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Austra Family #4
Daughter of the Night
Famed for her beauty and feared for her cruelty, Elizabeth Bathori continues her quest for immortality, bathing Europe in the blood of her innocent victims, until she meets Catherine Austra, a mysterious creature with the secret to eternity
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
11 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Bergstrom
27 books87 followersElaine Bergstrom is a Milwaukee-based novelist whose writing melds vampire, romance, mystery and, always, suspense.
Her first published piece of fiction was her first novel, Shattered Glass (1989). It introduced the character of the immortal Stephen Austra and artist Helen Wells, a victim of polio, along with Stephen's family of vampires who are “born not created and have an abhorrance for coffins, particulary their own.” The novel was a critical success, a consistent favorite with readers of adult-oriented vampire fiction. Bergstrom has written six novels in the Austra series, including Daughter of the Night, which featured Elizabeth Bathory as a half-breed Austra vampire. Beyond Sundown, the newest book in the Austra series, released early in 2011. The Violin, a novella, in 2012. Most are in print. All are available on Amazon kindle or through the author's website www.elainebergstrom.com
Using her grandmother's name, Marie Kiraly, Bergstrom wrote a sequel to Dracula called Mina ... The Dracula Story Continues, and its sequel, Blood to Blood ... The Dracula Story Continues, which both look at Mina Harker as a woman changed by her experience in Transylvania, struggling to find her way in the repressive Victorian society. Both were featured in the Science Fiction Book Club and Doubleday Book Club.
For the novel Madeline ... After the Fall of Usher, she adopted Poe’s journalistic style to tell a story in which the details of the last few months of Poe’s life are correct, with her own fictional story overlaid on them.
J. Gordon Melton (The Vampire Encyclopedia) notes that Shattered Glass contains "one of the most horrific scenes in vampire literature." (less)
Her first published piece of fiction was her first novel, Shattered Glass (1989). It introduced the character of the immortal Stephen Austra and artist Helen Wells, a victim of polio, along with Stephen's family of vampires who are “born not created and have an abhorrance for coffins, particulary their own.” The novel was a critical success, a consistent favorite with readers of adult-oriented vampire fiction. Bergstrom has written six novels in the Austra series, including Daughter of the Night, which featured Elizabeth Bathory as a half-breed Austra vampire. Beyond Sundown, the newest book in the Austra series, released early in 2011. The Violin, a novella, in 2012. Most are in print. All are available on Amazon kindle or through the author's website www.elainebergstrom.com
Using her grandmother's name, Marie Kiraly, Bergstrom wrote a sequel to Dracula called Mina ... The Dracula Story Continues, and its sequel, Blood to Blood ... The Dracula Story Continues, which both look at Mina Harker as a woman changed by her experience in Transylvania, struggling to find her way in the repressive Victorian society. Both were featured in the Science Fiction Book Club and Doubleday Book Club.
For the novel Madeline ... After the Fall of Usher, she adopted Poe’s journalistic style to tell a story in which the details of the last few months of Poe’s life are correct, with her own fictional story overlaid on them.
J. Gordon Melton (The Vampire Encyclopedia) notes that Shattered Glass contains "one of the most horrific scenes in vampire literature." (less)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 2, 2019
I am starting to really enjoy this series. This is the prequel to the prequel of Shattered Glass. In this tale Catherine Austra meets Elizabeth Bathori. Elizabeth has some strange similarities to the Austras (including a thirst for blood).
September 27, 2019
i really very much'd enjoyed this book i loved it i will be getting more from this author they story gripped me from page one even though i have not read any other in the series i feel sorry for some characters in the book i loved it none the less
August 21, 2012
I do love those old school vampire novels. It's like going all the way back to Bram Stoker's tale of Dracula.
This book was very dark and savage, but at the same time really interesting. The plot reminded me of a puzzle where lives of few people are described in seemingly random fashion until at some point those lives intersect, and then you understand why the author took time to tell us about those characters.
As this book has Elizabeth Bathori as a main character, the narration starts with one of her ancestors and then proceeds to show us Elizabeth in different times of her life within half a century time period.
Elaine Bergstrom is brilliant at describing the casual cruelty and torture of the era, the helplessness of the poor and immense power over life and death and complete lawlessness of the rich.
Elizabeth Bathori grows up as a sadistic, cold child, and from the moment her life touches Catherine's, a banished vampire from Austra family, it takes turn for worse. The story is very intricate and complex, and at the same time it doesn't allow us to sympathise with the main anti-heroine (thanks, God!), it draws our attention to the lives ruined by Elizabeth's touch.
Vampires of Austra family do not really try to be and feel human, they are what they are, and this alienness feels like such a contrast to modern paranormal novels which attempt to humanise them.
Truly fascinating historical novel for those of you who sometimes want to pick up a classic Gothic novel and get lost in it.
This book was very dark and savage, but at the same time really interesting. The plot reminded me of a puzzle where lives of few people are described in seemingly random fashion until at some point those lives intersect, and then you understand why the author took time to tell us about those characters.
As this book has Elizabeth Bathori as a main character, the narration starts with one of her ancestors and then proceeds to show us Elizabeth in different times of her life within half a century time period.
Elaine Bergstrom is brilliant at describing the casual cruelty and torture of the era, the helplessness of the poor and immense power over life and death and complete lawlessness of the rich.
Elizabeth Bathori grows up as a sadistic, cold child, and from the moment her life touches Catherine's, a banished vampire from Austra family, it takes turn for worse. The story is very intricate and complex, and at the same time it doesn't allow us to sympathise with the main anti-heroine (thanks, God!), it draws our attention to the lives ruined by Elizabeth's touch.
Vampires of Austra family do not really try to be and feel human, they are what they are, and this alienness feels like such a contrast to modern paranormal novels which attempt to humanise them.
Truly fascinating historical novel for those of you who sometimes want to pick up a classic Gothic novel and get lost in it.
January 17, 2015
One of Elaine Bergstrom's series of vampire novels about the Austra family. This one features Elizabeth Bathori, the 16th century Hungarian countess who was infamous for murdering her household staff and bathing in the blood. The story is told in flashback, and can be difficult to follow, even if you've read the previous novels. (Actually, this statement is true of all the Austra novels. But they're worth the effort.)
January 16, 2013
This book is a rather interesting look at the Blood Countess. The book does capture the casusal violence of the times. It's nice to read a vampire book where the vampires are nasty creatures in some ways.
January 28, 2018
The characters of Catherine and Stefan from vampire diaries was strongly based off these books. Some minor editing errors but the story was very well written. The middle of the book was a little hard to get though but in the end I understand how it was necessary to set up the ending.
February 15, 2019
Really enjoying this series. The books have great storylines and the characters are interesting
March 3, 2007
this book is a bit erotic but it's about vampires so what else do you expect! It's a good one. Loosely based on Countess Elizabeth Bathory- a real Hungarian countess rumored to be a vampire but in reality one of the most notorious serial killers in Hungarian and Slovak history. here's a link to the wikipedia article on her: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabet...]
September 18, 2010
Having real trouble getting into this...Put it down and picked it up again this week. The first half was slow...but the second half is getting good. Looking forward to seeing how they connect.
Well, the pace picked up at the end, but it was hard for me to finish...It was a good ending, though.
Well, the pace picked up at the end, but it was hard for me to finish...It was a good ending, though.
March 18, 2014
Vampires in history
Vampires in history
imaginative interpretation of the bloody Elizabeth Bathori legend, tying into the Austra vampire family series. Great detail on the locations and history. I know the author so it's hard to review.
Vampires in history
imaginative interpretation of the bloody Elizabeth Bathori legend, tying into the Austra vampire family series. Great detail on the locations and history. I know the author so it's hard to review.
March 30, 2012
I have really enjoyed the Austra Family series. In this novel, she takes a true historical female, Elizabeth Bathory (sp?) & really puts a unique spin on her story...
December 25, 2012
Excellent read.
April 4, 2016
This is, for me, the most depressing of the Austra books. Well done, but just so tragic.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews