The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Book Title: The Historian
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
My Grade: B+
# of Pages: 642
Week Read: Week #47 & #48 (11/19 - 12/3/10)
Summary: "To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history..."
Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a chache of yellowing letters . The letters are addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of- a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known- and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself- to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.
What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed- and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monastaries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign- and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.
Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions- and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers- one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearablely suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable.
My Thoughts: With only a couple issues, this book was a really engaging read. This isn't your typical Dracula, Interview With a Vampire, or *dry heave* Twilight vampire novel. This is a nitty, gritty, down and dirty, realistic, historical romp with vampires popping up here and there. Whether is was accurate or not, I felt that Kostova knew her history as she wrote with such confidence and authority. Instead of the reader having to create and maintain a suspension of disbelief, she does it for them, allowing the reader to delve even further into the book and enjoy it even more.
Of the problems I had with the book the main one was the daughter. As the book progressed further and further, the daughter's purpose became more vague and useless until by the end of the book I had to wonder why she was there in the first place. Her only job seemed to be acting as the conduit for the reader and being the reason the story was told. The story would have still been the same without her, the story could have been told just as easily and fully without her.
I'm, of course, writing this review long after I actually read the book so I'm having trouble recalling specific details. All in all, though, the book was entertaining. The epitome of mystery and thriller with some gothic horror thrown in there to make your heart pump even faster. Taking place throughout the nooks and crannies of Europe's castles and monasterys you will find yourself squinting into the darkness along with the characters, adrenaline pumping for who knows what lies behind that corner? The Historian definitely transports you, and even for those of us who have never been in a place remotely like the ones described in this novel, Kostava brilliantly takes you there and you can visualize everything perfectly thanks to her beautiful descriptions. This doesn't read as a first novel, it reads like Kostava has written novel after novel and this is her crowning achievement.
If you're a mystery/thriller fan, give The Historian a definite try. Once you're in to it, it's not nearly as long as it looks.
Next Book: The Mist by Stephen King • review
Back to the Book List.
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
My Grade: B+
# of Pages: 642
Week Read: Week #47 & #48 (11/19 - 12/3/10)
Summary: "To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history..."
Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a chache of yellowing letters . The letters are addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of- a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known- and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself- to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.
What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed- and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monastaries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign- and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.
Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions- and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers- one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearablely suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable.
My Thoughts: With only a couple issues, this book was a really engaging read. This isn't your typical Dracula, Interview With a Vampire, or *dry heave* Twilight vampire novel. This is a nitty, gritty, down and dirty, realistic, historical romp with vampires popping up here and there. Whether is was accurate or not, I felt that Kostova knew her history as she wrote with such confidence and authority. Instead of the reader having to create and maintain a suspension of disbelief, she does it for them, allowing the reader to delve even further into the book and enjoy it even more.
Of the problems I had with the book the main one was the daughter. As the book progressed further and further, the daughter's purpose became more vague and useless until by the end of the book I had to wonder why she was there in the first place. Her only job seemed to be acting as the conduit for the reader and being the reason the story was told. The story would have still been the same without her, the story could have been told just as easily and fully without her.
I'm, of course, writing this review long after I actually read the book so I'm having trouble recalling specific details. All in all, though, the book was entertaining. The epitome of mystery and thriller with some gothic horror thrown in there to make your heart pump even faster. Taking place throughout the nooks and crannies of Europe's castles and monasterys you will find yourself squinting into the darkness along with the characters, adrenaline pumping for who knows what lies behind that corner? The Historian definitely transports you, and even for those of us who have never been in a place remotely like the ones described in this novel, Kostava brilliantly takes you there and you can visualize everything perfectly thanks to her beautiful descriptions. This doesn't read as a first novel, it reads like Kostava has written novel after novel and this is her crowning achievement.
If you're a mystery/thriller fan, give The Historian a definite try. Once you're in to it, it's not nearly as long as it looks.
Next Book: The Mist by Stephen King • review
Back to the Book List.