Art credit: ArtOfRivana from DeviantArt
Finally! I have stumbled upon the
Vampiress! Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt's novel 'Dracula The Undead' (2010) is
one of the many sequels to Bram Stoker's original classic. But who
better to write a sequel than Bram's own great-grandnephew? The
vampire figure here comes in the form of Countess Elizabeth Bathroy.
The Countess is a ruthlessly cruel woman who kills for sport rather
than purpose. Now, there are some notable differences between the
vampires within this novel and the vampires within Bram Stoker's
piece. One notable difference in Dacre Stoker's novel, is that the
Countess seems much stronger than her predecessor, the Count. She has
the ability to control her victim's mind and make them see what she
wants them to see. Her five senses are tenfold that of a normal
human's, which in itself, is already pretty intimidating.
What does, however, make this novel
interesting is the mix with a notable unsolved historical case, Jack the Ripper. Among many of theories associated with the terrifying
serial killer, Holt and Dacre have chosen to associate the Ripper
with the vampire figure.
Let us return to the topic of the
Countess, herself. The vampiress dresses like the traditional Dracula
figure with her well-tailored suits cutting a distinguished air.
This, in turn, gives her a powerful masculine presence. Not someone
you want to mess with.
Check out the novel and you might find
a few unexpected surprises. For all those who haven't read the novel,
is it something you would be interested in reading?
I have to say I'm little new to the vampire trend, and the whole concept not only intrigues me but frightens me. The allure of danger has always been something to entice me. To answer your question, I would read a book like this as I find the original vampier stories to be the most intriguing. Look forward to learning more about vampires.
ReplyDelete-Joanna
I am not big into vampire stories as I am not a big supernatural fan (not sure if they are the same or not). I like to hear the stories but they are not something I go out to seek more information on. I think your blog may open my eyes though. Thanks Angela
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am glad you are enjoying the blog so far :)
DeleteAbout a year or so ago I had watched a documentary on Elizabeth Bathory, it was absolutely terrifying. Thanks for an interesting read Angela.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to check out any documentaries about this terrifying Countess but some of her history was horrific to read. I got so many chills, nevertheless, she makes a truly fascinating character to examine.
DeleteYour blog is really interesting and informative, especially because I'm not generally a reader of vampire novels. After reading this post, however, I think I will have to put both the original Dracula and some of the sequels in my list of books to read. It's time to broaden my horizons! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are enjoying my blog so far, if you would like to start from the very beginning, John Polidori's The Vamypre is definitely the one to start with, although the original Dracula is still my favourite.
DeleteElizabeth Bathory makes me think of the 90's board game Nightmare. I've always enjoyed watching vampire movies, but have never read a book about them - your blog is definitely interesting and makes the idea of reading something like that more attainable for me.
ReplyDeleteI love when fiction adds elements of history to their books, it makes for such an interesting read. And what a great concept! There's already so much mystery surrounding the Countess that she easily fits into a gothic novel. I may have to go out an read every book on your blog! Thanks a lot!!
ReplyDeleteI have never been big on the Vampire seen but my sister and cousin are obsessed! I will definitely recommend your blog to them.
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