biblio_lore's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book for bibliophiles who like vampires books. It's crowded with different characters from both fiction and history and equal parts fantastically funny and utterly brutal. A fine tribute to Stoker's novel and absolutely fun. If I have really any quibble with it, the business with Jack the Ripper is resolved in a manner that feels a bit too rushed but it's forgivable and though you know who the ripper is from the introduction, it can still keep you reading to find out where things will go next. The novel ends on such a high note, you practically have to read the rest of them. The characters are well drawn out, the story is well paced and it was really a delightful read. Highly recommended!
readingrenbo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
menor's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
La premisa es muy buena, pero luego es un poco romería de un montón de personajes paseándose por Londres.
gossamerchild's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gilroi's review against another edition
4.0
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires, Victorian history, or the history of pulp fiction or pulp horror, because this book covers each topic with aplomb. The premise has more depth than you think: Yes, Dracula is real, and yes, he's married the queen. But Newman hasn't forgotten anyone in his book.
Dracula's real, so doesn't it follow that other grand features of Victorian literature, and history, are real also? Sherlock Holmes can't solve this one, because he's been imprisoned for 'subversive thinking' by King Vlad. Elizabeth Bathory sits cackling in the basements of Buckingham Palace. And the ripper still stalks the streets.
Kim Newman has a huge undertaking with this novel: To take every piece of vampire lore he can think of, and mix it with everything he knows of Victorian history, and make it all work. And he does! I've never read an alt history novel as good as this one. Newman doesn't forget any of the vast working parts of the engine that is Victorian London, but he doesn't get boggled down by details, either. Everything fits in a seamless background machinery that always feels real, and imbues every scene with vitality and credibility.
Dracula's real, so doesn't it follow that other grand features of Victorian literature, and history, are real also? Sherlock Holmes can't solve this one, because he's been imprisoned for 'subversive thinking' by King Vlad. Elizabeth Bathory sits cackling in the basements of Buckingham Palace. And the ripper still stalks the streets.
Kim Newman has a huge undertaking with this novel: To take every piece of vampire lore he can think of, and mix it with everything he knows of Victorian history, and make it all work. And he does! I've never read an alt history novel as good as this one. Newman doesn't forget any of the vast working parts of the engine that is Victorian London, but he doesn't get boggled down by details, either. Everything fits in a seamless background machinery that always feels real, and imbues every scene with vitality and credibility.
dajna's review against another edition
4.0
Iniziamo subito col dire che temevo si perdesse nel finale, invece no. E' un romanzo che regge dall'inizio alla fine, molto originale, evitando con eleganza i cliché.
Più che la trama in sé mi è piaciuto il modo in cui i personaggi storico-letterari sono stati riambientati senza alcun fastidio, mantenendo la personalità del romanzo originale pur facendo altre cose. Penso alla coppia Dr. Moreau e Dr. Jekyll, o all'aplomb di Lestrade. Il gioco in cui sono stata coinvolta, quello di riconoscere i nomi di passanti più o meno attivi e di ricordare i libri da cui sono usciti, mi ha intrattenuto e divertito.
E sì, mi compiaccio per aver riconosciuto le citazioni in gran numero! Mi compiaccio molto e mi davo pacche sulle spalle da sole ogni volta che riconoscevo un nome, specie se meno noto.
La storia? Vlad Tepes arriva a Londra, smarca van Helsing e sposa la regina Vittoria, diffondendo vampiri qua e là per tutta Londra. Uomini e non-morti, tutto sommato, convivono piuttosto bene, finché quel simpaticone di Jack lo Squartatore non decidere di rompere gli equilibri. Interviene quindi il club Diogene di Holmesiana memoria, le indagini proseguono tra vari gradi di corruzione e cospirazione, fino alla liberazione del Regno Unito.
Spoiler
Immagino che quasi tutti si sarebbero aspettati, alla fine, che Charles diventasse un vampiro e se ne fuggisse con la bella antica, eppure è una questione che rimane aperta anche quando le ferite di lui hanno reso quasi necessaria la trasformazione.Più che la trama in sé mi è piaciuto il modo in cui i personaggi storico-letterari sono stati riambientati senza alcun fastidio, mantenendo la personalità del romanzo originale pur facendo altre cose. Penso alla coppia Dr. Moreau e Dr. Jekyll, o all'aplomb di Lestrade. Il gioco in cui sono stata coinvolta, quello di riconoscere i nomi di passanti più o meno attivi e di ricordare i libri da cui sono usciti, mi ha intrattenuto e divertito.
E sì, mi compiaccio per aver riconosciuto le citazioni in gran numero! Mi compiaccio molto e mi davo pacche sulle spalle da sole ogni volta che riconoscevo un nome, specie se meno noto.
La storia? Vlad Tepes arriva a Londra, smarca van Helsing e sposa la regina Vittoria, diffondendo vampiri qua e là per tutta Londra. Uomini e non-morti, tutto sommato, convivono piuttosto bene, finché quel simpaticone di Jack lo Squartatore non decidere di rompere gli equilibri. Interviene quindi il club Diogene di Holmesiana memoria, le indagini proseguono tra vari gradi di corruzione e cospirazione, fino alla liberazione del Regno Unito.
lycheeteareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Excrement
nikshelby's review against another edition
3.0
Please, don't read this if you are troubled by graphic scenes of gory murder and depravity. Beyond any other aspect, it is a tale of vampires - with all the attendant components. This includes the blood-soaked cruelty of those who subsist on consuming the living, not the misunderstood romantic tragic beauties who just want to be loved (perhaps one or two).
Please, read this if you are a fan of any, or all, of the following: Stoker's Dracula, any of that literary masterworks' predecessors or antecedents, social unrest against unjust political leadership, conspiracy theories immersed in Jack the Ripper facts, alternate historical fantasy or science-fiction, well-researched conglomerations of historical fiction, romantic heroes seeking truth and justice, the plethora of vampire entertainment offered over the last two hundred years (novels, plays, poetry, films, etc), detective mysteries and horror fiction, volatile Victorian society and culture, and plenty more components.
Newman created a self-described London "playground and minefield" of his favorite entertainment and history, and then invited us all to creep around its fog-smothered streets. It's the fun of a mashup (along the lines of "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman"), with an adult game of "Where's Waldo?" (yes, that is Oscar Wilde commenting on society, Elizabeth Bathory followed up with a mention of a character from "Blacula," alongside Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll, and a true serial-killer-victim. Spot-the Reference is a lively game on every page). Yet, it takes itself very seriously. I could not, in good conscience, call it a romp. No story replete with madness and flippant death could be.
As a years-long fan of the masterful classic, I found it fascinating. Stoker's Van Helsing described Dracula's project in Britain as to "become the father and furtherer of a new order of beings, whose road must lead through Death, not Life." This story is predicated on a world in which the small group of hunters did not succeed. If Dracula emerged from their encounter triumphant, what might have the subsequent society become? Newman aided the Count's rise to power, and the rise of revolutionary groups seeking his defeat. Set in 1888, anything feasibly possible is included, smashed together with a flourish.
(And no, Sherlock Holmes' couldn't solve the crimes of the stalker of women-of-the-night...he was locked in a concentration camp at the time).
Please, read this if you are a fan of any, or all, of the following: Stoker's Dracula, any of that literary masterworks' predecessors or antecedents, social unrest against unjust political leadership, conspiracy theories immersed in Jack the Ripper facts, alternate historical fantasy or science-fiction, well-researched conglomerations of historical fiction, romantic heroes seeking truth and justice, the plethora of vampire entertainment offered over the last two hundred years (novels, plays, poetry, films, etc), detective mysteries and horror fiction, volatile Victorian society and culture, and plenty more components.
Newman created a self-described London "playground and minefield" of his favorite entertainment and history, and then invited us all to creep around its fog-smothered streets. It's the fun of a mashup (along the lines of "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman"), with an adult game of "Where's Waldo?" (yes, that is Oscar Wilde commenting on society, Elizabeth Bathory followed up with a mention of a character from "Blacula," alongside Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll, and a true serial-killer-victim. Spot-the Reference is a lively game on every page). Yet, it takes itself very seriously. I could not, in good conscience, call it a romp. No story replete with madness and flippant death could be.
As a years-long fan of the masterful classic, I found it fascinating. Stoker's Van Helsing described Dracula's project in Britain as to "become the father and furtherer of a new order of beings, whose road must lead through Death, not Life." This story is predicated on a world in which the small group of hunters did not succeed. If Dracula emerged from their encounter triumphant, what might have the subsequent society become? Newman aided the Count's rise to power, and the rise of revolutionary groups seeking his defeat. Set in 1888, anything feasibly possible is included, smashed together with a flourish.
(And no, Sherlock Holmes' couldn't solve the crimes of the stalker of women-of-the-night...he was locked in a concentration camp at the time).
8797999's review against another edition
5.0
I have to say I didn't know what to expect with this and in truth I can't remember why I bought it. I think it is a case of judging a book by its cover. I'm not one for vampires and that sort of stuff but this was a top quality read.
Lighter on the gore and blood than I was expecting but thoroughly enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. This gist of this is a London with Vlad the Impaler as Prince Regent to Queen Victoria and vampirism on the rise with the population becoming wurned from 'warms' to 'newborns'. In the background of the warm/vampire struggle is Jack the Ripper and his murders.
A fanatstic plot and flows very well, a nice melting pot of fiction and reality with real characters like Queen victoria, Inspector Abberline, Vlad the Implaer, Oscar Wilde and of course Jack The Ripper mashed in with fictional characters like Inspector Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Jekyll and the charcaters for this book Charles Beauregard and Genevieve Duieudonné.
I'm glad I took a chance on it, it was great fun.
Lighter on the gore and blood than I was expecting but thoroughly enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. This gist of this is a London with Vlad the Impaler as Prince Regent to Queen Victoria and vampirism on the rise with the population becoming wurned from 'warms' to 'newborns'. In the background of the warm/vampire struggle is Jack the Ripper and his murders.
A fanatstic plot and flows very well, a nice melting pot of fiction and reality with real characters like Queen victoria, Inspector Abberline, Vlad the Implaer, Oscar Wilde and of course Jack The Ripper mashed in with fictional characters like Inspector Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Jekyll and the charcaters for this book Charles Beauregard and Genevieve Duieudonné.
I'm glad I took a chance on it, it was great fun.
ricparks's review against another edition
4.0
A threadbare plot, slim location descriptions for a Gothic novel, and a whole lot of Victorian fictional character name dropping. But I totally enjoyed pretty much every page.