Reviewing 'The Historian'

Hello everyone, so last week I had promised you another book review and I shall deliver. I do apologise as this will be quite short due to the fact that it is extremely late at night and I am extremely tired. So this weeks book is 'The Historian' by the extremely talented Elizabeth Kosova. Now I must warn you this is a vampire novel, however it is not the 'young adult' rubbish that we are finding more and more of today. This was published in 2005 two months before 'Twilight' and is nothing like it. This novel is intelligently written (a must for me as you will well know) and entirely captivating. 

Now 'The Historian' has been referred to as the sequel or an update of Stokers 'Dracula' however this is not the case. While Stoker merely used the name Dracula, taken from ruler Vlad Tepes Dracula, Kostova forms a tale following Vlad Dracula from the grave and the family who holds a terrifying bond with him. Her story is one with a more historical nature than 'Dracula'. 

That being said the narrative of Kostova's story is similar to two of the most famous horror stories ever written, 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein'. Much like 'Dracula' the narrative is formed through different sources, letters and verbal accounts. However unlike 'Dracula' the story is retold through one main narrator instead of several. This being said the novel is also very much like 'Frankenstein' in that one persons story is told by another with the addition of their own which in turn is told by another. In short, three main narratives all being recounted by the one person in layers.

This book is immensely well written and captivating from the first page. In fact it has one of the most wonderful beginnings that I have ever read. 

"The story that follows is one I never intended to commit to paper. Recently, however, a shock of sorts has prompted me to look back over the most troubling episodes of my life and of the lives of several people I loved best. This is the story of how as a girl of sixteen I went in search of my father and his past, and of how he went in search of his beloved mentor and his mentor's own dark history, and of how we all found ourselves on one of the darkest pathways into history. It is the story of who survived that search and who did not, and why. As a historian, I have learned that,in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it. And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claw." *

Oh, wasn't that wonderful? 

And with that I leave you. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially if you are a bit of a history buff or loved 'Frankenstein', 'Dracula' or both. Until next week,

Catherine

* This is not my work, it belongs to Elizabeth Kostova. I have only included this for the sake of providing an example of her tremendous writing.