Alexandre Dumas's the Vampire: A Novel Based on the Drame Fantastique

Rating:
Summary: Forgotten Dumas tale
Review: From the back of the book:

Alexandre Dumas, an ardent admirer of stories of the supernatural, published many of his own occult tales during his illustrious literary career. One of these was The Vampire, a play first performed in 1851. Dumas penned The Vampire with Auguste Maquet, who had also collaborated with him on many of his most successful romances, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

The vampire in Dumas's play is named Lord Ruthven after the most famous vampire in literature during the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1819, Dr. John William Polidori wrote the first vampire tale in English literature and named its title character, Lord Ruthven. After the success of the story, Lord Ruthven's popularity spread throughout Europe and he became the subject of many plays and stories. Eventually, his notoriety diminished, and Count Dracula, another aristocratic vampire, took his place.

Presented here is a novelization of Dumas's classic version of the Ruthven legend, which has never been published in English, now available for a new generation of readers to discover.

Rating:
Summary: You have got to be kidding me!
Review: Let me first mention that Alexandre Dumas did NOT write this book as the title implies. In fact, if Dumas were to read it, I think he'd turn in his grave!

Even though I was disappointed to find out that the book wasn't written by Dumas, I was still hopeful, thinking that the the story could still be enjoyable. After reading the first chapter I put the book down in disgust! This book reads as if it was written by a high school student with no narration skills! I was insulted! This is positively the worst writing I have ever seen!

The book has 2 reviews prior to mine, both giving it 5 stars, both with the same content. My guess it, it was posted by the author, his friends, or his family members. No one who loves and appreciates the writing of Alexandre Dumas could possibly stand reading this!

So while I attempt to find the actual play, this book is going straight back to Amazon.