Title: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Fiction, Horror
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis from Little, Brown: Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history. The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known - and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out.
The Historian is a very interesting take on the Dracula sequel. Unlike most, it is set in the twentieth century and doesn't deal with the characters from Dracula. Well, except for the man himself. Instead it recognizes Dracula as a fictional work and focuses more on the facts and fictions of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, aka Vlad the Impaler. I studied Dracula a couple of years back for one of my University courses but had forgotten a lot of the background my professor covered. By working the information into letters and character retellings, Kostova made it enjoyable to relearn.
Moreover, she made me interested in the characters. The plot focuses mainly on the narrator and her father and their separate yet symmetrical quests for the truth. Though they occur decades apart, both involve the sinister figure of Dracula, a little bit of romance and the search for a missing individual. As the father reveals his story to his daughter in fits and starts, you come to care for them and begin to root for them to succeed. Overall, I found that The Historian was a really good read. Its biggest appeals were the historical aspect and its suspenseful twists and turns. I was always trying to guess what would happen next. And though I wouldn't say I couldn't put it down, I can say that I never wanted to put it down for long. I'd like to try some of Kostova's other works and I've already started reccing this one to my friends.
I had the impression this book was about vampires from what some have said. It sounds good from what you say, although knowing a little of Vlad's history makes me wary of what details may be in it. I will definitely be reading her new one, The Swan Thieves though. I'm currently having an audio giveaway (3 copes)if it interests you. I live in Southern Ontario too by the way. I'm enjoying my look aound your blog.
ReplyDeleteLuckily there were only a few scenes that were a little gory or deserve the term "horror." I'll have to check your blog for the review of The Swan Thieves, I'm not sure what I think of the summaries I've seen so far. I'm looking forward to the Southern Ontario fall after this humid summer.
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