The Historian

Considering the recent rush of door-stopping historical novels, first-timer Kostova is getting a big launchfortunately, a lot here lives up to the hype. In 1972, a 16-year-old American living in Amsterdam finds a mysterious book in her diplomat father's library. The book is ancient, blank except for a sinister woodcut of a dragon and the word "Drakulya," but it's the letters tucked inside, dated 1930 and addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," that really pique her curiosity. Her widowed father, Paul, reluctantly provides pieces of a chilling story; it seems this ominous little book has a way of forcing itself on its owners, with terrifying results. Paul's former adviser at Oxford, Professor Rossi, became obsessed with researching Dracula and was convinced that he remained alive. When Rossi disappeared, Paul continued his quest with the help of another scholar, Helen, who had her own reasons for seeking the truth. As Paul relates these stories to his daughter, she secretly begins her own research. Kostova builds suspense by revealing the threads of her story as the narrator discovers them: what she's told, what she reads in old letters and, of course, what she discovers directly when the legendary threat of Dracula looms. Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too. - Publishers Weekly. VERY GOOD+. Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall. 656 pp

Product Info

ISBN: 0316011770

ISBN-13: 9780316011778

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Year: 2005

Type: Used

Binding: Hardcover

Seller Info

RoundTableBooksLLC

Address: 452 E. Amherst Street Palatine, Illinois

Website: https://www.roundtablebooks.com

Country: United States