It's been twenty-five years since the events that took place
where the evil vampire Dracula was vanquished by lawyer
Jonathon Harker, Doctor Van Helsing and their compatriots in
arms. But life hasn't been easy for those who thought they
killed Dracula. Jonathon is an aging alcoholic who turns to
other women for comfort because he can't get over his
jealousy in regards to his loving wife Mina. Jonathon
believes Mina still desires the vampire count who almost
stole her heart and soul. Their marriage is a sham and
Jonathon almost disowns their son, Quincey, who is trying to
live his dream as an accomplished stage actor. Jonathon has
lost all hope and the will to live. And when he and Mina
find out that the former asylum doctor and pupil of Van
Helsing, Jack Stewart has been brutally murdered, everything
they've tried to accomplish, including living a normal life,
will be destroyed because something more evil than Dracula
now lurks in England.
Jack Steward held dark secrets and figured out that Dracula
wasn't the villain he thought him to be. The one responsible
for the bloody carnage back in 1888 was because of the evil
Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who bathed in the blood of the
innocent virginal girls when she lived. Bathory was a cousin
to Dracula, who allowed her to run rampant, killing all over
the globe. She may also have been Jack the Ripper. Now
Bathory has returned to destroy those who defeated Dracula.
Things are not what they seem, especially when it comes out
that Bram Stoker's gothic horror masterpiece written in 1897
was based on the real life events surrounding Dracula.
Quincey Harker finds this out when his idol of the
Shakespearean stage, the young dashing Romanian Basarab,
will play Dracula in the opening of Stoker's play. Quincey
is in shock because his parents have hidden so many things
from him. When he confronts Mina, he is devastated because
the life he has known has been a lie. And things continue
into a downward spiral when Van Helsing returns and brings
with him important information that will shock everyone to
the core. With Bathory killing anyone who crosses her path,
it is up to Mina and Quincey to stop her. Mina will come to
terms with her own past and her love for Dracula who she has
always held deep in her heart. She will search out the man
she thought she saw burn to ashes, but in actuality survived
and looks to claim her once again.
Dacre Stoker has twisted and turned everything in the
original version of Dracula that may upset Bram Stoker's
fans, but DRACULA THE UN-DEAD has some interesting things to
recommend it. I will say it is a very imaginative tale that
is faced paced and a true Victorian like feeling mystery.
There is also this great sense of feminism and the power a
woman has over her male counterparts in regards to the
villainous vampire Bathory and with Mina Harker who is able
to engage in a battle of wits and strength. The character of
Mina is the one reason to read this quirky supernatural
tale. But other than the familiar characters, DRACULA THE
UN-DEAD really doesn't have anything to do with the original.
DRACULA THE UN-DEAD has some great fight scenes and Dacre
has an annoying habit of name dropping many recognizable
faces from the turn of the 20th century. There is also a
shocking scene between Mina and Bathory that may make
reader's cringe. Bathory is true evil in every sense of the
word and Dracula is shown in a more sympathetic light who
has an explanation for everything.
Overall, I did find DRACULA THE UN-DEAD to be a pale attempt
in keeping constant the world Bram Stoker created and I
wouldn't be surprised if Dacre used the majority of the plot
based on Francis Ford Coppola's movie version of Dracula if
anything.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the prototypical horror novel,
inspiration for the world’s seemingly limitless fascination
with vampires. Though many have tried to replicate Stoker’s
horror classic—in books, television shows, and movies—only
the 1931 Bela Lugosi film bore the Stoker family’s support.
Until now.
Written by a direct descendant of Bram
Stoker and a well- known Dracula historian, Dracula: The
Un-Dead is a bone- chilling sequel based on Bram
Stoker’s own handwritten notes for characters and plot
threads excised from the original edition. Written with the
blessing and cooperation of many members of the Stoker
family, Dracula: The Un-Dead begins in 1912,
twenty-five years after Dracula “crumbled into dust.” Van
Helsing’s protégé, Dr. Seward, is now a disgraced morphine
addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe.
Meanwhile, an unknowing Quincey Harker, son of Jonathon and
Mina, leaves law school for the stage, only to stumble upon
the troubled production of Dracula, directed and produced by
Bram Stoker himself.
The play plunges Quincey into
the world of his parents’ terrible secrets, but before he
can confront them he experiences evil in a way he had never
imagined. One by one, the band of heroes that defeated
Dracula a quarter-century ago is being hunted down. Could it
be that Dracula somehow survived their attack and is seeking
revenge? Or is there another, far more sinister force at
work whose relentless purpose is to destroy anything and
anyone associated with Dracula?
Fast-paced, full of
suspense, and rich with historical detail, Dracula: The
Un-Dead is the answer to every vampire fanatic’s prayers.
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