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The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing
Professor Abraham Van Helsing was the fictional creation of Bram Stoker for his dark work of fantasy Dracula--or was he?
Fragments of a recently discovered journal suggest otherwise.
For the first time, in his own words, the legendary vampire hunter tells his own story
- his background and early years
- his research in Rumania and the Mideast
- his medical work
-and most importantly his discovery of perhaps the greatest threat to man's dominion on earth, vampires.
Filled with data to inform, and tips to educate, the journal is more than a study of vampirism. It is also the story of a man's obsession with eradicating the world of its greatest scourge, a dark evil that claimed his wife in its thrall.
Working with the textural fragments he inherited from his grandfather, Professor Allen Conrad Kupfer, has managed to piece together the story behind the story that did not begin and end with Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Fragments of a recently discovered journal suggest otherwise.
For the first time, in his own words, the legendary vampire hunter tells his own story
- his background and early years
- his research in Rumania and the Mideast
- his medical work
-and most importantly his discovery of perhaps the greatest threat to man's dominion on earth, vampires.
Filled with data to inform, and tips to educate, the journal is more than a study of vampirism. It is also the story of a man's obsession with eradicating the world of its greatest scourge, a dark evil that claimed his wife in its thrall.
Working with the textural fragments he inherited from his grandfather, Professor Allen Conrad Kupfer, has managed to piece together the story behind the story that did not begin and end with Bram Stoker's Dracula.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
16 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
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December 9, 2022
Allen C. Kupfer teaches English at Long Island's Nassau Community College. From childhood on, as he explains here in his Introduction, he was also an avid reader of macabre fiction and comics, and by his teenaged years, a big fan of horror/monster movies. All of this background shows in this novel, though the Introduction sets forth the literary conceit that it's actually a journal by Prof. Van Helsing, of Dracula fame, purportedly describing events from shortly before as well as after those chronicled by Stoker. (Supposedly, neither book is fiction.) This journal, we're told, was in the possession of Kupfer's paternal grandfather, who was Van Helsing's close friend and colleague, and who also supposedly sprinkles the text with his own marginal notes. Kupfer occasionally adds a "footnote" in his own voice. The intended effect is to approximate Stoker's epistolary style, though I wouldn't say that his diction is particularly reminiscent of Stoker's. As far as it goes, the basic idea behind the novel strikes me as a good one. But it suffers from comparison with the original, because Kupfer's literary gifts are nowhere near as great as Stoker's.
Whereas Dracula is a work of some 326 pages (in the Dover edition), this book is much shorter, at 204. (And they're smaller pages, and often interspersed with black-and-white drawings, which do enhance the text but also take up space.) With far fewer narrative voices, less character development, less texture, and significantly less emotional build-up, it impressed me as a relatively weaker takeoff on the 1897 novel. Kupfer attempts to compensate for this by greatly ratcheting up the grisly-gory mayhem (two scenes in particular offer something more like the carnage level associated with the excesses of modern schlock "horror" than anything the classical writers in the tradition would have been comfortable with). The compensation isn't effective; at least to my taste, it doesn't deliver anything as emotionally evocative as the "less is more" approach would. But unlike many modern vampire fiction writers, he does hew to the older idea of the vampire as "automaton of malevolent blood thirst," rather than a personality with a mind, will, conscience and values at least somewhat continuous with his/her pre-Undead self. (Other things being equal, I personally prefer the latter approach; but you won't find it here. :-( )
Besides the occasional typo (one of them jarring!), there's an editorial snafu that creates confusion as to the date of the story. Van Helsing's journal starts on July 19, 1885. On July 25, we jump to 1886 --but only six days have passed since the book started! In these six days, our hero gets his first acquaintance with vampirism. The events of Dracula (during which he supposedly left his journal in Amsterdam) are slotted into late 1885 --or 1886, depending on which July date you take as correct!-- which doesn't directly contradict Stoker, who didn't date any of the entries in his famous novel by year. But the impression the earlier writer gives is that the events there take place in his present; he also creates the impression that Van Helsing's knowledge of vampirism is long-standing, and while he mentions his insane wife only in passing, we get the idea that her condition is also of some duration. So while not explicitly contradictory, Kupfer's treatment of the material here has a discontinuous feel, as does the "feel" of Van Helsing's character. His speaking style is different here (there's also no real explanation for why he and colleague Daniel Kupfer are writing in English, not Dutch), he doesn't have the same degree of gravitas and religious conviction, and he appears to be younger. (Neither book states his age.) One point, however, IS a contradiction. In Kupfer's treatment, anyone who's merely bitten once by a vampire becomes a vampire. In Stoker's, that kind of transformation requires actually having enough of your blood sucked out that you die from it. (To Kupfer's credit, though, he's faithful enough to his model not to claim, like Fred Saberhagen in The Holmes-Dracula File, that Dracula actually survived his clash with Van Helsing.)
Overall, I liked this book well enough as a short passing diversion. But it's not nearly as substantial a contribution to vampire literature as it could have been had the author given it more depth and development.
Whereas Dracula is a work of some 326 pages (in the Dover edition), this book is much shorter, at 204. (And they're smaller pages, and often interspersed with black-and-white drawings, which do enhance the text but also take up space.) With far fewer narrative voices, less character development, less texture, and significantly less emotional build-up, it impressed me as a relatively weaker takeoff on the 1897 novel. Kupfer attempts to compensate for this by greatly ratcheting up the grisly-gory mayhem (two scenes in particular offer something more like the carnage level associated with the excesses of modern schlock "horror" than anything the classical writers in the tradition would have been comfortable with). The compensation isn't effective; at least to my taste, it doesn't deliver anything as emotionally evocative as the "less is more" approach would. But unlike many modern vampire fiction writers, he does hew to the older idea of the vampire as "automaton of malevolent blood thirst," rather than a personality with a mind, will, conscience and values at least somewhat continuous with his/her pre-Undead self. (Other things being equal, I personally prefer the latter approach; but you won't find it here. :-( )
Besides the occasional typo (one of them jarring!), there's an editorial snafu that creates confusion as to the date of the story. Van Helsing's journal starts on July 19, 1885. On July 25, we jump to 1886 --but only six days have passed since the book started! In these six days, our hero gets his first acquaintance with vampirism. The events of Dracula (during which he supposedly left his journal in Amsterdam) are slotted into late 1885 --or 1886, depending on which July date you take as correct!-- which doesn't directly contradict Stoker, who didn't date any of the entries in his famous novel by year. But the impression the earlier writer gives is that the events there take place in his present; he also creates the impression that Van Helsing's knowledge of vampirism is long-standing, and while he mentions his insane wife only in passing, we get the idea that her condition is also of some duration. So while not explicitly contradictory, Kupfer's treatment of the material here has a discontinuous feel, as does the "feel" of Van Helsing's character. His speaking style is different here (there's also no real explanation for why he and colleague Daniel Kupfer are writing in English, not Dutch), he doesn't have the same degree of gravitas and religious conviction, and he appears to be younger. (Neither book states his age.) One point, however, IS a contradiction. In Kupfer's treatment, anyone who's merely bitten once by a vampire becomes a vampire. In Stoker's, that kind of transformation requires actually having enough of your blood sucked out that you die from it. (To Kupfer's credit, though, he's faithful enough to his model not to claim, like Fred Saberhagen in The Holmes-Dracula File, that Dracula actually survived his clash with Van Helsing.)
Overall, I liked this book well enough as a short passing diversion. But it's not nearly as substantial a contribution to vampire literature as it could have been had the author given it more depth and development.
July 14, 2022
Ho letto questo libro quasi per caso e ora lo consiglierei a tutti!
L’ho trovato una scelta di finzione letteraria molto ardita e azzeccata.
Parte tutto dalla scelta del nipote di Daniel Kupfer, amico e collega del professor van Helsing, di pubblicare il diario del nonno, che ha ritrovato in soffitta in vecchi scatoloni, e su cui si dice molto scettico (anche se le ultimissime parole fanno immaginare qualcosa di leggermente diverso).
Leggiamo quindi le parole scritte dal professore direttamente, ma anche le annotazioni a margine fatte dal nonno, che avrebbe abbandonato la nonna quando era incinta di suo padre, ma anche le sue in nota.
Pensare a questa come la storia del personaggio di cui abbiamo fatto la conoscenza in Dracula e le motivazioni della sua ricerca sui vampiri, il suo percorso di ricerca e lotta e anche fuga poi, e la conclusione crea un’atmosfera molto particolare.
La storia inizia in sordina ma a un certo punto diventa qualcosa di talmente spaventoso al punto che non lo avrei mai immaginato tale, perché in effetti di scene forti non ce ne sono tante, ma tutta la sensazione di oppressione che lo accompagna e la fuga, e come qui i vampiri prendano quasi il sopravvento sul mondo “civile” è tanto angosciante.
Inoltre vengono passate (e anche viene fatta qualche riflessione dal nipote su alcune di esse) alcune delle credenze intorno a questa figura e ne viene introdotta una nuova che non avevo mai sentito che non vi svelo per non rovinarvi la sorpresa.
Ho apprezzato anche come venga lasciato il dubbio fino alla fine.
Bella lettura davvero!
L’ho trovato una scelta di finzione letteraria molto ardita e azzeccata.
Parte tutto dalla scelta del nipote di Daniel Kupfer, amico e collega del professor van Helsing, di pubblicare il diario del nonno, che ha ritrovato in soffitta in vecchi scatoloni, e su cui si dice molto scettico (anche se le ultimissime parole fanno immaginare qualcosa di leggermente diverso).
Leggiamo quindi le parole scritte dal professore direttamente, ma anche le annotazioni a margine fatte dal nonno, che avrebbe abbandonato la nonna quando era incinta di suo padre, ma anche le sue in nota.
Pensare a questa come la storia del personaggio di cui abbiamo fatto la conoscenza in Dracula e le motivazioni della sua ricerca sui vampiri, il suo percorso di ricerca e lotta e anche fuga poi, e la conclusione crea un’atmosfera molto particolare.
La storia inizia in sordina ma a un certo punto diventa qualcosa di talmente spaventoso al punto che non lo avrei mai immaginato tale, perché in effetti di scene forti non ce ne sono tante, ma tutta la sensazione di oppressione che lo accompagna e la fuga, e come qui i vampiri prendano quasi il sopravvento sul mondo “civile” è tanto angosciante.
Inoltre vengono passate (e anche viene fatta qualche riflessione dal nipote su alcune di esse) alcune delle credenze intorno a questa figura e ne viene introdotta una nuova che non avevo mai sentito che non vi svelo per non rovinarvi la sorpresa.
Ho apprezzato anche come venga lasciato il dubbio fino alla fine.
Bella lettura davvero!
June 14, 2018
Out-freaking-standing! This one makes you THINK, & gives you plenty of back story into Van Helsing. HIGHLY recommend this little gem to anyone who enjoys vampire lore! It reads like a journal, & even though poor Van Helsing himself loses everything, we are fascinated by his story, & intrigued by Daniel's notes at the bottom of the pages. The sketches are well done, haunting & creepy. This is a short novella, but it will grab you, shake you, & give you insights. The parallel with Sesame Street's beloved Count was one that I didn't even know existed, & my mind was completely blown.
May 20, 2017
I picked up this gem at a book sale forever and a day ago. Since then it has sadly been sitting collecting dust. Mostly because books likes these are one of my weakness. Gothic tales are my favorite, especially the original stories from the Victorian era. So I'm always on the lookout for retellings, or add-ons, to those stories I grew up loving. The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing fit that bill to the letter. While packing for my trip it seemed like the perfect book to read in between whatever mischief I was going to be getting up to with my brother.
This is the story about how Abraham Van Helsing first learned about the vampire plague spreading across the globe. How the Professor became trapped into the world of the damned, and why he arrived in London to help fight against Dracula.
With all of the different mythos surrounding vampires these day because of TV shows and movies, it was nice to get back to the original mythology of these creatures. While some of their weaknesses have transcended from books to screen, a few of them have not. For example, anytime seeds are spilled on the ground the undead are compelled to stop and count them all. It's a small thing that even I had forgotten until diving back into the world of Dracula.
As for the story itself, I felt like the story flowed well. At times there are three different narrators, Van Helsing, Daniel Kupfer, and Professor Allen C. Kupfer. The shifts of each narration is easy to follow. I never had to take a step back to figure who was talking. I didn't mind the notes that Daniel Kupfer adds to Van Helsing's journal. They had an outside view at how Abraham changes from his visit to Dr. Borescu and his introduction to the vampire plague. It also adds a bit to how the world viewed those changes as madness. However I felt the footnotes that were added by Professor Kupfer were not really needed. Occasionally humorous, but really needed.
I was also a bit bummed that the journal skipped everything that happened to Abraham Van Helsing in London when he went up against Dracula. Whether this was a for copyright reasons, or an editing choice, I'm unaware. There was mention of the evens and references Dracula himself, but for the most part it felt ignored. Like it was something that Van Helsing went through, but no reason was given as to why he left no notes or entries about the events in London and Transylvania.
While it was good to see that after the events in London Van Helsing didn't stop trying to put an end to the plague sweeping the world, and to see him so close to answers. However, the ending itself felt a little rushed. As a whole I wasn't upset with how it ended. In fact I like that was sort of an open ending. Is Van Helsing alive or dead? Was he undead? I like that you don't really know, but the events themselves a bit a rushed. In fact I had to read the last few pages a couple of times because I felt like a missed pages, or maybe misread something. I had a lot of questions about how all of those events unfolded that never really got answered.
All-in-all, it was fun afternoon of reading. It made me want to pick up Dracula again and reread it. For what is probably the hundredth time by now. While not one of my favorites in the Dracula genre, The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fun read.
This review and others can be found at my blog, Bookish Whispers!
This is the story about how Abraham Van Helsing first learned about the vampire plague spreading across the globe. How the Professor became trapped into the world of the damned, and why he arrived in London to help fight against Dracula.
With all of the different mythos surrounding vampires these day because of TV shows and movies, it was nice to get back to the original mythology of these creatures. While some of their weaknesses have transcended from books to screen, a few of them have not. For example, anytime seeds are spilled on the ground the undead are compelled to stop and count them all. It's a small thing that even I had forgotten until diving back into the world of Dracula.
As for the story itself, I felt like the story flowed well. At times there are three different narrators, Van Helsing, Daniel Kupfer, and Professor Allen C. Kupfer. The shifts of each narration is easy to follow. I never had to take a step back to figure who was talking. I didn't mind the notes that Daniel Kupfer adds to Van Helsing's journal. They had an outside view at how Abraham changes from his visit to Dr. Borescu and his introduction to the vampire plague. It also adds a bit to how the world viewed those changes as madness. However I felt the footnotes that were added by Professor Kupfer were not really needed. Occasionally humorous, but really needed.
I was also a bit bummed that the journal skipped everything that happened to Abraham Van Helsing in London when he went up against Dracula. Whether this was a for copyright reasons, or an editing choice, I'm unaware. There was mention of the evens and references Dracula himself, but for the most part it felt ignored. Like it was something that Van Helsing went through, but no reason was given as to why he left no notes or entries about the events in London and Transylvania.
While it was good to see that after the events in London Van Helsing didn't stop trying to put an end to the plague sweeping the world, and to see him so close to answers. However, the ending itself felt a little rushed. As a whole I wasn't upset with how it ended. In fact I like that was sort of an open ending. Is Van Helsing alive or dead? Was he undead? I like that you don't really know, but the events themselves a bit a rushed. In fact I had to read the last few pages a couple of times because I felt like a missed pages, or maybe misread something. I had a lot of questions about how all of those events unfolded that never really got answered.
All-in-all, it was fun afternoon of reading. It made me want to pick up Dracula again and reread it. For what is probably the hundredth time by now. While not one of my favorites in the Dracula genre, The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fun read.
This review and others can be found at my blog, Bookish Whispers!
October 18, 2020
God, this was stupid. It's like the author only has pop culture knowledge of Dracula, which is not a bad thing...unless you're trying to write a prequel story.
Van Helsing is such a nincompoop in this story that I will not accept it's the same character. Vampires keep trying to enter through windows, and every time someone or thing appears at the window, he's surprised, like it's a totally harmless bat just banging on a window and it's totally not even capable of rabies; or an unknown, wailing child in a tree outside his window just innocently climbed several stories for no reason. There's nothing weird about that! /sarcasm
Vampire bites have an immediate effect in this book, placing it at odds with the very book it's based on (it requires 3 feedings for a person to turn into a vampire in Dracula).
The vampire seductress being evil and Van Helsing's good little wife being pure came across as so on the nose that it was obvious the author was trying to allude to female sexuality topics mentioned in Dracula, but there were many layers to that original novel, including Victorian views on sexuality, buried just below the surface. This book beats you over the head with it.
This has none of the great writing or layers that Dracula did. I don't recommend it.
Van Helsing is such a nincompoop in this story that I will not accept it's the same character. Vampires keep trying to enter through windows, and every time someone or thing appears at the window, he's surprised, like it's a totally harmless bat just banging on a window and it's totally not even capable of rabies; or an unknown, wailing child in a tree outside his window just innocently climbed several stories for no reason. There's nothing weird about that! /sarcasm
Vampire bites have an immediate effect in this book, placing it at odds with the very book it's based on (it requires 3 feedings for a person to turn into a vampire in Dracula).
The vampire seductress being evil and Van Helsing's good little wife being pure came across as so on the nose that it was obvious the author was trying to allude to female sexuality topics mentioned in Dracula, but there were many layers to that original novel, including Victorian views on sexuality, buried just below the surface. This book beats you over the head with it.
This has none of the great writing or layers that Dracula did. I don't recommend it.
November 14, 2010
Che prove abbiamo a sostegno dell'esistenza dei vampiri?
Ma soprattutto, che prove abbiamo, che escludano al 100 % l'esistenza di queste creature?
Abraham Van Helsing è realmente esistito?
La figura del vampiro è da sempre nell'immaginario culturale di moltissime popolazioni di varie epoche, come possono diversi popoli di diversi paesi avere fantasie "comuni"?
Ma soprattutto, che prove abbiamo, che escludano al 100 % l'esistenza di queste creature?
Abraham Van Helsing è realmente esistito?
La figura del vampiro è da sempre nell'immaginario culturale di moltissime popolazioni di varie epoche, come possono diversi popoli di diversi paesi avere fantasie "comuni"?
Tornando al libro, veramente interessante, che sia originale o meno contiene una verità fondamentale: Il vampiro (se esiste) è una bestia immonda da annientare ed evitare in tutti i modi e non il fighetto patinato da osannare come un dio come ultimamente succede al cinema e nei romanzetti da quattro soldi.
December 31, 2022
This book is so well made in every way possible; from the thought of details with the pages looking like a real old diary, to the drawings, the sarcastic comments... Everything is perfect. It had been a very long time -and is very rare- that I had found such an amazing book. I am honestly not surprised people don't like it. Really good books are not made for everyone.
May 17, 2018
Ok, I LOVED this! A fantastically fun read, full of delightful descriptions; including a surprising smattering of gore. A rare (for me) 5 stars!
October 6, 2014
This is my second read in 10 years and I still like it. My copy is made of old paper to look like an old journal and there are a lot of beautiful illustrations in it. This is supposedly a real journal from Professor Van Helsing depicting his first contacts with vampires and Dracula. I very much like the classic and scientific angle of this book. Helsing is not an action heroes and this book is not about it. It is an easy and fast read, perfect for the october chill. If you wish to read Dracula with a different perspective and you are fan of "found footage" this book is for you.
May 16, 2017
It wasn't great but it did leave me intrigued
December 10, 2019
Nice concept but too many holes when compared to the Dracula hoopla. Not really a good ending.
June 16, 2024
I am, of course, obsessed with all things vampires and especially all things Dracula, so this book is one that I would have to check out. The only problem is that, although it was good, it was not overly memorable enough for me to realize I had already read it when I checked it out of the library earlier this year. Once I made it to chapter 3, it all came back to me, and I do know the book has good merit. Much in the vein of "The Historian" it brings an outsider's view to the classic tale of "Dracula" and the ragtag band of heroes that took the Count out of commission. I do think it's worth a read, but as I said, it might not stick with you for a horribly long time. Or, maybe I'm just so inundated with vampire mythos it sank into the bloody mire... Either way, check it out.
March 21, 2021
Forse l'autore avrebbe dovuto rileggere attentamente Dracula prima di scrivere questo.
Molto di ciò che viene narrato entra in conflitto con l'opera principale, senza contare che il personaggio di Van Helsing è completamente out of character.
Stoker ci presenta un uomo di scienza anziano, ma volitivo e di forte temperamento, qui invece ci ritroviamo davanti ad un ometto confuso e fin troppo governato dall'influenza del suo cervello inferiore.
Una bella caduta di stile.
Ciò che davvero ho apprezzato del romanzo sono le illustrazioni, le ho trovate superbe, sul resto si può tranquillamente soprassedere.
Molto di ciò che viene narrato entra in conflitto con l'opera principale, senza contare che il personaggio di Van Helsing è completamente out of character.
Stoker ci presenta un uomo di scienza anziano, ma volitivo e di forte temperamento, qui invece ci ritroviamo davanti ad un ometto confuso e fin troppo governato dall'influenza del suo cervello inferiore.
Una bella caduta di stile.
Ciò che davvero ho apprezzato del romanzo sono le illustrazioni, le ho trovate superbe, sul resto si può tranquillamente soprassedere.
June 22, 2022
The Man, The Myth, The Legend.... What a phenomenal little book this is. So well written and illustrated this creation looks and feels like the diary of a madman who believes in Demons and Vampires. Although it reads as if they truly exist and the mysteriouosness that surrounds them. Great Read!
May 20, 2024
4,5⭐
È un libro che è riuscito a tenermi incollata alle pagine (221), anche se, alcune "scoperte" mi son sembrate un "prestito" da parte di altri soggetti soprannaturali
A differenza di molti libri, qui si percepisce veramente che il protagonista è semplicemente un essere umano e non un eroe nato dal nulla!
Finale con colpo di scena!
È un libro che è riuscito a tenermi incollata alle pagine (221), anche se, alcune "scoperte" mi son sembrate un "prestito" da parte di altri soggetti soprannaturali
A differenza di molti libri, qui si percepisce veramente che il protagonista è semplicemente un essere umano e non un eroe nato dal nulla!
Finale con colpo di scena!
December 2, 2022
It was a fun read and I really enjoyed the little illustrations.
April 21, 2023
3 1/2 stars because it was fun
January 31, 2024
Pretty good - a little bit cheesy & corny, but nonetheless I liked to read it.
June 11, 2025
So good, a cute before and after the events of Bram Stokers Dracula
August 24, 2025
it is worth reading.
October 26, 2018
Halloween Read # 5!
You have heard of Van Helsing. Now read more about him. It will enrich your understand of vampires!
You have heard of Van Helsing. Now read more about him. It will enrich your understand of vampires!
July 10, 2016
Not the worst I have red but it's really not somethiing I could recocnize for anyone who wants to read a good story... it's waste of money and time. But if you don't care about good story and want to say you red something then you can read it. And of course if you are young enough, obsessed about vampires, sparkling fairies or the real things and care noting about how, what, where and when, this is book for you.
Generally it was entertaining but still a dissapointment, proving that anything can be written and published but not everything is worth reading and that is the after taste of the book. It was a good attempt though but would have asked a ton of polishing.
because of some major plotholes. Serious gap is just what happens to the child vampire at the window, author is too busy to get the sexy main protagonist in the windo
w to toss the main character out cold. It really had not been too much to describe something like; I saw him turn into a shape of bat and fly off. What bizarre sight that was...
Main gap was also in the treatment of the epidemy. None of the three authors of the journal had no mention about it even being taken care of and how or how brutual. I did expect that least the good doctor Dunfred to have at least two or three pages of summary about that since VanHelsing was busy somewhere else. Since the third author who had need to add some side notes here and there and check up some dates and people and mention about them did not have no marking about that though for sure if such thing had happened, seconth author being around where it took place the should be some markings about it, right? The secenery seemed to be the main event since the meeting with Dracula was out of the question and dealing with Lilith failed over and over again until I assume that even the author lo
st interest on it and made the main character post his journal to his friend.
I was also annoyed how conviently almost all vanHelsing's friends were killed as if planned all along and the writing style; if it truly was supposed to be his personal diary... there would be no doubt of a bit more markins. Impression I had him about as a character is that he hadn't been behaving like a teenage girl when writing his journal; ”oh it is too horrible that I shall not write about it.”
In total it makes kind of feeling that whatever the reader is reading, it devinetelly is not anyones journal as it should have been.
On top of that with some of the illustrations that probably are supposed to potray the main protagonist are clearely off-character. If the author potraits person to wear silky robes that hide very little.... if nothing at all, what has artist imagined? Woman in too modern undershirt! Sure artist have their freedoms but how about reading the
book first and being a bit loyal to the author and the story?
Generally it was entertaining but still a dissapointment, proving that anything can be written and published but not everything is worth reading and that is the after taste of the book. It was a good attempt though but would have asked a ton of polishing.
because of some major plotholes. Serious gap is just what happens to the child vampire at the window, author is too busy to get the sexy main protagonist in the windo
w to toss the main character out cold. It really had not been too much to describe something like; I saw him turn into a shape of bat and fly off. What bizarre sight that was...
Main gap was also in the treatment of the epidemy. None of the three authors of the journal had no mention about it even being taken care of and how or how brutual. I did expect that least the good doctor Dunfred to have at least two or three pages of summary about that since VanHelsing was busy somewhere else. Since the third author who had need to add some side notes here and there and check up some dates and people and mention about them did not have no marking about that though for sure if such thing had happened, seconth author being around where it took place the should be some markings about it, right? The secenery seemed to be the main event since the meeting with Dracula was out of the question and dealing with Lilith failed over and over again until I assume that even the author lo
st interest on it and made the main character post his journal to his friend.
I was also annoyed how conviently almost all vanHelsing's friends were killed as if planned all along and the writing style; if it truly was supposed to be his personal diary... there would be no doubt of a bit more markins. Impression I had him about as a character is that he hadn't been behaving like a teenage girl when writing his journal; ”oh it is too horrible that I shall not write about it.”
In total it makes kind of feeling that whatever the reader is reading, it devinetelly is not anyones journal as it should have been.
On top of that with some of the illustrations that probably are supposed to potray the main protagonist are clearely off-character. If the author potraits person to wear silky robes that hide very little.... if nothing at all, what has artist imagined? Woman in too modern undershirt! Sure artist have their freedoms but how about reading the
book first and being a bit loyal to the author and the story?
August 21, 2024
Il libro narra la storia del Professor Van Helsing, già conosciuto come personaggio nel romanzo "Dracula" di Bram Stoker, attraverso un diario ritrovato dall'autore tra le carte del nonno.
Il professore, spinto dal dolore per la malattia della moglie e dal desiderio di giustizia, intraprende un périple che lo porta a girare mezzo mondo alla ricerca di una cura per estirpare la razza dei vampiri.
Il diario offre al lettore uno sguardo inedito sulla mente di Van Helsing, svelando i suoi pensieri più intimi, le sue paure e le sue speranze. Ciò detto, è un libro leggero, scorrevole, molto pop, manca la profondità del testo di Bram Stoker e colleziona numerose imprecisioni.
short: https://youtube.com/shorts/erbZKhlN7VE
Contiene molte piccole illustrazioni. Il font è bello grande, facilmente leggibile.
Una buona lettura per giovani ossessionati dai vampiri. Molto ossessionati.
Il professore, spinto dal dolore per la malattia della moglie e dal desiderio di giustizia, intraprende un périple che lo porta a girare mezzo mondo alla ricerca di una cura per estirpare la razza dei vampiri.
Il diario offre al lettore uno sguardo inedito sulla mente di Van Helsing, svelando i suoi pensieri più intimi, le sue paure e le sue speranze. Ciò detto, è un libro leggero, scorrevole, molto pop, manca la profondità del testo di Bram Stoker e colleziona numerose imprecisioni.
short: https://youtube.com/shorts/erbZKhlN7VE
Contiene molte piccole illustrazioni. Il font è bello grande, facilmente leggibile.
Una buona lettura per giovani ossessionati dai vampiri. Molto ossessionati.
March 10, 2009
"Professor Abraham Van Helsing was the fictional creation of Bram Stoker for Dracula, his dark work of fantasy. Or was he?"
With the potential for creating an incredible story, Kupfer's work instead fizzles out into nothing. So much potential!
The history of vampires goes back a long way, stretching into Eastern Europe in the 19th, and perhaps even further back, to the Crusades. Or so Kupfer - I mean, Van Helsing mentions in his journal - more and more history emerges as he researches further into the phenomenon known as vampirism.
This is a very, very simple story, presented in the form of a journal of the late (or is he?) Professor Abraham Van Helsing. He was brought into creation by Bram Stoker, as the famed destroyer of Dracula. This is the back story.
Told in very simple words: this happened, then that happened, and then, oh my god, you will never guess what happened next! It reads more like lower tier [for the kiddies:] YA fiction than adult. Are we to believe that a scholar from the 19th century really talked like this? Sounds a bit fishy to me. Not only that, but where is all the research that he supposedly did? One would think it would be present in a journal created for the sole purpose of informing the world of the scourge that will take over soon enough if the world continues to scoff at the idea. And the side stories.. They left me with a feeling of incompleteness; they remained largely unexplored and void of detail.
I don't recommend you buy this book. It's a waste of money. But for a fun time, and to waste an hour or two, definitely go check it out of your library and wile away the time.
With the potential for creating an incredible story, Kupfer's work instead fizzles out into nothing. So much potential!
The history of vampires goes back a long way, stretching into Eastern Europe in the 19th, and perhaps even further back, to the Crusades. Or so Kupfer - I mean, Van Helsing mentions in his journal - more and more history emerges as he researches further into the phenomenon known as vampirism.
This is a very, very simple story, presented in the form of a journal of the late (or is he?) Professor Abraham Van Helsing. He was brought into creation by Bram Stoker, as the famed destroyer of Dracula. This is the back story.
Told in very simple words: this happened, then that happened, and then, oh my god, you will never guess what happened next! It reads more like lower tier [for the kiddies:] YA fiction than adult. Are we to believe that a scholar from the 19th century really talked like this? Sounds a bit fishy to me. Not only that, but where is all the research that he supposedly did? One would think it would be present in a journal created for the sole purpose of informing the world of the scourge that will take over soon enough if the world continues to scoff at the idea. And the side stories.. They left me with a feeling of incompleteness; they remained largely unexplored and void of detail.
I don't recommend you buy this book. It's a waste of money. But for a fun time, and to waste an hour or two, definitely go check it out of your library and wile away the time.
September 17, 2012
This “journal” catches just the right tone of secrecy, mounting emotion and inner revelation. We learn a great deal about Abraham Van Helsing—his scholastic passion, his curiosity, his impatience and occasional blunt tactlessness—but also about the shadowy creatures he is tracking. These vampires are a shadowy yet very real threat, striking without warning and seemingly with few weaknesses. They are malicious, ruthless and much like rabid dogs. They don’t need to trade blood with their victims; a mere bite is enough to infect someone and change them into one of the nosferatu, the “walking dead”.
Hampered as much by his colleagues’s disbelief as the limited power of the human will, the horror, fear and despair that attend Van Helsing’s feeble attempts to root out the growing vampire menace are made manifest with every page. There are neither Slayers nor fearless vampire killers here to stop these demons. With very few exceptions, they are so powerful, killing them remains near impossible. All humans can manage is a kind of holding pattern in which they put up plants, religious symbols and other frail defenses to keep them at bay.
“The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing” exerts its icy grip slowly over the senses, making you wish to hurry home before the sun sets and lock all the doors and windows. In spite of the glut of vampire novels on the market, this book takes us back to the origins of the nosferatu, reminding us that, before we were enamored of them, we were terrified of their presence. It rattles the nerves and leaves behind a lingering sensation of unease.
Hampered as much by his colleagues’s disbelief as the limited power of the human will, the horror, fear and despair that attend Van Helsing’s feeble attempts to root out the growing vampire menace are made manifest with every page. There are neither Slayers nor fearless vampire killers here to stop these demons. With very few exceptions, they are so powerful, killing them remains near impossible. All humans can manage is a kind of holding pattern in which they put up plants, religious symbols and other frail defenses to keep them at bay.
“The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing” exerts its icy grip slowly over the senses, making you wish to hurry home before the sun sets and lock all the doors and windows. In spite of the glut of vampire novels on the market, this book takes us back to the origins of the nosferatu, reminding us that, before we were enamored of them, we were terrified of their presence. It rattles the nerves and leaves behind a lingering sensation of unease.
October 24, 2014
Ultimately, for what this is, it's a fun read. It's interesting to see how Van Helsing's obsession with vampires began, and I think the style is pretty cool. It's a journal, which is in keeping with the structure of DRACULA. Even the connection with Kupfer's grandfather is kind of nice. And then, of course, there's the thing I was wondering about before I even started reading it: if the events of DRACULA are supposed to happen in the middle of this story, how is the real writer going to handle it in the narrative? He actually handles it very nicely, because I think this book would have been a bore if handled in another fashion.
But there are a couple of things I just can't overlook. Obviously, this book wasn't really written by Van Helsing. However, let's pretend for a while that it was (because it's a fun conceit). In DRACULA, we learn that Van Helsing and his wife had a daughter who died prematurely, and that this death had caused a wedge in the marriage. However, in this "journal," the daughter isn't mentioned once, and Van Helsing's relationship with his wife is quite loving. Secondly, when we meet Van Helsing in DRACULA, he comes off as a vampire expert. However, when he sets off for London in *this* book, he's barely a novice. He's had two encounters with the undead. This doesn't make sense. I would be OK if the events of DRACULA happened *after* this book, since he has a few more run-ins, but during? I don't buy it.
This is a flawed book, but it's fun. Don't take it too seriously, and you'll enjoy it. I particularly enjoyed Kupfer's grandfather's notes, especially the last one.
But there are a couple of things I just can't overlook. Obviously, this book wasn't really written by Van Helsing. However, let's pretend for a while that it was (because it's a fun conceit). In DRACULA, we learn that Van Helsing and his wife had a daughter who died prematurely, and that this death had caused a wedge in the marriage. However, in this "journal," the daughter isn't mentioned once, and Van Helsing's relationship with his wife is quite loving. Secondly, when we meet Van Helsing in DRACULA, he comes off as a vampire expert. However, when he sets off for London in *this* book, he's barely a novice. He's had two encounters with the undead. This doesn't make sense. I would be OK if the events of DRACULA happened *after* this book, since he has a few more run-ins, but during? I don't buy it.
This is a flawed book, but it's fun. Don't take it too seriously, and you'll enjoy it. I particularly enjoyed Kupfer's grandfather's notes, especially the last one.
January 10, 2012
This was a very poor attempt to flesh out the story of Van Helsing. A little more research could have gone a very long way. In fact, late in the book in one of the footnotes, the author speaks of his "shoddy scholarship" in regards to a particular issue. Unfortunately, "shoddy scholarship" was a theme that ran the length of this offering.
The author's understanding of Middle Eastern customs and cuisine were apparently derived from eating at a Mediterranean buffet. His knowledge of Middle Eastern geography was derived from reading the newspapers of 2004 (publication date). (Tikrit and Mosul ring a bell?)
I understand it was meant to be a journal and as such summaries of events could be expected. The entire story set forth by Bram Stoker was summarized in two paragraphs. I guess the author figures he had nothing of interest to add and had better leave that story to a far better author than himself. On this point, I agree with the author.
There were several instances in the book where the author skipped occurrences that, with a little more research, the author could have added color and flavor to his book. Instead, he just took a shortcut and explained away his omissions.
I think I have put more time and effort in this review than the author took in writing his book. So, I'll just wrap it up...
I really wanted this to be a good book and it really wasn't. Don't waste your time on this one.
The author's understanding of Middle Eastern customs and cuisine were apparently derived from eating at a Mediterranean buffet. His knowledge of Middle Eastern geography was derived from reading the newspapers of 2004 (publication date). (Tikrit and Mosul ring a bell?)
I understand it was meant to be a journal and as such summaries of events could be expected. The entire story set forth by Bram Stoker was summarized in two paragraphs. I guess the author figures he had nothing of interest to add and had better leave that story to a far better author than himself. On this point, I agree with the author.
There were several instances in the book where the author skipped occurrences that, with a little more research, the author could have added color and flavor to his book. Instead, he just took a shortcut and explained away his omissions.
I think I have put more time and effort in this review than the author took in writing his book. So, I'll just wrap it up...
I really wanted this to be a good book and it really wasn't. Don't waste your time on this one.
January 19, 2011
Featuring a unique layout, "The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing" is an interesting read but is not perfect. When I first saw the hardcover edition of this book I fell in love with it, the ruffled journal-like pages paired with beautiful illustrations, I thought this was going to be a delight to read, which it was at first. The first few chapters were excellent it was the latter chapters that were lacking. The beginning chapters of the story contained a lot of violence and eroticism that was similar to other vampire stories. Nothing was added to the vampire mythos other than the humourous part about counting. The story begins to lag after Van Helsing returns home and sets off on another vampire hunt; there is some action but it is not as exciting as the first action sequences and do not expect a neat ending because the story ends abruptly which is truly disappointing especially considering the buildup.
July 15, 2010
This book was written as a series of journal entries with postscripts. I found it both entertaining and enlightening{in a manner}. Interesting for sure. I did read it in one afternoon. At first, I thought perhaps it a ya reader, due to its size and the size of print, but I am not sure that was the intended audience. I don't know that I would reccommend it to anyone to read, unless they just "liked" reading everything written on vampires. It was neither a huge tale, nor gory, nor romantic. It was a "journaled" account from Van Helsing's pov. published, after the fact. Though i do not reccommend it, I do not regret spending an entire afternoon within it's pages either, so take that for what you will.
November 27, 2016
This work of fiction is presented in the form of a journal that was found by the author in his grandmother's home. The journal, as the title suggests, is by Abraham Van Helsing, and tells how he was first introduced to the world of vampires and the beginning of his quest to eradicate this "plague" from human existence. Its an interesting concept for a story, but there are some inconsistencies in the narrative timeline that are quite glaring. Overall, I wasn't really impressed with this book.
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