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Dacre Stoker
Ian Holt
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Book
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Publisher | Harper | ||
ISBN | 978-000731034 | ||
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Reviewer
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Vicky
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The official sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, written by his direct descendent and endorsed by the Stoker family. The story begins in 1912, twenty-five years after the events described in the original novel. Dr. Jack Seward, now a disgraced morphine addict, hunts vampires across Europe with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school to pursue a career in stage at London's famous Lyceum Theatre. The production of Dracula at the Lyceum, directed and produced by Bram Stoker, has recently lost its star. Luckily, Quincey knows how to contact the famed Hungarian actor Basarab, who agrees to take the lead role. Quincey soon discovers that the play features his parents and their former friends as characters, and seems to reveal much about the terrible secrets he's always suspected them of harbouring. But, before he can confront them, Jonathan Harker is found murdered. The writers were able to access Bram Stoker's hand-written notes and have included in their story characters and plot threads that had been excised by the publisher from the original printing over a century ago. Dracula is one of the most recognized fictional characters in the world, having spawned dozens of multi-media spin-offs. The Un-Dead is the first Dracula story to enjoy the full support of the Stoker estate since the original 1931 movie starring Bela Lugosi.
Review
I don't usually read vampire books, especially all the modern urban fantasy ones, but 'Dracula: the Un-Dead' is very different - it is the official sequel to Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' the book that started it all - and written by his great grand nephew, Dacre Stoker with Ian Holt!
It is a brilliant book that starts off slowly, building up to such a fast pace that you can't turn the pages fast enough to find out what goes on! Dacre and Ian not only use the original Dracula but had access to Bram Stoker's original notes and use some of the characters he left out of the original story.
It is excellently crafted and very visual, but also keeps you on your toes as to what is going on both historically and fictionally. There are some excellent battle scenes with vampire against vampire - but who is good and who is evil is not always clear - and with the original Dracula - so evil in the first book the lines begin to blur in the sequel.
There is a brilliant new vampire character in 'Dracula: the Un-Dead' called Countess Elizabeth Bathory, based on a real person - who is highly intelligent and knows exactly what she want and who to kill - but what will happen to Quincey Harper, son of Jonathan and Mina Harper.
All is revealed in a thoroughly gripping and very satisfying roller coaster of a read. Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt have done justice to both Bram Stoker and the vampire genre.

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