The Historian - Elizabethe Kostova

Fans of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice will love this modern retelling of the Dracula story. Many readers will be aware that Stoker based the monster in his gothic novel on the real life monster that was Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. Kostova takes that idea one step further, by implying that there was something undead about Vlad himself.

Amidst a string of literary fiction, this is one of the most fun novels I have ever read. Whatever condition it is in mankind that draws us to the occult and the legend of the vampire, it is clear that the romance, goth and mystery of the monster is firmly entrenched in western folklore. You won't check under the bed while reading this novel or wonder what is in your closet, but I guarantee that you will smile, questioning Kostova's blending of literature, fiction, folklore, reality and history.