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. Now author Fred Saberhagen takes his readers on a tour of the Count's "life" after he tricked his pursuers and faked his own demise. He's returned to England after several years, only to fall prey to a bunch of scientists researching plagues--that is, cultivating and spreading them. He, naturally (or unnaturally), proves immune to the infections and his captors plot to dispose of him. Their loss, but the Count has also lost a sizable portion of his memory, greatly restricting his abilities. In the meantime, the famous Sherlock Holmes has responded to a cry for help and begun investigating the mysterious disappearance of an American doctor in Sumatra and his equally mysterious reappearance in London. The two great literary figures put two and two together to equal a seditious plot to spread sickness across Britain. The greatest surprise of all? Guess which two literary figures somehow look alike?

I've heard of Sherlock Holmes, but I haven't read a lot of his mysteries, barring The Hound of the Baskervilles. Still, I'd say that this author has captured the Holmes that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created. Again and again the great detective observes details that the police and Dr. Watson have missed, and uses these seemingly insignificant details to solve the mysteries. Then, on the other hand, there is Count Dracula who has his own way of finding the information he wants to know. I especially liked the way people were confusing Dracula and Holmes with one another, despite the fact that the two didn't meet until over half-way through the novel. In all honesty, the two characters seemed to be amalgams with each one being predominantly one character while sharing the traits of the other.

I remember reading somewhere--perhaps it was in The Hound of the Baskervilles--that Sherlock Holmes had a brother who was a vampire. The author introduces this fact and does so in such a way as to promote the possible relationship between Dracula and Holmes. Again, I'm not a student of Doyle's works, so I have no idea how he envisioned Sherlock Holmes, but I do recall quite clearly the description of Dracula that Stoker uses. Perhaps Doyle intended this link to develop between his works and Stoker's. Whatever, it makes it easier to accept the basic premise: that Holmes and Dracula are kin.

Yet again, Dracula needs no introduction. To enjoy any of Saberhagen's Dracula novels you need only adjust your mindset and accept that you only know one side of the true story. In the meantime, it is interesting to compare the original Dracula to the one that inhabits Saberhagen's works.

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