Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

The Dracula Tapes offered one possible reinterpretation of Bram Stoker's classic novel. The Holmes-Dracula File established a link between Sherlock Holmes and the infamous Count Dracula. An Old Friend of Family finally brought Dracula's story into the present. Well, get ready for a trip between the present and the past as Dracula follows the trail of a painting that once belonged to him. It won't be easy, of course. Now he has a young but old vampire to compete against and an old, mad vampire to deal with. That's not even mentioning the fact that one of his "wards" has wound up inadvertently involved in the entire mess.

I won't deny that this book left me somewhat confused. It is the first time we have a glimpse of Dracula during his living years before he became nosferatu. The confusing part is reconciling the modern Dracula with the Signor Ladislao who enters into a partnership with the Medici family in Florence. After all, the modern Dracula is a calm and controlled individual who never seems to become angry. Vengeful, perhaps, but not overly outraged. The Dracula of the past appears simply as a living version of the present vampire. Dracula himself relates that he was a great warrior, so why doesn't he show more emotion while he's human? I'd at least expect him to display a raging fury when confronted by enemies or thwarted by circumstances, but he just seems to shrug them off. It seems he was inhuman even before he became an Undead.

Other than that gripe, I enjoyed the book. The subject matter might occasionally be uncomfortable and, actually, outright distasteful to some, but it does play a role in the book. The almost casual throw-in of Leonardo da Vinci as the artist that painted the portrait Dracula is after was similarly uncomfortable, especially because I have no idea how faithful to history and fact the reference is. I'll take it on faith, but it's still unsettling. Still, at least the historical items fit in with the rest of the story. They make sense where Morgan Le Fay in An Old Friend of the Family didn't.

Dracula's the hero again, and this time Fred Saberhagen makes him more human--well, he's alive this time anyway--than in the previous books. We see Dracula covet a painting for its sentimental worth to him. That makes it all worthwhile.

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