire/history/literature fan.
Rating: Summary: Revisionist history + Vampire mythos = success Review: The big boxoffice flop in '03 was 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', which was VERY loosely adapted from a comic book by Alan Moore. If you liked the movie or the comic, well, this is ten times better than both of 'em put together! The whole thing takes a 'What if?' look at the original Dracula novel, freely injecting any and everyone Newman can come up with into a great alternate timeline tale. Look for cameos from history and literature, from Sherlock Holmes to the Lone Ranger. Some of these references are oblique, some are blatant (probably for copyright reasons), but really, all that's fun and games, and it wouldn't mean diddly if the plot didn't deliver. And it does! This take on Jack the Ripper in a world of vampires is genuinely creepy at times, and the romance between the leads (A mysterious government operative and a beautiful vampire) works pretty well. I have the short story version of this story, and I think the novel is an even better story, with more plot twists and turns. It's kind of BUSY at times (I mean the book is crammed with plots and subplots) but Mr. Newman somehow keeps it all running smoothly. There are numerous sequels to this, but they aren't nearly as good. If you like tales of Saucy Jack, or if you just got tired of Anne Rice's pretty boy vamps a long time ago, you would probably enjoy this.
Rating: Summary: Revisionist history + Vampire mythos = success Review: The big boxoffice flop in '03 was 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', which was VERY loosely adapted from a comic book by Alan Moore. If you liked the movie or the comic, well, this is ten times better than both of 'em put together! The whole thing takes a 'What if?' look at the original Dracula novel, freely injecting any and everyone Newman can come up with into a great alternate timeline tale. Look for cameos from history and literature, from Sherlock Holmes to the Lone Ranger. Some of these references are oblique, some are blatant (probably for copyright reasons), but really, all that's fun and games, and it wouldn't mean diddly if the plot didn't deliver. And it does! This take on Jack the Ripper in a world of vampires is genuinely creepy at times, and the romance between the leads (A mysterious government operative and a beautiful vampire) works pretty well. I have the short story version of this story, and I think the novel is an even better story, with more plot twists and turns. It's kind of BUSY at times (I mean the book is crammed with plots and subplots) but Mr. Newman somehow keeps it all running smoothly. There are numerous sequels to this, but they aren't nearly as good. If you like tales of Saucy Jack, or if you just got tired of Anne Rice's pretty boy vamps a long time ago, you would probably enjoy this.
Rating: Summary: Over 400 pages of greatness... Review: The book has a simple plot - Helsing (and his vampire slayers) failed and Count Dracula survived to become the new consort of Queen Victoria. Now the Prince has made the British Empire his own and London has become the haven for the undead. Vampires of all shapes and sizes rub elbows with Dr. Jekyll, Dr Moreau, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Moriarty and, of course, Jack the Ripper. Besides the vampires who live within the pages of this book, there are many references to others, such as Camilla and Saint-Germain, to help fill out the setting. Even such WARM, living Heros as Quatermain are mentioned once and awhile. Think 19th Century pulp adventure mixed with horror.
Rating: Summary: Over 400 pages of greatness... Review: The book has a simple plot - Helsing (and his vampire slayers) failed and Count Dracula survived to become the new consort of Queen Victoria. Now the Prince has made the British Empire his own and London has become the haven for the undead. Vampires of all shapes and sizes rub elbows with Dr. Jekyll, Dr Moreau, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Moriarty and, of course, Jack the Ripper. Besides the vampires who live within the pages of this book, there are many references to others, such as Camilla and Saint-Germain, to help fill out the setting. Even such WARM, living Heros as Quatermain are mentioned once and awhile. Think 19th Century pulp adventure mixed with horror.
Rating: Summary: Masterful synthesis of two genres . . . Review: the vampire novel and the alternate history. Those that accuse the author of name dropping must realize that it is customary in a "what-if" story, just to see who survived the change from the reality we all know and expect. Newman's skill lies in tapping the richness of real and literary Victorian London. His other smart move was keeping Dracula off-stage for most of the book. As one character states, Dracula has his own gravity, and the mere whisper of his name has ripple effects throughout the story, as it does in real life. Fans of horror and speculative history should really enjoy this book and the sequels that come after.
Rating: Summary: Masterful synthesis of two genres . . . Review: the vampire novel and the alternate history. Those that accuse the author of name dropping must realize that it is customary in a "what-if" story, just to see who survived the change from the reality we all know and expect. Newman's skill lies in tapping the richness of real and literary Victorian London. His other smart move was keeping Dracula off-stage for most of the book. As one character states, Dracula has his own gravity, and the mere whisper of his name has ripple effects throughout the story, as it does in real life. Fans of horror and speculative history should really enjoy this book and the sequels that come after.
Rating: Summary: Waaaaay too much in this book for a mere 350 pages Review: This book needed to be, in my opinion, at least two hundred pages longer to fully explore all the ideas that were brought up. I liked how it was written and all the cameos by other famous vampires/historical figures, but what I didn't like was the ending. The killer I thought was a real let down, as was how he was eventually caught. And the way Dracula was presented at the very end....ugh. Not good at all.I guess if you're really bored and desperately want to read a vampire novel, this will do. Otherwise, steer clear of this book.
Rating: Summary: One of the best vampire books in history...Stocker lives on Review: This book, one of the best vampire books ever writen will captivate your mind and your body for the whole ride. Prepare yourself for the knowledge of what happened after Bram's book, why Bram's wrote it and a lot more
|