Elizabeth Kostova
The Historian (2005)
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Plot Summary:
In 1972, a teenage girl discovers a letter in her father’s study that begins, “To my unfortunate successor…”. Thus begins what some refer to as the “Dracula Code”, a tale that delves into the historical background of Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler. Kostova’s tale interweaves three narratives: that of the teenage daughter of Paul and Helen Rossi, that of the girl’s father Paul circa 1950 when he first stumbles onto the Dracula myth while a graduate student, and that of Paul’s mentor Benjamin Rossi circa 1930. Paul’s daughter is first slowly introduced to the myth of Dracula by her father Paul, but when Paul disappears mysteriously, his daughter begins a quest that will take her from Amsterdam to London to the Pyrenees to Istanbul to Romania as she pieces together clues left by her father and his mentor Benjamin Rossi. It would seem given the clues given by Kostova early on that there is indeed a Dracula, but how Paul and Benjamin fit in is the real mystery. Will Paul’s daughter be able to solve the mystery before she too succumbs to machinations of Count Dracula? Read the book and find out. SPOILER: Paul has gone off to find his mentor Benjamin Rossi whom he believes has been abducted by Dracula. He does not want his daughter involved for a reason I’ll not tell. In the end, Dracula’s true his history is revealed and his coffin is discovered. Paul is reunited with his daughter and his long-lost love, Helen.
Geographical Setting: Paris, the Pyrenees, Bulgaria, Romania, Istanbul, Oxford, Chicago
Time Period: Modern day (2004)
Appeal Characteristics:
This is a thoroughly researched tale devoted to the legend of Vlad the Impaler (aka Count Dracula), and fans of vampire tales will likely enjoy this lengthy tome. It is sometimes included in read-alike lists for the The Da Vinci Code as it involves a series of cryptic clues that lead the protagonist to places of significance in the vampire all across western and eastern Europe. The story is also told from multiple perspectives, and the change of voice is, at times, refreshing. The story begins quickly, and the first half is rather quick-paced. The story does slow a bit in the third act, but picks up again for the finish. The story is definitely plot-driven, though Kostova’s main characters are fleshed out quite well. The story includes a lot of dialogue though there is also a lot of emphasis on the history of Vlad and what happened to his body after his death (i.e. where is the coffin of Dracula).
Read-alikes: Being an international, semi-historical thriller, this book is often recommended as a read-alike to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. You might try other Dan Brown titles, or perhaps Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and other Brown read-alikes. Also consider the myriad number of vampire tales out there like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, etc.
Red Flags: There are some descriptions of the results of violent acts but no descriptions of them being committed.
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