Anno Dracula Author:Kim Newman In 1885, Count Dracula, after four hundred years' brooding in his Transylvanian Castle, came to London, intent on spreading the pestilence of vampirism to the heart of Victoria's Britain. The monster was defeated and destroyed by Professor Van Helsing and his stout-hearted companions, and the world was saved from further horrors. But what if Van... more » Helsing failed, and Dracula's plan of conquest was successful... This panoramic novel of altered history and literary speculation combines horror, mystery, romance, politics, and wit as Kim Newman brilliantly reinvent the familiar world of late Victorian melodrama, intermingling famous historical and fictional characters while penetrating the fog to discover the shocking truths.« less
What a deliciously creepy book. I haven't been able to get into any of this 'newish' wave of vampire books on the market. I am just not into romance novels. There is nothing romantic about this book. The setting is 1880's Victorian London. It was a hard place for poor people before the appearance of vampires and their presence only makes their lives even more miserable. An example: A women who keeps her children on leases and offers them to vampires to feed for a fee. 'YUCK'!!! I think bringing the terror of the vampire out of the shadows and making it everyday is what made it so creepy for me.
This book is like a futuristic historical story. It seems like most historical fiction novels try to recreate a period in time as closely as possible, but the author takes the time period and twists it to reflect a completely different environment. If you like vampire stories with Jack the Ripper thrown in to enhance the gore, you will like this book. Feel free to email with any questions. ~LeAnn
If you're a fan of history and historical fiction, with a quirky sense of humor and a love for vampire novels, Anno Dracula will be a fun read for you! I found myself laughing out loud when a totally unexpected literary or historical figure would make an appearance. A fun read.
This was the first book I'd read by Newman, although at my book club meeting I was reminded that I *had* read a long short-story by him, "Coppola's Dracula" - which I distinctly disliked. I had mixed feelings about this book. It's an alternate history of what might have happened when the vampire Dracula arrived in England. Here, Dracula takes over, vampires infiltrate all levels of society, and regular people just have to deal with the consequences in their daily lives. The book didn't annoy me in the way that many alternate history stories which feature known characters do - probably because, is this case, most of the 'known characters' that appear in this version of the story of Dracula, are fictional. However, I felt that Newman failed to actually concentrate on his story because he was so busy trying to jam in appearances by and references to all kinds of fictional vampires from a host of sources. He expects his readers to be vampire fans, and therefore, lets characterization fall by the wayside - after all, people already *know* these characters. (And indeed, the two people in my book club who are Victorianists DID feel that they already knew the characters.) But for me, the only character who really stood out was that of Genevieve - a Newman original, but apparently, a character that he'd invented for another novel altogether. Odd. Still, I thought that the mergings of the stories of Dracula, Jack the Ripper and Jekyll & Hyde was rather well-done... and there were a lot of quite funny observations of what would happen if vampires took over...
While I am not a fan of horror fiction in general terms, I found this book a fantastic and interesting read. The characters were engaging. The plot made sense and the fantastical twist on history made it all the more fun. I had to know how the story resolved itself and then I was very interested in the next book.
Fantastic! One of the absolute best horror books I've ever read. For true fans of vampire fiction and horror fiction. It implements every character from vampire books, movies, tv series, comic books etc, as well as characters from most well known horror books. For fans of 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.
Another fantastic vampire tale that is in the fashion of Anne Rice tales. In 1885, Count Dracula came to Londa intent on spreading the pestilence of vampirism to the heart of Britain. The monster was defeated by Van Helsing, and the world was thus, saved.
This book supposes that Van Helsing had failed and that Dracula's conquest was successful.
In 1888, the Widow of Windsor has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. A new medieval era has arrived, with enemies of the crown impaled in front of Buckingham Palace. A vampire, Lord Ruthven, is Prime Minister, and another, Sir Francis Varney, is Viceroy of India. The vampire population of London has increased enormously. While some resist Dracula's breed, the bulk of the Queen's subjects are "adjusting." Many actively seek conversion, hoping to advance themselves to join the swelling ranks of the undead.
