Sharp on the heels of the critical acclaim for "Jago", Newman turns in yet another masterwork of subtle, surrealistic horror by capitalizing on a brilliant premise: What if the infamous Count Dracula not only escaped fatal impalement but won the heart of Queen Victoria and spread his dark disciples throughout the general population of England? While including a few of the principals from Stoker's original Dracula, such as Godalming (now a vampire) and Dr. Seward, Newman chooses to keep the Lord of the Un-dead securely in the background. Instead, his plot focuses on an investigation of the slaughter and dissection of several un-dead prostitutes as seen through the eyes of Genevieve, a veteran, aristocratic vampiress, and Beauregard, a mortal member of a secret political club. Following their respective trails, Newman navigates a vividly conceived territory of real and imaginary Victorian England in which the likes of Dr. Jekyll, Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde, and even Bram Stoker rub elbows. A delightful, thoroughly entertaining addition to the literature of vampires.
Newman goes over the top in every novel (Night Mayor, Bad Dreams, Jago), each featuring a monstrous overlord of horror unlikely to be dethroned—but this time he leaps to new heights, drawing the Dracula novel that sets a benchmark for vampire fiction. Warning: the blood, well, you can't say it's overdone, for a vampire novel, but two qualities distinguish Newman's story: the immense physiological detail shoring up the reality of the undead, and the gathering sense of the author's enjoyment in what he does here—among other things, his sheer love of chockablock Victorian detail. The plot: Vlad Tepes, or Dracula, did not die as in Bram Stoker but rather survived and, political genius, rose to marry Queen Victoria in 1885 and become her consort. Dracula rules England, with Victoria doglike in a leash at his feet. What's more, it's now fashionable to be a vampire, especially among the nobility, while among the lower orders the change from "warm" to the immortal undead can be bought from any corner whore for the price of a shot of gin or draft of pig's blood at the pub. Jack the Ripper, however, hates undead whores and knows that destroying any vital organ can kill them. Who is Jack? None other that Stoker's Dr. John (Jack) Seward, who helped drive a stake into Lucy Westenra, Stoker's heroine. Jack's gone round the bend, living among a people who look upon vampirism as, well, pretty nice. The police assign Genevieve Dieuxdonne, a vampire detective, herself a half-century older than Dracula, to chase down Jack, assisted by Charles Beauregard, handsome henchman of Conan Doyle's The Diogenes Club, England's Star Chamber. Also on hand: Mycroft Holmes, Dr. Jekyll, anddozens of famed Victorians from literature and real life, all mingling in a fogbound milieu that rubs like cat fur on the reader's imagination. A bloody delight.
"Kim Newman's Anno Dracula is back in print, and we must celebrate. It was the first mash-up of literature, history and vampires, and now, in a world in which vampires are everywhere, it's still the best, and its bite is just as sharp. Compulsory reading, commentary, and mindgame: glorious." - Neil Gaiman
"Politics, horror, and romance are woven together in this brilliantly imagined and realized novel. Newman's prose is a delight, his attention to detail is spellbinding." - Time Out
“Stephen King assumes we hate vampires; Anne Rice makes it safe to love them, because they hate themselves. Kim Newman suspects that most of us live with them… Anno Dracula is the definitive account of that post-modern species, the self-obsessed undead.” - New York Times
“Anno Dracula will leave you breathless... one of the most creative novels of the year.” - Seattle Times
“Powerful... compelling entertainment... a fiendishly clever banquet of dark treats.” - San Francisco Chronicle
'A ripping yarn, an adventure romp of the best blood, and a satisfying… read' - Washington Post Book World
"The most comprehensive, brilliant, dazzlingly audacious vampire novel to date. 'Ultimate' seems an apt description... Anno Dracula is at once playful, horrific, intelligent, and revelatory." - Locus
"A marvelous marriage of political satire, melodramatic intrigue, gothic horror, and alternative history. Not to be missed." - The Independent
"Anno Dracula is the smart, hip Year Zero of the vampire genre's ongoing revolution." - Paul McAuley
"Kim Newman brings Dracula back home in the granddaddy of all vampire adventures. Anno Dracula couldn't be more fun if Bram Stoker had scripted it for Hammer. It's a beautifully constructed Gothic epic that knocks almost every other vampire novel out for the count." - Christopher Fowler
"The most interesting take on the Dracula story... to date. Recommending this one to all those that love Dracula and historical fiction!" - RexRobotReviews
Gothic horror and alternative history combine just as successfully in Newman's classic take on vampires. Never again will the sun rise on the British Empire once Queen Victoria marries Count Dracula. Meanwhile, Jack the Ripper carves up vampire prostitutes. First published in 1992, Anno Dracula, with its cameos by literary luminaries and fictional characters alike, including Oscar Wilde, Dr. Jekyll, and Sherlock Holmes, paved the way for countless such mash-ups. VERDICT History and horror are balanced perfectly in this original take on the vampire canon; it will appeal not only to the bloodthirsty but to the bookish as well.
