A book whose pages are empty of everything except a woodcut of a dragon with the word “Drakulya” and a set of letters, yellowed with age, are both found in her diplomat father’s library. Even more intriguing, the letters are all addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor.” Finding those sets the daughter, unknowingly at first glance, on a search that is as life changing for her as it was for those who came before her. She asks her father about the book and letters, and he reveals to her that, twenty years prior to the 1972 start of the story, he aided his graduate school adviser on a search for Dracula - his story, his life, and whether the dreaded Impaler was still alive in the “modern” age from his own mid-15th century time period in Wallachia. The two stories - the daughter’s and her father’s - share a common ground outside of the search, the book, and the letters, as both intensify after a disappearance - the first the father’s adviser, the second, the father.

What follows is a vivid tour of Europe (on both sides of the then Iron Curtain) and Turkey and a glimpse into the rich tapestry of history that is comprised of the Ottomans, the Orthodox Church, Romania, and even the Soviet Union. The Historian also provides a look into how some “myths” come into being, why they grow and do not die…as well as what happens when a person may come into contact with one of those “myths”, even when that person may not be entirely sure that s/he believes in it.

The Historian is, for this reviewer, the kind of book that provides the best of two worlds - history and vampires. Ms. Kostova blends those worlds together seamlessly into a wonderful tale that could be read again and again. It is told from the viewpoints of the narrator, her father, and his mentor in different ways, and the viewpoints form the flesh to the story’s backbone - Dracula - in a tale that will show something different in each reading. Anyone who loves not only history or a well crafted story but also an exciting look into an oft-told tale, will definitely like The Historian.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316070637
• ISBN-13: 978-0316070638

To purchase a print copy of The Historian from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of The Historian from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of The Historian from Barnes & Noble click here.

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