Countess Dracula: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good Dracula sequel!
Review: 'Countess Dracula' by author Carrol Borland, is a good, well-written novella, that is a worthy sequel to Bram Stoker's classic 'Dracula' The author wrote this book back in the early 1930's as a teenage girl, with an unabashed crush on film star Bela Lugosi! She soon met the famous man, and read him her manuscript. Lugosi tried but couldn't get it published back then, because Universal studios still held the copyright on the character of Count Dracula.
Borland has an exciting, pulp-style to her writing, and her story takes place in the mysterious land of Transylvania. Two English couples, one a pair of honeymooners, stay at a village inn that lies in the shadow of a mountain capped by Castle Dracula. The young bride attracts the attention of the handsome, suave middle-aged count, who fancies her for himself! The description of author Borland's Count Dracula truly fits Bela Lugosi and not Stoker's literary vampire. This would have made a good, eerie Universal horror film in 1935.

The narrative is quite good, and only falters at the very conclusion with a bit of an unsatisfying ending. Carrol Borland had real talent as a writer, and it's a great pity she didn't write further novels. We are grateful that this manuscript was hidden away safely in her desk for six decades until publication!

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good Dracula sequel!
Review: 'Countess Dracula' by author Carrol Borland, is a surprisingly good, well-written novella, that is a worthy sequel to Bram Stoker's classic 'Dracula'. The author wrote this book back in the early 1930's, when she was a teenage girl with an unabashed crush on film star Bela Lugosi! She soon met the famous man, and was able to read him her manuscript. Bela Lugosi liked the novella, and did try to publish 'Countess Dracula' back then, but was unable to as Universal Studios still held the copyright on the character of Count Dracula.

Carrol Borland has an exciting, pulp-style to her writing, with her story taking place in the mysterious, haunting land of Transylvania! Two English couples, one a pair of honeymooners, stay at a village inn that lies directly in the shadow of a mountain capped by Castle Dracula. The young beautiful bride attracts the attention of the handsome, suave middle-aged count, who fancies her for himself! The description of author Borland's Count Dracula truly matches Bela Lugosi, and not Bram Stoker's literary vampire. 'Countess Dracula' would have made a great, eerie little Universal horror film back in 1935!

The narrative is excellent, and only falters at the very conclusion with a bit of an unsatisfying ending. Carrol Borland had real talent as a writer, and it's a great pity that she didn't write further novels. We are grateful though, that this manuscript was safely hidden away in her desk for over six decades until publication!

Rating:
Summary: Borland's long-lost novel in print at last!
Review: Actress Borland co-starred with Bela Lugosi in 1935's THE MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (MGM, D: Tod Browing). She first met Lugosi after seeing him onstage in DRACULA: THE VAMPIRE PLAY. It inspired her to write COUNTESS DRACULA, a sequel ore to the play than to Stoker's novel. She showed it to Lugosi, and they became friends. Now, just before Borland's death, the book was published. Yes, it was an amateurish effort, not terribly good. However, it has a unique place in both film history and horror literature, and it belongs in every true vampire fan's collection.