The Historian [Audio Download]

This book was a gift from a friend and I wasn't sure if it would live up to the great reviews. However it is a very intelligently written book and had a good blend of action, beautiful description which could come from a travel writer as well, as well as many classic story telling techniques and a lot of informative historical info. The story unfolds through a series of letters, written and spoken accounts. This is in the best tradition of the Gothic Novel and the stories within stories are easy to keep track of - so I didn't find this technique difficult to follow or understand the chronology of. I know some reviewers rubbished this way of writing but as it is a particular structural technique used in many classics I think it would appeal to people who have enjoyed the original Bram Stoker Classic Dracula as well as people who have studied a little literature or horror. If you like a straight chonological / 100% action read, then you might struggle with enjoyment of this structure. The content of the book is extremely varied and has something for everyone - there are scary vampires ( as well as a great Dracula) and vampire law, there is action, a surprisingly well written love story, there are amazing, atmospheric descriptions of places in Eastern and Southern Europe complete with really detailed and accurate historical referencing. I learned a lot about the history of medaeival as well as twentieth century Europe from reading this. In other places you can actually smell the food and hear the sounds described. For Dracular fans, his character is explored both as a historical figure and as the scary hollywood style vampire we've all come to know. Anyone who loves books, literature, travelling, libraries, history, gothic novels and vampire legends through the ages should really like this book. I found it a page turner because it contained a lot of interesting facts and the story was woven cleverly to keep you guessing. It loses pace a little at the end but luckily not enough to ruin the book. I really reccommend this because I felt it was a rewarding book to read rather than an easy vampire paperback which wouldn't really reflect the true depth of horror anyway.

Vampire fiction has definitely been on a downslide for many years. Most vamps are now either goofy, ugly bloodsuckers or sultry lace-and-velvet sophisticates. But in "The Historian," Elizabeth Kostova creates the smartest vampire novel in many years. It may drag at times, but it has a wealth of historical detail and creepy atmosphere.

It begins in 1972, with a young girl exploring her father's library. On a high shelf, she finds a strange book with a dragon on it, and a packet of old letters from 1930, that begin with, "My dear and unfortunate successor, it is with regret that I imagine you, whoever you are, reading this account I must put down here...". When she asks her father about it, he reluctantly tells her a strange story from decades before.

In his youth, her dad was an enthusiastic scholar. But all that changed when he learned from a mysteriously vanished teacher that an ancient tyrant was mysteriously still alive -- Vlad Tepes, the basis for the vampire Dracula. Now in the rational 20th century, gruesome deaths and ancient clues lead the young woman across the world. She must figure out whether Vlad Drakula is dead, or undead.

In a sense, "The Historian" really doesn't belong in the twenty-first (or even the twentieth) century. It's all set in the early 1970s, but it feels more like Kostova is writing in a 19th century setting, with the slow pace, verbal formality and intense detail typical of older books. In other words, don't expect fountains of gore or plenty of vampire cameos.

"The Historian" does have a tendency to drag, with Kostova focusing on some of the more mundane details of the heroine's life. There's much wandering from monasteries to mosques, dusty libraries to campuses. Some of it adds to the plot, and some of it doesn't. However, she does make up for this with some genuinely creepy atmosphere, and an understated sense of horror. The climactic encounter is a scene that could have been kitschy or goofy, but Kostova manages to make it into pure, quiet horror.

Moreover, "The Historian" balances out modern rationality with ancient superstition. Kostova has done her research; she includes various historical accounts of Vlad Tepes and his atrocities, as well as the Ottoman Empire and the rich cultures of the medieval Middle East. Rather than inventing a "vampire mythology," a la Anne Rice, she uses actual history as backstory. And to be honest, the real-life atrocities Vlad committed make Stoker's vampire seem almost tame.

With dusty books, yellowed letters, ancient hideaways and dark secrets, "The Historian" manages to be the smartest and most original vampire novel in years. Though the book has a tendency to ramble, Elizabeth Kostova melds history and myth in rare style.

If you like long, detailed novels, The Historian is a must. It's long, but it's never boring, and it's the kind of novel you come to care about; its characters could be real people, and its settings are richly drawn. It also provides an imaginative re-writing of the vampire myth, in which Dracula is searching for a librarian to catalogue his extensive book collection. This sounds strange, and, admittedly, boring, but it's actually anything but. I suspect this novel will appeal most to those who are familiar with, and love, the process of research -- research students, lecturers -- those in acadamia, since it records an intellectual, rather than an action packed, pursuit. If you like Possession, or The Name of the Rose, you'll probably like this. Don't just judge it by it's seemingly dry, academic inflections, though -- The Historian also has at its centre one of the most touching, heart-breaking romance stories I've read in a long time. It's an excellent, imaginative read that'll stay with you long after it ends, and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you're looking for something a little different from either the stereotypical romance or vampire novel -- try this!