mistercrow's review against another edition
5.0
This one is going in my favourites. Forget garbage like Twilight, read this book about vampires instead! I am looking forward to the other books of this series.
bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Violence, and Death
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
I'm of two minds on this book. I was interested because of the similarities to Alan Moore's _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen --- the turn of the nineteenth century setting with a host of fictional characters. And the book definitely delivers on both. This is a world where Bram Stoker exists along with all of his creations, where Mycroft Holmes is pulling strings, and where all the great Victorian villains make appearances. I was even jolted out of the book by the appearance of a TV vampire.
But our protagonists are original to the book, very unlike Alan Moore's use of Mina Harker and Alan Quatermain. And while the early part of the novel almost rejoices in bringing in characters from other works, after about 2/3rds in, they fall off precipitously.
I think the real focus of the book is the alternative ending of Bram Stoker's Dracula --- what if Dracula married Queen Victoria, took over the British government, and made being a vampire fashionable? What if the poor took to vampirism and yet stayed poor? How would a society adjust to a new class of human being (or more accurately, non-human being) throughout all economic classes? Newman handles this portion of the book (as dark as it becomes) in a detailed and moving fashion. If you treat this as a book that only needs the cast of Dracula, I think it works wonderfully. The rest of the fictional characters felt more like distractions to me than anything else.
But our protagonists are original to the book, very unlike Alan Moore's use of Mina Harker and Alan Quatermain. And while the early part of the novel almost rejoices in bringing in characters from other works, after about 2/3rds in, they fall off precipitously.
I think the real focus of the book is the alternative ending of Bram Stoker's Dracula --- what if Dracula married Queen Victoria, took over the British government, and made being a vampire fashionable? What if the poor took to vampirism and yet stayed poor? How would a society adjust to a new class of human being (or more accurately, non-human being) throughout all economic classes? Newman handles this portion of the book (as dark as it becomes) in a detailed and moving fashion. If you treat this as a book that only needs the cast of Dracula, I think it works wonderfully. The rest of the fictional characters felt more like distractions to me than anything else.
thea_wilby's review against another edition
Just not fussed about vampire/detective fanfics
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
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 against another edition
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.