Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Timun Mas
Description
For a dark decade, Dracula has ruled the British Empire, unchecked. Now, on the verge of his Tin Jubilee, forces are gathering to challenge his insidious reign. In London, vampire journalist Kate Reed has been summoned to a meeting with the Council of the Seven Days, a secret cabal dedicated to destroying Dracula. Meanwhile, the sinister Lord of Strange Deaths is planning to use the Jubilee celebrations for his own nefarious act of sedition. This all-new adventure written by Kim Newman and drawn by Paul McCaffrey, sees master storyteller Kim Newman's vast cast of characters explore the terrifying reality of a world ruled by the deadliest vampire of all times.
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This grew on me. It's an alternate universe of Stoker's Dracula, where he survived Van Helsing and marries the widowed Queen Victoria. I had some resistance to this premise--this was an age where a constitutional crises was caused by Victoria wanting to retain her ladies in waiting--I couldn't
However, it's a great romp, in the spirit of the best fan fiction, and I don't mean that disparagingly. Characters that appear include many historical figures and fictional characters from the world of Sherlock Holmes such as Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft and Moriarty and Colonel Moran, Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Welles' Dr Moreau, Merrick the "Elephant Man" the poets Swinburne and Oscar Wilde--and most important to the plot--Jack the Ripper I'm sure I didn't catch a quarter of the historical and literary allusions.
Also, in vampire works you tend to have either monsters or very humanized creatures--this had an interesting mix of both, as it was posited there are different blood lines of vampires, and that of Dracula was corrupted. Dracula himself appears only at the end, but it particularly memorable, an image out of Dante.
I liked the main (I think) original characters, Genevieve, a vampire from the time of Joan of Arc, and Beauregard, one of the "warms" who has yet to turn. This is part of a series I'd certainly be interested in continuing, although a friend whose judgment I trust say they don't hold up to the charm of the first book.
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imagine her being allowed to marry Dracula, or the changes that followed which are written of being started by the crown--nor could I understand why it didn't touch off war, civil and international. However, it's a great romp, in the spirit of the best fan fiction, and I don't mean that disparagingly. Characters that appear include many historical figures and fictional characters from the world of Sherlock Holmes such as Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft and Moriarty and Colonel Moran, Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Welles' Dr Moreau, Merrick the "Elephant Man" the poets Swinburne and Oscar Wilde--and most important to the plot--Jack the Ripper I'm sure I didn't catch a quarter of the historical and literary allusions.
Also, in vampire works you tend to have either monsters or very humanized creatures--this had an interesting mix of both, as it was posited there are different blood lines of vampires, and that of Dracula was corrupted. Dracula himself appears only at the end, but it particularly memorable, an image out of Dante.
I liked the main (I think) original characters, Genevieve, a vampire from the time of Joan of Arc, and Beauregard, one of the "warms" who has yet to turn. This is part of a series I'd certainly be interested in continuing, although a friend whose judgment I trust say they don't hold up to the charm of the first book.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
I have chosen to work in Whitechapel because it is the ugliest region of the city. The superficialities which some say make Dracula's rule tolerable are at their thinnest. With vampire sluts baying for blood on every corner and befuddled or dead men littering cramped streets, one can see the true,
On the day his engagement to his dead wife's cousin is announced, Charles Beauregard is summoned to the Diogenes Club and given a new mission, to hunt down the killer of vampire prostitutes known as Silver Knife. Recently returned from abroad, Beauregard is unused to the new status quo, where Dracula rules the British Empire due to his marriage to Queen Victoria, and Londoners rich and poor are 'turning' in increasing numbers, he comes across Geneviève Dieudonné, a vampire even older than Dracula and of a less decadent line, and she joins him in his quest.
A very enjoyable story, where almost every character who appears is from Victorian history or literature, from Florence Stoker, still running her weekly salons despite the danger she is in due to her husband's notorious book, to Sherlock Holmes incarcerated in a concentration camp outside London.
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worm-eaten face of what has been wrought.On the day his engagement to his dead wife's cousin is announced, Charles Beauregard is summoned to the Diogenes Club and given a new mission, to hunt down the killer of vampire prostitutes known as Silver Knife. Recently returned from abroad, Beauregard is unused to the new status quo, where Dracula rules the British Empire due to his marriage to Queen Victoria, and Londoners rich and poor are 'turning' in increasing numbers, he comes across Geneviève Dieudonné, a vampire even older than Dracula and of a less decadent line, and she joins him in his quest.
A very enjoyable story, where almost every character who appears is from Victorian history or literature, from Florence Stoker, still running her weekly salons despite the danger she is in due to her husband's notorious book, to Sherlock Holmes incarcerated in a concentration camp outside London.
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LibraryThing member Cynara
I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into Anno Dracula, but Newman drew me in, and the book wasn't what I expected at all.
Some of the Victorian-fiction-crossover stuff would have been more exciting if I hadn't read Planetary and, most of all, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen first, but Newman's
Good and evil aren't as clear as they may seem at first. It wasn't plot-driven, either, which surprised me. Familiarity with Victorian pop fiction (or just the comic books I mentioned above) will increase the reader's enjoyment, though I wouldn't say they're necessary. I plan to follow on to the next book in the series, especially as the ending was a bit abrupt.
Some of the Victorian-fiction-crossover stuff would have been more exciting if I hadn't read Planetary and, most of all, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen first, but Newman's
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interest is different than Ellis' and Moore's. In fact, while he does give us interesting, complex characters, he spends more time than I expected seriously thinking through the social and political ramifications of a London infested with vampires. Good and evil aren't as clear as they may seem at first. It wasn't plot-driven, either, which surprised me. Familiarity with Victorian pop fiction (or just the comic books I mentioned above) will increase the reader's enjoyment, though I wouldn't say they're necessary. I plan to follow on to the next book in the series, especially as the ending was a bit abrupt.
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LibraryThing member lewispike
So the end of Dracula got rewritten. Much fun ensues in this series.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Blending many stories of the period and fact together this is the story of Charles Beauregard and Genevieve Dieudonne's investigation into the Jack the Ripper Murders. Jack is targeting vampires and this is destabilising things in an England where not only did Van Helsing fail but Dracula became
Interesting and I'd like to find more information about some of the sources.
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the Prince Consort! Beauregard is working for the Diogenes Club, but what their motives are is unknown.Interesting and I'd like to find more information about some of the sources.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Anno Dracula is really a novel of alternate history, but done with a difference. Not only has Victorian England and the rest of the world been altered, but fictional characters, places and events that were established as being in that period were also altered.
The premise of the book is that Vlad
At the opening of the story, Jack the Ripper, whose identity is disclosed in the first chapter, has made it his business to go around seeking out the prostitutes who now sell their favors for a drink of blood. He has much more intense reasons for eliminating the vampires, but I won't go into that here. Since no one in the story knows who he is, though, the police are called in, as is an elder vampire who looks like she's 16 named Genevieve Dieuxdonne. She works in a clinic/halfway house type place right there in Whitechapel. But the police aren't the only ones interested in capturing Jack; remember your Mycroft Holmes & his Diogenes club? It was an ultra secret organization that stepped in to do jobs too delicate for the police or other statesmen. Anyway, Charles Beauregard, who belongs to the group, is also called upon to find Jack, but what he doesn't know is that there is a plan at work at the same time to free England of its vampire leader.
The novel was fun but a little tedious at times, but overall it was a fun read with a good, well-orchestrated plot. I've seen this novel reviewed as being "over the top," and it is, but heck...it's fiction and it's about vampires. Just read & enjoy.
The premise of the book is that Vlad
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Tepes, better known as Count Dracula, was not killed off as happened in Bram Stoker's work, but went on and ued his princely skills and mind hold to get into the British court by marrying Queen Victoria in the late 1880s. Now known as the Prince Consort, good old Vlad is running the empire. He is supported by a group of Carpathian thugs who are not hesitant about carrying on Vlad's old practice of impaling his enemies and leaving their bodies to serve as reminders to others who would go against him. This was, sadly, the fate of Van Helsing. Furthermore, whereas you'd think the upper crust of British society & nobility would shun something out of the realm of their experience, it has become very cool to be a vampire. Not everyone has turned; those who are just regular humans are known as "warms."At the opening of the story, Jack the Ripper, whose identity is disclosed in the first chapter, has made it his business to go around seeking out the prostitutes who now sell their favors for a drink of blood. He has much more intense reasons for eliminating the vampires, but I won't go into that here. Since no one in the story knows who he is, though, the police are called in, as is an elder vampire who looks like she's 16 named Genevieve Dieuxdonne. She works in a clinic/halfway house type place right there in Whitechapel. But the police aren't the only ones interested in capturing Jack; remember your Mycroft Holmes & his Diogenes club? It was an ultra secret organization that stepped in to do jobs too delicate for the police or other statesmen. Anyway, Charles Beauregard, who belongs to the group, is also called upon to find Jack, but what he doesn't know is that there is a plan at work at the same time to free England of its vampire leader.
The novel was fun but a little tedious at times, but overall it was a fun read with a good, well-orchestrated plot. I've seen this novel reviewed as being "over the top," and it is, but heck...it's fiction and it's about vampires. Just read & enjoy.
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LibraryThing member spidermansays
This is a really intriguing concept and I enjoyed it overall, but I found it a bit long and wasn't sure of the point of certain plot threads.
LibraryThing member barpurple
An all encompasing tribute to the Gothic tradition. I can't think of any of the classics from this genre that aren't nodded to, however briefly, at some point in the narrative.
LibraryThing member clfisha
Set in an alternative err.. literary reality where Dracula won the fight, wooed Queen Victoria to rule the British Empire, spread his vampire get everywhere and stuck Van Helsing’s head on a pole, but amongst the social upheaval and civil unrest someone is viciously murdering vampire prostitutes
1st in a trilogy (the other two are very good by the way) we get a fun, adventure read packed to the brim with literary and historical characters. Ok there is much fun spotting them (or googling) but the story holds up on its own, nor do you have to have to be familiar with Dracula or Jack the Ripper it’s just a rollicking good story.
Well researched historical London meshes wonderfully with its myth to create a evocative smog ridden London that lives large in your imagination, it’s just such a good idea. The characters, invented or not are delightful from pure dastardly villains to conflicted killers, from strong heroines to eminently uptight Victorian ladies.
Because its Newman there is some horror elements but nothing too intense. The plot seemed a bit too gently paced, more layering the story and building tension than a non stop action page turner but, although I feared it might become dull it never did.
All in all a damn fine read and one I recommend to horror/urban fantasy fans, lovers of Vicotoriana /Vampires and appreciators of literary mash-ups.
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and that is starting to capture the publics imagination…1st in a trilogy (the other two are very good by the way) we get a fun, adventure read packed to the brim with literary and historical characters. Ok there is much fun spotting them (or googling) but the story holds up on its own, nor do you have to have to be familiar with Dracula or Jack the Ripper it’s just a rollicking good story.
Well researched historical London meshes wonderfully with its myth to create a evocative smog ridden London that lives large in your imagination, it’s just such a good idea. The characters, invented or not are delightful from pure dastardly villains to conflicted killers, from strong heroines to eminently uptight Victorian ladies.
Because its Newman there is some horror elements but nothing too intense. The plot seemed a bit too gently paced, more layering the story and building tension than a non stop action page turner but, although I feared it might become dull it never did.
All in all a damn fine read and one I recommend to horror/urban fantasy fans, lovers of Vicotoriana /Vampires and appreciators of literary mash-ups.
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LibraryThing member ScribbleKey
After reading Sherlock Holmes and the Army of Doctor Moreau (by a different author), I was really pumped for this one. It seemed to be a similar style book. I got 50 pages in, though, and couldn't figure out who was who or what was going on. New characters kept being introduced, but there was no
It seems that others reviewed it relatively well, so it's probably just me and my style that is incompatible. Too bad! I had high hopes for this one and others by this author.
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way to figure out their relationships with others or why they were significant. I've got so many great books in my to-read list, I can't put in more time with something that I'm really not enjoying.It seems that others reviewed it relatively well, so it's probably just me and my style that is incompatible. Too bad! I had high hopes for this one and others by this author.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Ick. I bought this based on multiple LT reviews and just a few chapters into it, I can't go on. It's insipid and melodramatic and what is with all the name dropping? It's one thing to insert an occasional fictional or historical character into a novel, but this is ridiculous. Besides that the plot
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is absolutley the least compelling I've come across. I don't care enough to read another word. Glad I only paid like $5 for this. Show Less
LibraryThing member JonArnold
Anno Dracula was a novel ahead of its time; in the 90s it was in the vanguard of metatextual art, beating Alan Moore to the punch by taking icons of Victorian fiction and Victoriana and swirling it into a heady brew of alternative fictional history. As a result it’s aged rather well; the
The essential premise of the book concerns the second half of the original Dracula novel being tweaked so that the Count ended victorious; the alternate history is one in which he is now the de facto ruler of the UK and where society is being shaped around a vampiric takeover of society; from the upper echelons to prostitutes. Newman has great fun with this, with the way vampires infiltrate the administrative structure a tart comment on how society essentially still works (and with the plot twist being equally perspicacious in how these upstarts are regarded). The question of vampire/human intercourse is also addressed at length and often fairly graphically. In short this is a beautifully worked out backdrop which Newman enjoys exploring.
This exploration never comes at the expense of the story. The plot which powers the book is a fairly obvious one for the period – the Jack the Ripper murders for a vampire society. The suspect is never a secret, and indeed his identity generates plenty of tension through the book. The central pairing of detectives are both well drawn, with at least one of them carrying a motivation even they don’t suspect at first. It all rounds off with a beautifully executed twist which makes perfect sense of certain seemingly off-kilter elements in the tale.
This reprint was rounded out with several essays from Newman, an extra short story and a script for a potential movie adaptation. None of it’s essential, and possibly only the first essay really enhances the experience of the novel. Nevertheless, it’s as adeptly handled and often nearly as much fun as Moore’s take of a few years later.
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historical setting and literary collage approach mean it hasn’t particularly dated and indeed seems quite modern. The essential premise of the book concerns the second half of the original Dracula novel being tweaked so that the Count ended victorious; the alternate history is one in which he is now the de facto ruler of the UK and where society is being shaped around a vampiric takeover of society; from the upper echelons to prostitutes. Newman has great fun with this, with the way vampires infiltrate the administrative structure a tart comment on how society essentially still works (and with the plot twist being equally perspicacious in how these upstarts are regarded). The question of vampire/human intercourse is also addressed at length and often fairly graphically. In short this is a beautifully worked out backdrop which Newman enjoys exploring.
This exploration never comes at the expense of the story. The plot which powers the book is a fairly obvious one for the period – the Jack the Ripper murders for a vampire society. The suspect is never a secret, and indeed his identity generates plenty of tension through the book. The central pairing of detectives are both well drawn, with at least one of them carrying a motivation even they don’t suspect at first. It all rounds off with a beautifully executed twist which makes perfect sense of certain seemingly off-kilter elements in the tale.
This reprint was rounded out with several essays from Newman, an extra short story and a script for a potential movie adaptation. None of it’s essential, and possibly only the first essay really enhances the experience of the novel. Nevertheless, it’s as adeptly handled and often nearly as much fun as Moore’s take of a few years later.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
This was the first book I'd read by Newman, although at my book club meeting I was reminded that I *had* read a long short-story by him, "Coppola's Dracula" - which I distinctly disliked. I had mixed feelings about this book. It's an alternate history of what might have happened when the vampire
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Dracula arrived in England. Here, Dracula takes over, vampires infiltrate all levels of society, and regular people just have to deal with the consequences in their daily lives. The book didn't annoy me in the way that many alternate history stories which feature known characters do - probably because, is this case, most of the 'known characters' that appear in this version of the story of Dracula, are fictional. However, I felt that Newman failed to actually concentrate on his story because he was so busy trying to jam in appearances by and references to all kinds of fictional vampires from a host of sources. He expects his readers to be vampire fans, and therefore, lets characterization fall by the wayside - after all, people already *know* these characters. (And indeed, the two people in my book club who are Victorianists DID feel that they already knew the characters.) But for me, the only character who really stood out was that of Genevieve - a Newman original, but apparently, a character that he'd invented for another novel altogether. Odd. Still, I thought that the mergings of the stories of Dracula, Jack the Ripper and Jekyll & Hyde was rather well-done... and there were a lot of quite funny observations of what would happen if vampires took over... Show Less
LibraryThing member Mrs_McGreevy
Here’s another really cool vampire book out there that you won’t see unless you get really lucky at the used bookstore: Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula. Imagine a world where the Fearless Vampire Hunters failed and Dracula survived. Now imagine that the Romanian Count became the Prince Consort to
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the widowed Queen Victoria. The sudden high profile of vampires (many of whom you’ve met before) draws hundreds of the undead to England, creating a whole new class system. In the midst of all of this class upheaval, a madman begins murdering the vampire prostitutes of Whitechapel. There are cameos from both real and fictional characters from the time period, and Newman’s writing is graceful and compelling. It’s a terrific read, so start haunting your favorite used bookstore now. Show Less
LibraryThing member Heather_Brock
Really enjoyed this book! I loved the execution in melding an alternate history of Dracula and Jack the Ripper. I also enjoyed seeing familiar characters, some having little or nothing to do with vampires (Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde), make appearances in ways that did not feel overly contrived or
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stretched to me. What a fun story! Show Less
LibraryThing member rickklaw
Dracula defeats Van Helsing and becomes the Prince consort to Queen Victoria. Some mysterious stranger is mutilating and killing the vampiric prostitutes of Whitechapel. All this happens before you even open Anno Dracula. Kim Newman's masterpiece deserves more attention and it sure doesn't deserve
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to be out of print. It is literary what if at its finest. Show Less
LibraryThing member williemeikle
1888 London, and Dracula is hanging out with Queen Victoria, while in Whitechapel, prostitutes are dying strange bloody deaths...
It's obvious that the author had a lot of fun writing this, and I had just as much reading it. Historical fact mixed with Newman's particular sense of whimsy and walk on
The ending comes a bit too quickly, and old Drac becomes a bit of a comic parody of a vampire lord, but all in all I lovd it.
It's obvious that the author had a lot of fun writing this, and I had just as much reading it. Historical fact mixed with Newman's particular sense of whimsy and walk on
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parts from fictional characters from the Victorian era, it's a tremendous mixture. The ending comes a bit too quickly, and old Drac becomes a bit of a comic parody of a vampire lord, but all in all I lovd it.
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LibraryThing member sprainedbrain
There are so many things I really liked about this book, and yet somehow, it just wasn't as awesome as I had hoped. An alternate history, where Dracula is realm but Van Helsing failed to kill him... Queen Victoria has remarried and now Vlad is the prince consort, vampires are out and people are
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choosing to turn, England is a bloody police state, and Jack the Ripper is at large. I enjoyed the mix of real and fictional characters, but it got to be a bit too much. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladyars
Great book if you like alternate history and vampires.
LibraryThing member Mary_Overton
Mash-up alternate history of Victorian London during the year 1888. Captivating vampire/crime story for readers up on their Victorian era lit and history. Daunting for the less knowledgeable. Wikipedia to the rescue. It was a long, challenging read for me, but highly rewarding, one of those
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absorbing mountain climbs of a book that leave the reader exhilarated. Show Less
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Vampires are the norm, Dracula is married to Queen Victoria & Jack the Ripper is killing vampire prostitutes. A cool mix of real historical and literary figures in this alternate universe.
LibraryThing member PuddinTame
I was really enjoying this book, until I got the end, which I thought was completely clumsy and over-the-top. I was so mad, I swore never to read a Kim Smith again.
Contrary to what some people advise, I am not willing to say, well, I enjoyed most of it, and the ending doesn't ruin that.
Contrary to what some people advise, I am not willing to say, well, I enjoyed most of it, and the ending doesn't ruin that.
Subjects
Awards
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 1993)
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Novel — 1993)
International Horror Guild Award (Winner — Novel — 1994)
Lord Ruthven Award (Fiction — 1993)
Prix Ozone (1999)
Language
Original publication date
1992
ISBN
8448042018 / 9788448042011