The Mysterious Stranger was
first published in 1860 by an unknown German author. Today it's found
within a collection of other Vampire stories.You can take a look at a review on Dead Letter Press's blog.
The story takes place
in the Carpathian mountains but specifically Castle Kaltka. The
Vampire within this novel takes on the form of a knight by the name
of Azzo Von Kaltka. Instead of pale skin like Dracula, Von Katlka's
“complexion was neither pale nor yellow, sort of grey or dirty
white, with an intense black beard and short cropped hair” (pg 94).
Although he does still have the power
to control the wolves, Azzo can't change shapes. He must also be invited in by the owners of the house. But once he's in...he's a hard
one to shake. Even his bite marks are different. Instead of the
traditional pin pricks, the wound on the victim's neck looks like
they nicked themselves with a razor or sharp object.
And how do you to kill such a thing?
Traditionally, one method would be to drive a stake into the vampire's
heart, cut off its head and stuff garlic into its mouth. But with Von
Kaltka, he's different. In order to kill him, one must drive three
long iron nails into the coffin. Did I mention there was a catch?
Only the person who has been bitten can accomplish this, because in
order to save themselves, they must also smear the blood leaking from
the coffin onto the 'wound'. Pretty nasty task, isn't it? Even though
he's a part of the Undead, Von Kaltka is pretty darn cool.
Let me know your thoughts and I'll see
you next week!
