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Dracula vs. Hitler
A novel worthy of being called the true sequel to Bram Stoker s Dracula, and Patrick Sheane Duncan a writer rightfully deserving to be considered that author s successor. New York Journal of Books
Ravaged by the Nazi Secret Service during World War II, Romanian resistance forces turn to one of their leaders, Professor Van Helsing for any way out. To fight these monstrous forces, Van Helsing raises a legendary monster from centuries of slumber... Prince Dracula himself.
Once he was the ruler of Transylvania. Prince Vlad Dracul, is, above all else, a patriot. He proves more than willing to once again drive out his country s invaders. Upshot: No one minds if he drinks all the German blood he desires.
In Berlin, when Hitler hears about the many defeats his forces are suffering at the hands of an apparent true vampire, he is seduced by the possibility of becoming immortal. Thus two forces are set upon a collision course, the ultimate confrontation: Superpower against superpower.
Ravaged by the Nazi Secret Service during World War II, Romanian resistance forces turn to one of their leaders, Professor Van Helsing for any way out. To fight these monstrous forces, Van Helsing raises a legendary monster from centuries of slumber... Prince Dracula himself.
Once he was the ruler of Transylvania. Prince Vlad Dracul, is, above all else, a patriot. He proves more than willing to once again drive out his country s invaders. Upshot: No one minds if he drinks all the German blood he desires.
In Berlin, when Hitler hears about the many defeats his forces are suffering at the hands of an apparent true vampire, he is seduced by the possibility of becoming immortal. Thus two forces are set upon a collision course, the ultimate confrontation: Superpower against superpower.
500 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2016
102 people are currently reading
4549 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
October 17, 2016
I blurbed this book and wanted to share the blurb I wrote with everyone:
"A thrilling action adventure with brilliant literary homages to Bram Stoker's original. You never wanted to root for Dracula more!"
This is a fantastic historical novel that a friend wrote and thank goodness it's getting out to an audience! It's a thrilling romp, some of the action scenes leave you breathless. There is also a great female character who it's easy to root for and it's written very much in the style of the original. Incredibly well researched, the book is faithful and deep and fun through and through.
A perfect Halloween read!
"A thrilling action adventure with brilliant literary homages to Bram Stoker's original. You never wanted to root for Dracula more!"
This is a fantastic historical novel that a friend wrote and thank goodness it's getting out to an audience! It's a thrilling romp, some of the action scenes leave you breathless. There is also a great female character who it's easy to root for and it's written very much in the style of the original. Incredibly well researched, the book is faithful and deep and fun through and through.
A perfect Halloween read!
October 23, 2016
Thanks goes to Netgalley for the Arc!
Full disclosure: I imagined that I was going to be reading a humorous horror based on the title alone, as if it was one very long and humorous joke, but what I got instead was a serious and well thought-out exploration of the times precisely 50 years after the accounts of the original Dracula, written in much the same style and even including a very old Van Helsing, his granddaughter, and even the inclusion of Harker's grandson, too.
These are not affected. These flow naturally into the tale, because, after all, some evils are worse than others. Dracula was originally a freedom fighter, after all, and now his homeland has just been invaded by the German War Machine. Enemy of my enemy.
After what I thought was a slow start relying overmuch on real times and places and not quite getting into the good stuff early enough, I was soon transported and delighted into the fullness of the tale, and I loved the interesting and realistic fascination between the tragic hero of Dracula and Van Helsing's granddaughter, who is a pretty fantastic and interesting character in her own right.
Did I fail to mention that this is also a pretty cool romance?
The writing is very good, too, epistolary in the same nature as the original Dracula, but it goes on with much, much better action scenes. :) I loved the Nazis and their attempt to harness the power of vampirism. :)
I repeat, this is NOT a throwaway cash-in or a humorous joke. The novel is serious and a lot more complex than I believed could be possible, full of history and deep characterizations and real love for story.
I totally recommend this! :)
Full disclosure: I imagined that I was going to be reading a humorous horror based on the title alone, as if it was one very long and humorous joke, but what I got instead was a serious and well thought-out exploration of the times precisely 50 years after the accounts of the original Dracula, written in much the same style and even including a very old Van Helsing, his granddaughter, and even the inclusion of Harker's grandson, too.
These are not affected. These flow naturally into the tale, because, after all, some evils are worse than others. Dracula was originally a freedom fighter, after all, and now his homeland has just been invaded by the German War Machine. Enemy of my enemy.
After what I thought was a slow start relying overmuch on real times and places and not quite getting into the good stuff early enough, I was soon transported and delighted into the fullness of the tale, and I loved the interesting and realistic fascination between the tragic hero of Dracula and Van Helsing's granddaughter, who is a pretty fantastic and interesting character in her own right.
Did I fail to mention that this is also a pretty cool romance?
The writing is very good, too, epistolary in the same nature as the original Dracula, but it goes on with much, much better action scenes. :) I loved the Nazis and their attempt to harness the power of vampirism. :)
I repeat, this is NOT a throwaway cash-in or a humorous joke. The novel is serious and a lot more complex than I believed could be possible, full of history and deep characterizations and real love for story.
I totally recommend this! :)
perhaps
September 22, 2017Is this for real??
February 16, 2021
This can't possibly be good, and yet I can't not read it.
------------------------------------
Finally got around to DvH , and in a lot of ways it's as pulpy and terrible as it sounds.
--The eeevil Nazi commander throws a victim off of a balcony. Onto the vertical bayonets of six troops below. Who then all fire upwards to finish off the flailing, impaled victim. >_<
--A woman falls four stories and is heroically caught by one of our heroic heroes. Without them both getting squashed flat.
--When Dracula fights Nazi soldiers it's all 'preternatural speed' and 'flying body parts'. When he tries to kill one of the elderly protagonists, it's conveniently a lengthy test of will and strength.
--Poorly thought out lines like After more than a few ignominious escapades, Lucille Van Helsing learned quickly that... So is she a quick learner or a slow learner?
The book is written in a variety of thematic but ill-considered fonts. The Top Secret German dispatches mimic an old-timey typewriter that looks authentic but is correspondingly hard to read. Cursive-font journal entries were even worse, so annoying that by the end I was just skimming them.
But. I quite enjoyed reading about Dracula's fascination with and reactions to 1940's technology and culture. Automobiles, firearms, airplanes, radios. Music and film. Suffrage. Women of strength. He was plausibly erudite, earnest, honest, and loyal without being overly simple. The author put some thought into this.
Let's call it a grudging three stars due to cheesy fun and the occasional flicker of substance.
------------------------------------
Finally got around to DvH , and in a lot of ways it's as pulpy and terrible as it sounds.
--The eeevil Nazi commander throws a victim off of a balcony. Onto the vertical bayonets of six troops below. Who then all fire upwards to finish off the flailing, impaled victim. >_<
--A woman falls four stories and is heroically caught by one of our heroic heroes. Without them both getting squashed flat.
--When Dracula fights Nazi soldiers it's all 'preternatural speed' and 'flying body parts'. When he tries to kill one of the elderly protagonists, it's conveniently a lengthy test of will and strength.
--Poorly thought out lines like After more than a few ignominious escapades, Lucille Van Helsing learned quickly that... So is she a quick learner or a slow learner?
The book is written in a variety of thematic but ill-considered fonts. The Top Secret German dispatches mimic an old-timey typewriter that looks authentic but is correspondingly hard to read. Cursive-font journal entries were even worse, so annoying that by the end I was just skimming them.
But. I quite enjoyed reading about Dracula's fascination with and reactions to 1940's technology and culture. Automobiles, firearms, airplanes, radios. Music and film. Suffrage. Women of strength. He was plausibly erudite, earnest, honest, and loyal without being overly simple. The author put some thought into this.
Let's call it a grudging three stars due to cheesy fun and the occasional flicker of substance.
September 27, 2016
There is something truly exceptional about this book. It is incredibly entertaining and well written but transcends most other reading experiences because just the sight of it in one’s hands can provoke conversation with a complete stranger.
The title immediately inspires epic comparisons to the likes of Godzilla Vs Mothra, and Hulk Hogan Vs Andre the Giant. There is that sense that two behemoths are about to face off and the winner may rule mankind for the rest of existence. It’s a guilty pleasure of brutality and fantasy and I was hooked from the moment I saw it. The bright blood red cover emblazoned with the words Dracula Vs. Hitler would not only grab your attention on a crowded shelf but might be enough to tear you away from Ozzy Osbourne live onstage tearing the head off a small animal. There have been a number of occasions where I’ve been reading it in a public place and passers-by seem unable to catch a glimpse and not stop and do a double take to confirm what they just saw. My reading was continually interrupted by random people asking me ‘are you serious’ and ‘is that for real’ to the point I had to begin only taking it out in private to get a good head of steam going.
The story is told in that epistolary style through a mixture of excerpts from fictional books that cover the history of the Van Helsing family, correspondence between German high officials and Hitler, and the diary entries of our young protagonist John. This seems to be quite popular at the moment with Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Nueval and The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff being other excellent examples and like the found footage style of film making, gives the reader an alternative entry point into the world. Unlike the aforementioned books though Dracula vs. Hitler gets away with a little cheating, as the book excerpts tend to mirror the more traditional style, which should provide a nice smooth transition for those that are not used to reading this style and those that have read it before but dismissed it due to its semi-detached nature.
Our protagonist is a young soldier named John. He is relatable and his humour infectious as he fights to deal with the realities of war whilst absorbing and surviving the utter craziness of the violent fairy tale taking place before him. He is intelligent, earnest, and at times brave but always human making him a complete fish out of water in this world of almost superheroes, dictators with aspirations of world domination and well Dracula. His respect for Van Helsing Senior, his lust for Van Helsing Junior and his distrust and jealousy for Dracula are all explored and woven through the missions they undertake. Duncan gets maximum use out of all of it by using the various POVs to show the differences between the way each character is seeing the ridiculousness or importance of their situations.
A vampire tale would not be complete without a little romance and naturally he gets the hots for the young Miss Van Helsing whose daring escapades can’t help but increase her desirability. But dear reader what is better than forbidden fruit and what is more forbidden to the daughter of THE Van Helsing than the old ancient blood sucker himself. This element of the story provides a great deal of lightness and humour that gives the entire book a fantastic balance.
Dracula Vs. Hitler winds up being quite a builder in terms of tension, pace and energy. It takes a little time (but not too much) for Drac to find his way into the world as the resistance could really use someone with increased speed, strength and a certain level of invulnerability to add some bite to their guerrilla style combat. From there reports find their way up the chain of the German command and back to the Fuhrer whose curiosity for the occult demands his involvement. I’d have liked dear Adolf to make an appearance a bit earlier, but by the time he came along I was well and truly hooked and ready for a big showdown. Duncan does not disappoint. The battle scenes are excellently written and definitely provide the visual flavour that books written in this style sometime need.
Called “A magnificent, flawless, delightful mash up of historical fiction and gothic horror” by Will Wheaton, it really is great fun particularly for fans of pulpy WW2 style combat. Rarely do find yourself cheering on the Prince of Darkness, but because he is up against the world’s greatest villain/piece of crap it is not only a foregone conclusion whose team the reader will be on but also enough to get some Team Drac hats printed off. Dracula Vs. Hitler is a custom written thrill ride for those that like a classic bloodbath with a twist. 9/10
This review was originally posted at Fantasy Faction http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/dracu...
The title immediately inspires epic comparisons to the likes of Godzilla Vs Mothra, and Hulk Hogan Vs Andre the Giant. There is that sense that two behemoths are about to face off and the winner may rule mankind for the rest of existence. It’s a guilty pleasure of brutality and fantasy and I was hooked from the moment I saw it. The bright blood red cover emblazoned with the words Dracula Vs. Hitler would not only grab your attention on a crowded shelf but might be enough to tear you away from Ozzy Osbourne live onstage tearing the head off a small animal. There have been a number of occasions where I’ve been reading it in a public place and passers-by seem unable to catch a glimpse and not stop and do a double take to confirm what they just saw. My reading was continually interrupted by random people asking me ‘are you serious’ and ‘is that for real’ to the point I had to begin only taking it out in private to get a good head of steam going.
The story is told in that epistolary style through a mixture of excerpts from fictional books that cover the history of the Van Helsing family, correspondence between German high officials and Hitler, and the diary entries of our young protagonist John. This seems to be quite popular at the moment with Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Nueval and The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff being other excellent examples and like the found footage style of film making, gives the reader an alternative entry point into the world. Unlike the aforementioned books though Dracula vs. Hitler gets away with a little cheating, as the book excerpts tend to mirror the more traditional style, which should provide a nice smooth transition for those that are not used to reading this style and those that have read it before but dismissed it due to its semi-detached nature.
Our protagonist is a young soldier named John. He is relatable and his humour infectious as he fights to deal with the realities of war whilst absorbing and surviving the utter craziness of the violent fairy tale taking place before him. He is intelligent, earnest, and at times brave but always human making him a complete fish out of water in this world of almost superheroes, dictators with aspirations of world domination and well Dracula. His respect for Van Helsing Senior, his lust for Van Helsing Junior and his distrust and jealousy for Dracula are all explored and woven through the missions they undertake. Duncan gets maximum use out of all of it by using the various POVs to show the differences between the way each character is seeing the ridiculousness or importance of their situations.
A vampire tale would not be complete without a little romance and naturally he gets the hots for the young Miss Van Helsing whose daring escapades can’t help but increase her desirability. But dear reader what is better than forbidden fruit and what is more forbidden to the daughter of THE Van Helsing than the old ancient blood sucker himself. This element of the story provides a great deal of lightness and humour that gives the entire book a fantastic balance.
Dracula Vs. Hitler winds up being quite a builder in terms of tension, pace and energy. It takes a little time (but not too much) for Drac to find his way into the world as the resistance could really use someone with increased speed, strength and a certain level of invulnerability to add some bite to their guerrilla style combat. From there reports find their way up the chain of the German command and back to the Fuhrer whose curiosity for the occult demands his involvement. I’d have liked dear Adolf to make an appearance a bit earlier, but by the time he came along I was well and truly hooked and ready for a big showdown. Duncan does not disappoint. The battle scenes are excellently written and definitely provide the visual flavour that books written in this style sometime need.
Called “A magnificent, flawless, delightful mash up of historical fiction and gothic horror” by Will Wheaton, it really is great fun particularly for fans of pulpy WW2 style combat. Rarely do find yourself cheering on the Prince of Darkness, but because he is up against the world’s greatest villain/piece of crap it is not only a foregone conclusion whose team the reader will be on but also enough to get some Team Drac hats printed off. Dracula Vs. Hitler is a custom written thrill ride for those that like a classic bloodbath with a twist. 9/10
This review was originally posted at Fantasy Faction http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/dracu...
October 31, 2016
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/10/31/...
Paranormal horror and historical fiction collide in the rather unfortunately titled Dracula vs. Hitler, since anyone picking up this book would be rightly forgiven for mistaking this book for a campy, humorous mashup. After all, that was my initial thought after seeing the name and cover as well, but as it turns out, my first impression couldn’t be further from the truth.
Dracula vs. Hitler is actually a quite serious endeavor, reinforced with what appears to be plenty of research and painstaking attention to detail. For one thing, it is written in an epistolary style like the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, a nod to the classic work.
The story officially begins with the Editor’s Note, as the author Patrick Sheane Duncan (who is also known for his work as a film producer and director, on movies like Courage Under Fire and Mr. Holland’s Opus) recounts a recent trip deep down into the bowels of a cavernous Washington DC document warehouse (think the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark), where he was supposed to be conducting research for a new television series. Instead, he ends up finding more than he bargained for, when he chances across a thick packet of papers labeled “TOP SECRET”. Inside this classified folder are the documents making up most of this book, mainly a series of entries from the journal of one Jonathan Murray Harker dated between the months of April to June 1941, as well as a number of excerpts from a novel believed to be authored by Lucille Van Helsing writing under a pen name.
These two characters are of course the descendants of the original characters from the novel Dracula, the ending of which apparently didn’t play out the way Stoker had written them. In a letter written in 1890, Lucille’s father Abraham Van Helsing confesses to not having killed the creature as he had intended, instead stashing the body away in a state of suspended animation. Fifty odd years later, as the Nazis are wreaking death and fear across Europe, Van Helsing is now a resistance leader in Romania. Nazi atrocities are detailed in secret communiqués to Berlin written by Major Waltraud Reikel, a vile and sadistic officer of the SS. As the resistance forces flounder under Reikel’s tight hold in the area, Van Helsing is forced to consider drastic measures—like turning to the creature he put down half a century ago. As reluctant as he is to go through with the plan, deep down he knows that to fight a monster…you need a monster. Together with the English spy Jonathan Harker, grandson of original Jonathan and Mina Harker, Van Helsing prepares to go back and unearth the legendary Dracula.
So no, this book is not intended to be a cheesy crossover or a comedic piece so don’t let the title put you off (though on the other hand, if you were attracted to this book because you were expecting a humorous read, then you’ll be disappointed…seriously, they really could have gone with a more suitable title). Instead, what you’ll find is a cleverly thought out novel featuring deep characters which actually deals with some solemn themes. Despite having a strong element of escapism appeal, I also wouldn’t exactly call this a “light, fluffy” read either. The story definitely has its share of slow, dragging parts, especially towards the beginning and in the middle, and for a book called Dracula vs. Hitler, there’s actually disappointingly little showdown between the two title characters. Dracula doesn’t even enter the picture until about a hundred pages in, and the Fuhrer’s presence mainly comes into play near the very end.
Still, after a lengthy buildup, the reader’s patience is rewarded as the momentum picks up. The story takes off bigtime as the resistance unleashes their secret weapon in the form of a bloodsucking vampire, and I can’t even begin to describe the immense pleasure and satisfaction derived from watching the Nazis lose their shit. The fight scenes are suspenseful and literally explosive, and of course, once Hitler finally figure out what’s going on, he becomes obsessed with capturing Dracula for a chance at unlocking the secret of immortality. The author pulls off the rest of the novel marvelously, and there’s no doubt that the climax and conclusion are this book’s best parts.
There are other notable aspects that must be addressed though, and first and foremost is of course the character of Dracula himself. Here he is portrayed as a savior and protector of Romania, though not without some pushback from those familiar with his bloody role in “The Book” as well as his brutal history as Prince Vlad the Impaler. Dracula doesn’t actually get his own “voice” in this novel, and instead we have to rely mostly on Jonathan Harker and Lucy Van Helsing’s sections in order to get to know him. Nevertheless, I am impressed with Duncan’s handling of the classic character. In the story, the resistance often refers to Dracula as “the creature” or “the secret weapon”, but as the plot continues it becomes more and more clear that he is not a thing or a monster, but a man who is more human than anyone gives him credit for. The author has also managed to create a lot of interesting tension between Dracula, Jonathan and Lucy, even going as far as to throw a bizarre love triangle into this mix (and trust me, it is not dubious as it sounds).
All told, its questionable title notwithstanding, I’m actually not too worried because I’m sure Dracula vs. Hitler will find an audience—and I really hope it will find success too because this book really is quite a gem. Do not, and I repeat, do not be fooled into expecting “Freddy vs. Jason” or “King Kong vs. Godzilla” levels of camp with this one; it’s not that kind of book. Historical fantasy and paranormal fans should have a good time though, especially if you’re looking for an imaginative book with a dash of pulp and quirkiness.
Paranormal horror and historical fiction collide in the rather unfortunately titled Dracula vs. Hitler, since anyone picking up this book would be rightly forgiven for mistaking this book for a campy, humorous mashup. After all, that was my initial thought after seeing the name and cover as well, but as it turns out, my first impression couldn’t be further from the truth.
Dracula vs. Hitler is actually a quite serious endeavor, reinforced with what appears to be plenty of research and painstaking attention to detail. For one thing, it is written in an epistolary style like the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, a nod to the classic work.
The story officially begins with the Editor’s Note, as the author Patrick Sheane Duncan (who is also known for his work as a film producer and director, on movies like Courage Under Fire and Mr. Holland’s Opus) recounts a recent trip deep down into the bowels of a cavernous Washington DC document warehouse (think the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark), where he was supposed to be conducting research for a new television series. Instead, he ends up finding more than he bargained for, when he chances across a thick packet of papers labeled “TOP SECRET”. Inside this classified folder are the documents making up most of this book, mainly a series of entries from the journal of one Jonathan Murray Harker dated between the months of April to June 1941, as well as a number of excerpts from a novel believed to be authored by Lucille Van Helsing writing under a pen name.
These two characters are of course the descendants of the original characters from the novel Dracula, the ending of which apparently didn’t play out the way Stoker had written them. In a letter written in 1890, Lucille’s father Abraham Van Helsing confesses to not having killed the creature as he had intended, instead stashing the body away in a state of suspended animation. Fifty odd years later, as the Nazis are wreaking death and fear across Europe, Van Helsing is now a resistance leader in Romania. Nazi atrocities are detailed in secret communiqués to Berlin written by Major Waltraud Reikel, a vile and sadistic officer of the SS. As the resistance forces flounder under Reikel’s tight hold in the area, Van Helsing is forced to consider drastic measures—like turning to the creature he put down half a century ago. As reluctant as he is to go through with the plan, deep down he knows that to fight a monster…you need a monster. Together with the English spy Jonathan Harker, grandson of original Jonathan and Mina Harker, Van Helsing prepares to go back and unearth the legendary Dracula.
So no, this book is not intended to be a cheesy crossover or a comedic piece so don’t let the title put you off (though on the other hand, if you were attracted to this book because you were expecting a humorous read, then you’ll be disappointed…seriously, they really could have gone with a more suitable title). Instead, what you’ll find is a cleverly thought out novel featuring deep characters which actually deals with some solemn themes. Despite having a strong element of escapism appeal, I also wouldn’t exactly call this a “light, fluffy” read either. The story definitely has its share of slow, dragging parts, especially towards the beginning and in the middle, and for a book called Dracula vs. Hitler, there’s actually disappointingly little showdown between the two title characters. Dracula doesn’t even enter the picture until about a hundred pages in, and the Fuhrer’s presence mainly comes into play near the very end.
Still, after a lengthy buildup, the reader’s patience is rewarded as the momentum picks up. The story takes off bigtime as the resistance unleashes their secret weapon in the form of a bloodsucking vampire, and I can’t even begin to describe the immense pleasure and satisfaction derived from watching the Nazis lose their shit. The fight scenes are suspenseful and literally explosive, and of course, once Hitler finally figure out what’s going on, he becomes obsessed with capturing Dracula for a chance at unlocking the secret of immortality. The author pulls off the rest of the novel marvelously, and there’s no doubt that the climax and conclusion are this book’s best parts.
There are other notable aspects that must be addressed though, and first and foremost is of course the character of Dracula himself. Here he is portrayed as a savior and protector of Romania, though not without some pushback from those familiar with his bloody role in “The Book” as well as his brutal history as Prince Vlad the Impaler. Dracula doesn’t actually get his own “voice” in this novel, and instead we have to rely mostly on Jonathan Harker and Lucy Van Helsing’s sections in order to get to know him. Nevertheless, I am impressed with Duncan’s handling of the classic character. In the story, the resistance often refers to Dracula as “the creature” or “the secret weapon”, but as the plot continues it becomes more and more clear that he is not a thing or a monster, but a man who is more human than anyone gives him credit for. The author has also managed to create a lot of interesting tension between Dracula, Jonathan and Lucy, even going as far as to throw a bizarre love triangle into this mix (and trust me, it is not dubious as it sounds).
All told, its questionable title notwithstanding, I’m actually not too worried because I’m sure Dracula vs. Hitler will find an audience—and I really hope it will find success too because this book really is quite a gem. Do not, and I repeat, do not be fooled into expecting “Freddy vs. Jason” or “King Kong vs. Godzilla” levels of camp with this one; it’s not that kind of book. Historical fantasy and paranormal fans should have a good time though, especially if you’re looking for an imaginative book with a dash of pulp and quirkiness.
Read
December 9, 2016I knew going into this that, despite the title, it was not going to be farcical. However, some levity, if only of prose style, would have been welcome. Or at least some sparkle. Despite the supernatural elements, I would recommend this more for people who are into WWII resistance or generally action-oriented books, not vampire fans. Nor would I recommend it for people who care about characterization or prose. Sorry, author: I don't mean that in a super harsh way. The words are there to tell you what's happening, and that is not uncommon in the military action genre, from what I understand. It's just not to my taste.
If you're looking for historical fiction featuring vampires that is well written and has developed characters, I recommend Barbara Hambly, although it is an earlier period. There are a few other vampires or werewolves fighting Nazis* books, I could probably dredge up the titles of anyone really wants them.
*I only read a quarter of the book, but I assume Dracula is not going to fight Hitler mano a mano. That would be over too quickly. Even if Dracula fought left-handed.
If you're looking for historical fiction featuring vampires that is well written and has developed characters, I recommend Barbara Hambly, although it is an earlier period. There are a few other vampires or werewolves fighting Nazis* books, I could probably dredge up the titles of anyone really wants them.
*I only read a quarter of the book, but I assume Dracula is not going to fight Hitler mano a mano. That would be over too quickly. Even if Dracula fought left-handed.
December 11, 2018
DNF at 43%
I totally judjed a book by its cover when I added it to my tbr list. I mean look at it. Isn't it the coolest thing ever? And the title? Come on, I couldn't pass it up. A title like Dracula vs. Hitler is like a candy with which a stranger could lure me in any kind of situation. Why? Besides obvious, when you think about this title I bet you're picturing glorious Tarantino-like bloody battle royal, right? Right?
Before we get any deeper, let me tell you something. I fricking L.O.V.E. Dracula. At one point in my life I was obsessed with the guy. I read, watched, went to see anything I could get my hands on. It got to the point where on my history exam at school I somehow led the subject of the birth of USSR to Rumunia being under the turkish thumb in the 1400s and how Dracula was really not that big of a monster but a freedom fighter. You can imagine that exam didn't go my way.
So you understand my excitement when I started this book, only to then be let down by whatever the author passed as Dracula. Whoever that Stephan Salvatorre wannabe was it wasn't my dear Impaler, it wasn't the voivoda who scared the ever loving shit out of the boyars, and deffinitely not the man who stuck nails in the turbans of the turks who thought it was a good idea to demand their tribute from him. No! No no no.
Maybe things would get better when the real duel begins but for the life of me I can't suffer this much to get to it.
Over and out
I totally judjed a book by its cover when I added it to my tbr list. I mean look at it. Isn't it the coolest thing ever? And the title? Come on, I couldn't pass it up. A title like Dracula vs. Hitler is like a candy with which a stranger could lure me in any kind of situation. Why? Besides obvious, when you think about this title I bet you're picturing glorious Tarantino-like bloody battle royal, right? Right?
Before we get any deeper, let me tell you something. I fricking L.O.V.E. Dracula. At one point in my life I was obsessed with the guy. I read, watched, went to see anything I could get my hands on. It got to the point where on my history exam at school I somehow led the subject of the birth of USSR to Rumunia being under the turkish thumb in the 1400s and how Dracula was really not that big of a monster but a freedom fighter. You can imagine that exam didn't go my way.
So you understand my excitement when I started this book, only to then be let down by whatever the author passed as Dracula. Whoever that Stephan Salvatorre wannabe was it wasn't my dear Impaler, it wasn't the voivoda who scared the ever loving shit out of the boyars, and deffinitely not the man who stuck nails in the turbans of the turks who thought it was a good idea to demand their tribute from him. No! No no no.
Maybe things would get better when the real duel begins but for the life of me I can't suffer this much to get to it.
Over and out
September 29, 2017
At times this book was pretty entertaining, at other times it repeated itself, which became dull and predictable. The author was never able to really get in touch with the soul of the main characters so you were left with an uncaring, not that interested feeling. On the other hand there were moments where it was fun and exciting. Would give 3 and 1/2 stars if I could.
September 2, 2017
I was looking for a nice work of historical fiction and found this gem of a title. I expected a campy palate cleanser. It was actually better than expected.
The author showed a similar writing style to "Dracula" based on letters and journals. Dracula is brought back to the living to fight Nazis attacking his homeland. The Nazis want to live forever. Thankfully nobody else wants them to live that long.
The author showed a similar writing style to "Dracula" based on letters and journals. Dracula is brought back to the living to fight Nazis attacking his homeland. The Nazis want to live forever. Thankfully nobody else wants them to live that long.
October 1, 2024
Found this as a free book on audible and thought - what the hell, should be good for a laugh.
I just assumed, based on the title that it would be played for laughs, but it wasn’t at all.
The book actually took itself completely seriously, playing more like a slightly campy 80s action movie than comedy.
It has quite a bit of setup as it has a similar framing device as the original book, told as a series of excerpts from journals and letters. It acknowledges the events of the Bram Stoker book, the existence of the book itself and even the movie version from the 30s.
Van Helsing, now an old man, living in Romania with his smoke show daughter, Lucy, is part of the Romanian resistance in WW 2.
Things are going poorly and he feels that his only recourse is to resurrect Dracula and ask him to help. As it turns out, Dracula is a pretty stand up dude who has a hulk hogan style stache and an unwavering love of capes.
From that point on Dracula is on a non stop mission to fuck the Nazi’s in the neck with his tooth-dicks. There’s scene after scene of him tearing dudes apart as they scream out their last breaths and soil themselves in terror. Even so, he’s still as slick as owl shit, so cool. The women want to be with him, the Hitlers want to be him! Personally I’m not so sure, he did get stabbed to death by a cowboy in the first book.
I just assumed, based on the title that it would be played for laughs, but it wasn’t at all.
The book actually took itself completely seriously, playing more like a slightly campy 80s action movie than comedy.
It has quite a bit of setup as it has a similar framing device as the original book, told as a series of excerpts from journals and letters. It acknowledges the events of the Bram Stoker book, the existence of the book itself and even the movie version from the 30s.
Van Helsing, now an old man, living in Romania with his smoke show daughter, Lucy, is part of the Romanian resistance in WW 2.
Things are going poorly and he feels that his only recourse is to resurrect Dracula and ask him to help. As it turns out, Dracula is a pretty stand up dude who has a hulk hogan style stache and an unwavering love of capes.
From that point on Dracula is on a non stop mission to fuck the Nazi’s in the neck with his tooth-dicks. There’s scene after scene of him tearing dudes apart as they scream out their last breaths and soil themselves in terror. Even so, he’s still as slick as owl shit, so cool. The women want to be with him, the Hitlers want to be him! Personally I’m not so sure, he did get stabbed to death by a cowboy in the first book.
Want to read
October 12, 2016
I am strangely intrigued....
August 11, 2022
I was excited about the premise of this plot but sadly it just never delivered what I expected. The story seemed to drag and never develop any pace that moved it forward. Not recommended
January 9, 2017
Is it okay for me to say that I had both really high expectations for this book and, at the same time, fairly low one's as well?
I love the lore of the vampire, even more so of Dracula. So this book seemed like it would be a lot of run and just an enjoyable read, leaving my expectations low. However, after reading the first fifty pages of so, my expectations for the rest of the novel kind of exploded. I really loved how the story was set up. It gives you a bit of the past, some familiar characters only under different settings, and left room for growth to the lore under the setting of World War II. Unfortunately, the rest of the book was a let down. Without getting into spoilers, the second third of the book involved too much of the same without a lot of character development. I know that a book like this would be more plot driven but I found myself caring less and less about those I was reading about. I also didn't like how Dracula how quickly Dracula made the decision to help the resistance fighters against the SS. It seemed a bit too easy and, if I may use this word when describing something in a book like this, unrealistic. With this sort of book, you are supposed to suspend your disbelief a bit, but I wanted more in-depth lore of how he originally made the decision to fight the Nazi's, and how he would go about it. This fell flat for me, and it didn't seem to rebound in the second half of the book.
I wanted to like this book, I just didn't. However, on an positive note, I did like the way the story is told. You get letters written from SS commanders, excerpts from an unpublished novel, journal entries from the young Harker, as well as notes from Van Helsing, which gave the store some nice depth. But in the end, this book just didn't get it done for me. But it was well written, so I will be checking out more from the author in the future.
I love the lore of the vampire, even more so of Dracula. So this book seemed like it would be a lot of run and just an enjoyable read, leaving my expectations low. However, after reading the first fifty pages of so, my expectations for the rest of the novel kind of exploded. I really loved how the story was set up. It gives you a bit of the past, some familiar characters only under different settings, and left room for growth to the lore under the setting of World War II. Unfortunately, the rest of the book was a let down. Without getting into spoilers, the second third of the book involved too much of the same without a lot of character development. I know that a book like this would be more plot driven but I found myself caring less and less about those I was reading about. I also didn't like how Dracula how quickly Dracula made the decision to help the resistance fighters against the SS. It seemed a bit too easy and, if I may use this word when describing something in a book like this, unrealistic. With this sort of book, you are supposed to suspend your disbelief a bit, but I wanted more in-depth lore of how he originally made the decision to fight the Nazi's, and how he would go about it. This fell flat for me, and it didn't seem to rebound in the second half of the book.
I wanted to like this book, I just didn't. However, on an positive note, I did like the way the story is told. You get letters written from SS commanders, excerpts from an unpublished novel, journal entries from the young Harker, as well as notes from Van Helsing, which gave the store some nice depth. But in the end, this book just didn't get it done for me. But it was well written, so I will be checking out more from the author in the future.
May 1, 2017
With a title and a cover like that, I had to have this book. Yes, I am that girl who sees an awesome-looking book and squeals excitedly. I judge books by their covers. But come on: would you have resisted "Dracula vs. Hitler"? Honestly?!
This is my second book his year ("Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows" being the first) that starts off with a delightful introduction in the author's voice, claiming that the following text is the exact reproduction of documents found in the strangest circumstances, and re-transcribed as exactly as possible for the reader. The author also insists that a rigorous process of authentication was conducted on the originals and that what the reader is looking at is perfectly genuine. I personally find this completely adorable.
Duncan's luridly titled book is actually a cleverly written work of - fantastical - historical fiction. The various documents he claims to have found and organized in chronological order are all presented in different fonts for different sources, for added realism. They tell the story of how Abraham Van Helsing settled in Rumania after the now-legendary victory over Dracula. He made a quiet life for himself as a small town doctor, got married, had a daughter. When the devastation of World War II reached his village, his spirited-daughter Lucille and himself joined a local resistance organization. When an especially sadistic SS officer is assigned to restore order to their town, Van Helsing realizes that only one monster can defeat another and takes the very risky decision of unleashing the Creature upon the German army. After all, wasn't Vlad the Impaler a military leader who fought against the Turks' invasion of his homeland?
I love a good, pulpy read between the all-too-often serious and bleak books I tend to favor, but they have to be well-written and fun. I'm happy to report that "Dracula vs. Hitler" is as smart and entertaining as I wanted it to be and that reading it was a complete blast. Hammer Horror meets Tarantino.
The narrative structure mentioned before made reading the book a lot of fun. I hope for ereader owners that the layout was the same, because it certainly added to the reading experience. The poor, exceedingly proper Jonathan Harker (grandson of the original) falling in love with Van Helsing's fiery daughter was oh-so-predictable (and his puppy-love madness and sexism totally annoying), but it was also delightful. I loved that Duncan respected Stoker's original description of Dracula as a sophisticated, well-read man of aristocratic tastes and did not turn him into a caricature. Van Helsing's plan, to appeal to the Count's patriotic feelings, and their hasty arrangement can seem a little far-fetched (would you trust an un-dead creature you nailed to a coffin fifty years ago and then decided to release? I wouldn't!), it is still the perfect way to bring the legendary vampire in the story of the Third Reich.
Action-packed, super fun homage to Bram Stoker and lovely alternate-history fiction! Highly recommended!
This is my second book his year ("Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows" being the first) that starts off with a delightful introduction in the author's voice, claiming that the following text is the exact reproduction of documents found in the strangest circumstances, and re-transcribed as exactly as possible for the reader. The author also insists that a rigorous process of authentication was conducted on the originals and that what the reader is looking at is perfectly genuine. I personally find this completely adorable.
Duncan's luridly titled book is actually a cleverly written work of - fantastical - historical fiction. The various documents he claims to have found and organized in chronological order are all presented in different fonts for different sources, for added realism. They tell the story of how Abraham Van Helsing settled in Rumania after the now-legendary victory over Dracula. He made a quiet life for himself as a small town doctor, got married, had a daughter. When the devastation of World War II reached his village, his spirited-daughter Lucille and himself joined a local resistance organization. When an especially sadistic SS officer is assigned to restore order to their town, Van Helsing realizes that only one monster can defeat another and takes the very risky decision of unleashing the Creature upon the German army. After all, wasn't Vlad the Impaler a military leader who fought against the Turks' invasion of his homeland?
I love a good, pulpy read between the all-too-often serious and bleak books I tend to favor, but they have to be well-written and fun. I'm happy to report that "Dracula vs. Hitler" is as smart and entertaining as I wanted it to be and that reading it was a complete blast. Hammer Horror meets Tarantino.
The narrative structure mentioned before made reading the book a lot of fun. I hope for ereader owners that the layout was the same, because it certainly added to the reading experience. The poor, exceedingly proper Jonathan Harker (grandson of the original) falling in love with Van Helsing's fiery daughter was oh-so-predictable (and his puppy-love madness and sexism totally annoying), but it was also delightful. I loved that Duncan respected Stoker's original description of Dracula as a sophisticated, well-read man of aristocratic tastes and did not turn him into a caricature. Van Helsing's plan, to appeal to the Count's patriotic feelings, and their hasty arrangement can seem a little far-fetched (would you trust an un-dead creature you nailed to a coffin fifty years ago and then decided to release? I wouldn't!), it is still the perfect way to bring the legendary vampire in the story of the Third Reich.
Action-packed, super fun homage to Bram Stoker and lovely alternate-history fiction! Highly recommended!
February 5, 2017
This is the first Dracula-themed book I've ever given up on. One, because I'm trying harder this year to stop reading books if I reach around the 1/3 mark and know it's not for me -- and boy did that ever happen here. I can pinpoint the exact moment I noped away from this book. Two, because of that nope moment. I am 1000% done with making a seemingly strong, independent, smart, brave woman spend all of five minutes with Dracula and go, "Yep. That. That's what I want in a man."
You want a serial killer? You want a man who admitted to killing for revenge, sport, and to grow his undead numbers so he could kill more people? You want a man who enslaved the weak-minded so he could plan to kill more people? You want a man who got fed up with living in a castle, cohabitating with women he treated like shit, all of them killing people, and wanted to branch out to a new life where he could kill people without drawing attention to himself because the local peasants were getting pissed to the point of thinking about offing him for KILLING A LOT OF PEOPLE?
But he's all dark and mysterious and there's some spark of humanity that only I can see and once he loves me-- stop it. Just stop it. Stop fetishizing a man who unrelentingly kills people for sustenance and turns into a bratty, violent child when others try to thwart his killings.
Even having him go after Nazis and Hitler doesn't forgive the whole mass murderer as a viable love interest thing. The murderous enemy of your murderous enemy is not the ideal honey-bunny.
It is also the most absurd and reductive plotline in neo-neo-gothic to appear feminist by having a woman reject those who wish ill on Dracula (because, I don't know, he likes to kill people, maybe) and fall for him, believing they are the one special woman who can make him not a monster. That doesn't give the woman any agency, it just transfers a romantic bond from a perceived oppressor (someone with standard ideals of courtship and matrimony and gender roles) to a serial killer. That's not better. Not. At. All. Better.
I so wanted to be lost in an adventure story with Dracula ripping off Nazi heads and punching Hitler in the chest and having his fist go through that mustached-loony's heart. I wanted Captain Transylvania, leading rogue, rag-tag resistance troops on missions to bring down Herr Silly Facial Hair. I wanted Dracula versus Hitler. Instead I got Dracula meets Van Helsing's daughter, they instantly have squishy feelings for one another, and I throw up in my mouth and stop reading because I know where this story is going now and it isn't original or exciting or powerful, it's lazy, patriarchal bullshit.
You want a serial killer? You want a man who admitted to killing for revenge, sport, and to grow his undead numbers so he could kill more people? You want a man who enslaved the weak-minded so he could plan to kill more people? You want a man who got fed up with living in a castle, cohabitating with women he treated like shit, all of them killing people, and wanted to branch out to a new life where he could kill people without drawing attention to himself because the local peasants were getting pissed to the point of thinking about offing him for KILLING A LOT OF PEOPLE?
But he's all dark and mysterious and there's some spark of humanity that only I can see and once he loves me-- stop it. Just stop it. Stop fetishizing a man who unrelentingly kills people for sustenance and turns into a bratty, violent child when others try to thwart his killings.
Even having him go after Nazis and Hitler doesn't forgive the whole mass murderer as a viable love interest thing. The murderous enemy of your murderous enemy is not the ideal honey-bunny.
It is also the most absurd and reductive plotline in neo-neo-gothic to appear feminist by having a woman reject those who wish ill on Dracula (because, I don't know, he likes to kill people, maybe) and fall for him, believing they are the one special woman who can make him not a monster. That doesn't give the woman any agency, it just transfers a romantic bond from a perceived oppressor (someone with standard ideals of courtship and matrimony and gender roles) to a serial killer. That's not better. Not. At. All. Better.
I so wanted to be lost in an adventure story with Dracula ripping off Nazi heads and punching Hitler in the chest and having his fist go through that mustached-loony's heart. I wanted Captain Transylvania, leading rogue, rag-tag resistance troops on missions to bring down Herr Silly Facial Hair. I wanted Dracula versus Hitler. Instead I got Dracula meets Van Helsing's daughter, they instantly have squishy feelings for one another, and I throw up in my mouth and stop reading because I know where this story is going now and it isn't original or exciting or powerful, it's lazy, patriarchal bullshit.
November 28, 2016
Dracula, among the scariest of all monsters made by man, a popular character that everyone had to try to write him, but not always successfully........
The premise was truly captivating, Hitler was a firm believer of the power of the supernatural, sadly in our reality, he died and his belief died with him......ahhhh but on this reality, maybe, just maybe, fate will have a kinder hand on him!!
World War II, the Nazi's brilliant offensive has been able to completely destroy Europe, France, Italy and United Kingdom, all trapped within their own borders, unable to help each other!
Our story begins in Brasov, during the height of Nazi offensive going into Russia, the only country left aside from America that has a real chance of stopping Hitler, Abraham Van Helsing together with daughter Lucille Van Helsing, leads the local resistance handing out defeat after defeat to the German invaders, unbeknowest to both, a change in leadership is in order, for the Germans, Major Reikel one of the more sadistic SS officers, upon arriving he was able to completely undermine The Van Helsings work, days later saw the arrival of Jonathan Harker, through parachutes....
With Reikel in command, the local resistance lost every single battle, never have they seen such brutality and inhumaness, nearing capture Abraham Van Helsing was unable to hold back his decision, to fight a monster you need a monster too.......and with Brasov so near the birthplace and final resting place of the so called monster..........all he has to do is travel............travel to the only place he has feared to return.........Transylvania, Vlad Tepes' kingdom........Dracula's domain........
Hmmmmmmm.........again premise magnificent, but reading and finishing, I felt the author powered down Dracula's abilities, his ruthlessness, cunning, everything that describes him......making him into a blood sucking Wolverine(Yes, the X-man).......and so I shall stop my story here and let you readers discover how this book ends, maybe some of you will be elated, but unfortunately I was not........
The premise was truly captivating, Hitler was a firm believer of the power of the supernatural, sadly in our reality, he died and his belief died with him......ahhhh but on this reality, maybe, just maybe, fate will have a kinder hand on him!!
World War II, the Nazi's brilliant offensive has been able to completely destroy Europe, France, Italy and United Kingdom, all trapped within their own borders, unable to help each other!
Our story begins in Brasov, during the height of Nazi offensive going into Russia, the only country left aside from America that has a real chance of stopping Hitler, Abraham Van Helsing together with daughter Lucille Van Helsing, leads the local resistance handing out defeat after defeat to the German invaders, unbeknowest to both, a change in leadership is in order, for the Germans, Major Reikel one of the more sadistic SS officers, upon arriving he was able to completely undermine The Van Helsings work, days later saw the arrival of Jonathan Harker, through parachutes....
With Reikel in command, the local resistance lost every single battle, never have they seen such brutality and inhumaness, nearing capture Abraham Van Helsing was unable to hold back his decision, to fight a monster you need a monster too.......and with Brasov so near the birthplace and final resting place of the so called monster..........all he has to do is travel............travel to the only place he has feared to return.........Transylvania, Vlad Tepes' kingdom........Dracula's domain........
Hmmmmmmm.........again premise magnificent, but reading and finishing, I felt the author powered down Dracula's abilities, his ruthlessness, cunning, everything that describes him......making him into a blood sucking Wolverine(Yes, the X-man).......and so I shall stop my story here and let you readers discover how this book ends, maybe some of you will be elated, but unfortunately I was not........
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
"Ignorance, willful ignorance, and mental laziness are hallmarks of the masses," Dracula says. Amen! Now to the book: this one grabbed my attention immediately when I saw it, facing me from the "new and notable" shelves at the library. What a concept! Sounds like a blast! And Act 1 of this book really delivers with the "resurrection" of Dracula: a monster to fight the monster Nazis! Then, Act 2 begins with raids against the bad guys. Then there are more raids. Raid after raid and as the bodies pile up, and as the blood flows thicker and thicker, I felt like I was reading torture porn (my least favorite genre). And toward the end of the book, there were extended hand-written letters in a font very difficult to read. Why would the author want to deliberately make the reader literally work through these passages? Instead of ramping up the tension toward a hopefully fantastic climax, he freezes the momentum. I must praise Duncan (and give him five stars) for this high-concept idea and his stupendous opening act. But he doesn't deliver for the next 400 or so pages: Act 2 (one star) and Act 3 (one star) have relatively repetitive scenes until it all gets rather boring. So we have a mathematical average of 2 stars, hence my rating. And besides, I just read Rice's new Prince Lestat book and no one does vampires better than Rice.
November 29, 2016
When I first saw the title--and the terrific cover--of Dracula vs. Hitler--I assumed it would be a crazy, over-the-top, campy pulp novel. How could it be anything else?! Well, it is something else.
It's actually written in an epistolary style, like the original Dracula. We get chapters from the viewpoint of Abraham Van Helsing, Van Helsing's daughter Lucille, Harker's grandson, and even Hitler himself! The book takes 100 pages before Drac even shows up, and that time is spent immersing us in the trenches of resistance fighters battling the evil Nazis. We could just be reading a well-researched historical fiction of gritty WWII resistance. Until Dracula shows up.
Of course, you have to set aside a great deal of common sense to enjoy the book. And I don't mean the common sense of a vampire's existence, but more that people who had intimate knowledge of Dracula's capabilities, and even lost loved ones to him, would resurrect him for any reason--even the defense of the homeland. Also, Dracula quickly turned from the evil creature of the original book to a remorseful man looking for some kind of redemption. It didn't really ring true.
Still, if you can get past that hurdle, the book is well-told, cinematic, and solid. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
It's actually written in an epistolary style, like the original Dracula. We get chapters from the viewpoint of Abraham Van Helsing, Van Helsing's daughter Lucille, Harker's grandson, and even Hitler himself! The book takes 100 pages before Drac even shows up, and that time is spent immersing us in the trenches of resistance fighters battling the evil Nazis. We could just be reading a well-researched historical fiction of gritty WWII resistance. Until Dracula shows up.
Of course, you have to set aside a great deal of common sense to enjoy the book. And I don't mean the common sense of a vampire's existence, but more that people who had intimate knowledge of Dracula's capabilities, and even lost loved ones to him, would resurrect him for any reason--even the defense of the homeland. Also, Dracula quickly turned from the evil creature of the original book to a remorseful man looking for some kind of redemption. It didn't really ring true.
Still, if you can get past that hurdle, the book is well-told, cinematic, and solid. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
February 6, 2021
I picked this up for what I thought was going to be a bit a light reading, but instead read a pretty dark story about World War II and the fight against the Nazi occupation in Eastern Europe. Although there was plenty of action and several violent encounters with the Nazis, this book seemed to lack a "sense of urgency" for me. There really was not a time in the story where I was gripped by the icy cold hand of fear for the characters. They were able to almost too easily defeat their enemy, there was not a point where I was really worried about the safety of the characters. There were some exciting escapes, but for some reason, I was unable to fully immerse myself into the story line.
Some of this might have been because I'm not a huge fan of the diary type of writing style. I know the original Dracula was written in this style and so most of the homage stories follow suit, but for me it is just one of the least enjoyable writing styles to read.
Although the story ended in a manner as to allow it to be the beginning of an entire series of books, I'm not sure I would be interested in reading another on on this topic written i this style again.
Some of this might have been because I'm not a huge fan of the diary type of writing style. I know the original Dracula was written in this style and so most of the homage stories follow suit, but for me it is just one of the least enjoyable writing styles to read.
Although the story ended in a manner as to allow it to be the beginning of an entire series of books, I'm not sure I would be interested in reading another on on this topic written i this style again.
October 4, 2016
I reviewed this book for NetGalley.
After a week of binge reading Alistair MacLean, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and, of course, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mr. Duncan fell asleep, had a wonderful action-filled dream, and wrote this incredible novel, "Dracula vs. Hitler." Despite the 50's style title, this book is very well developed with believable, complex characters, exotic locale (Romania during WWII), excellent dialogue and an action filled plot.
It was really hard to stop reading this book. Exceptionally entertaining and exciting.
The book picks up with Van Helsing; his beautiful, independent and very intelligent daughter, Lucille Jonathan and Mina Harker's grandson, and most especially, Dracula. They are all fighting the Nazis, the true monsters of this novel.
These characters and their relationships with each other are well developed and as absorbing as the action. Dracula in particular presented in a different and more humane way than most Dracula portrayals.
Well worth reading! A really fun read!
After a week of binge reading Alistair MacLean, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and, of course, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mr. Duncan fell asleep, had a wonderful action-filled dream, and wrote this incredible novel, "Dracula vs. Hitler." Despite the 50's style title, this book is very well developed with believable, complex characters, exotic locale (Romania during WWII), excellent dialogue and an action filled plot.
It was really hard to stop reading this book. Exceptionally entertaining and exciting.
The book picks up with Van Helsing; his beautiful, independent and very intelligent daughter, Lucille Jonathan and Mina Harker's grandson, and most especially, Dracula. They are all fighting the Nazis, the true monsters of this novel.
These characters and their relationships with each other are well developed and as absorbing as the action. Dracula in particular presented in a different and more humane way than most Dracula portrayals.
Well worth reading! A really fun read!
July 25, 2016
This was a hoot. How could you NOT like a book featuring Dracula and Nazis? It's like the best of both worlds! Written in a similar style to the Bram Stoker original, and with similar characters, this was like reading a Leon Uris war novel with the best parts of Twilight. Dracula himself is a different kind of character than we're used to, but I didn't care. DRACULA AND NAZIS.
October 6, 2016
I had different expectations going into this book than what I really got. The story is told through diary entries and letters which isn't really something for me. I'm sure many others will find it enjoyable but I just couldn't do it.
January 20, 2018
After reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Carpathia, even though I enjoyed both those books very much, I really wasn't interested in reading that many more mash-ups. When I first discovered this book, however, I had high hopes for it.
I was actually interviewed in a podcast back in August 2017 about vampire books. When they asked me, "What I thought about mixing vampires with other genres", this was one of the books I had told them about because I had just purchased it a few days before the interview.
Well...too bad I was only able to give it two stars instead of five.
Like many Dracula sequels, prequels, spinoffs, etc., this is basically, "okay, that vampire book by the guy named Bram Stoker? That never really happened. Something similar to that happened, and Stoker just changed it around to his liking". That's cool by me, but many people had a problem with that concept with Dracula the Un-Dead. With this book, however, you obviously need that change.
It's basically World War II, and Van Helsing fifty years after the events in Dracula is dealing with Nazi's invading Romania. How is he still alive you ask, well like in Stoker's book. In Dracula, Van Helsing is actually supposed to be the same age that Bram Stoker was when he wrote it, not an elderly man like many people think. The idea is basically to revive Dracula and use him as a weapon by letting him drink the blood of the Nazi's and rip them apart, etc.
Sounds like a really badass idea, but not one that was executed entirely to my liking. If you know anything about the real Dracula, A.K.A. Vlad the Impaler...even though the people of Romania would argue that what I am saying is wrong, you know some of his behavior is a bit similar to that of Adolf Hitler. True, Vlad Dracula wasn't as bad as the evilest man of the Twentieth century, but he was close. So I thought it would be Evil vs. Evil.
That wasn't necessarily the case with this. In this book, you get more of a Frank Langella or Gary Oldman Dracula. Not what I had hoped for. Oh, and Van Helsing's daughter, Lucille which is a Langella/Oldman cliche.
Let's just put it this way...I hated reading about him going to the movies and him crying at the end of King Kong. Even this guy didn't do that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBI9U...
AND I LOVE THAT SHOW!!
He's like a misunderstood Anne Rice type Dracula. Of course, with an idea like this, you are obviously going to be rooting for Dracula over Hitler. The one thing that really bothered me is that !!!
Another thing, I felt like the author unnecessarily uses too many complicated words in this. Not to say he's a bad writer, if you read about him he's had a lot some success in many other things, particularly screenwriting.
I didn't dislike the book, but it wasn't the greatest book I've ever read either. That's why it got two stars. I feel like I'm in the minority in that rating because many of the reviews of this on here were a little more positive than mine. Again, don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book! There were some good parts, I liked the fight scenes and some of the ideas the author had. It was "just okay" is all.
When skimming through those reviews I also saw that a lot of people "were surprised that the historical facts and material is taken seriously". Yeah, that's a mash-up for you, a ridiculous idea that someone is telling you with a straight face. I do like mash-ups, I think I will read The Last American Vampire and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies next, but that might be it. There is a five part video I came across on YouTube, where Seth Grahame-Smith is speaking at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Illinois about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Someone asked him about "what he thought about the mash-up craze" and his response was basically, "It's cool but it's a fad." and "..there will come a point where we will all start to collectively roll our eyes at it.". Well, I thought this book would be that nail in the coffin, but I guess I'm wrong. That day has not come yet.
Again, Dracula vs. Hitler, two stars. A decent book but not a perfect book. At least in my opinion.
I was actually interviewed in a podcast back in August 2017 about vampire books. When they asked me, "What I thought about mixing vampires with other genres", this was one of the books I had told them about because I had just purchased it a few days before the interview.
Well...too bad I was only able to give it two stars instead of five.
Like many Dracula sequels, prequels, spinoffs, etc., this is basically, "okay, that vampire book by the guy named Bram Stoker? That never really happened. Something similar to that happened, and Stoker just changed it around to his liking". That's cool by me, but many people had a problem with that concept with Dracula the Un-Dead. With this book, however, you obviously need that change.
It's basically World War II, and Van Helsing fifty years after the events in Dracula is dealing with Nazi's invading Romania. How is he still alive you ask, well like in Stoker's book. In Dracula, Van Helsing is actually supposed to be the same age that Bram Stoker was when he wrote it, not an elderly man like many people think. The idea is basically to revive Dracula and use him as a weapon by letting him drink the blood of the Nazi's and rip them apart, etc.
Sounds like a really badass idea, but not one that was executed entirely to my liking. If you know anything about the real Dracula, A.K.A. Vlad the Impaler...even though the people of Romania would argue that what I am saying is wrong, you know some of his behavior is a bit similar to that of Adolf Hitler. True, Vlad Dracula wasn't as bad as the evilest man of the Twentieth century, but he was close. So I thought it would be Evil vs. Evil.
That wasn't necessarily the case with this. In this book, you get more of a Frank Langella or Gary Oldman Dracula. Not what I had hoped for. Oh, and Van Helsing's daughter, Lucille which is a Langella/Oldman cliche.
Let's just put it this way...I hated reading about him going to the movies and him crying at the end of King Kong. Even this guy didn't do that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBI9U...
AND I LOVE THAT SHOW!!
He's like a misunderstood Anne Rice type Dracula. Of course, with an idea like this, you are obviously going to be rooting for Dracula over Hitler. The one thing that really bothered me is that !!!
Another thing, I felt like the author unnecessarily uses too many complicated words in this. Not to say he's a bad writer, if you read about him he's had a lot some success in many other things, particularly screenwriting.
I didn't dislike the book, but it wasn't the greatest book I've ever read either. That's why it got two stars. I feel like I'm in the minority in that rating because many of the reviews of this on here were a little more positive than mine. Again, don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book! There were some good parts, I liked the fight scenes and some of the ideas the author had. It was "just okay" is all.
When skimming through those reviews I also saw that a lot of people "were surprised that the historical facts and material is taken seriously". Yeah, that's a mash-up for you, a ridiculous idea that someone is telling you with a straight face. I do like mash-ups, I think I will read The Last American Vampire and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies next, but that might be it. There is a five part video I came across on YouTube, where Seth Grahame-Smith is speaking at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Illinois about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Someone asked him about "what he thought about the mash-up craze" and his response was basically, "It's cool but it's a fad." and "..there will come a point where we will all start to collectively roll our eyes at it.". Well, I thought this book would be that nail in the coffin, but I guess I'm wrong. That day has not come yet.
Again, Dracula vs. Hitler, two stars. A decent book but not a perfect book. At least in my opinion.
Read
September 13, 2019DNF at 146 pages.
I was drawn to this book like a drug addict to a speed-ball.
A throw down between Dracula and Hitler?
Gimme Gimme Gimme!!!
I expected a slightly campy suedo-history lesson with lots of gore. And I wanted to watch Dracula wreak havoc on the third Reich, and make Hitler reach for a fresh pair of pants. My expectations and reality failed to negotiate a satisfactory compromise.
I wanted to read this book so badly that I ordered it new from Amazon in Hardback. I don't do that. I get my books dirt cheap or free because my teenager eats like a Clydesdale. Can't keep that kid in jeans or sneaks. And he's driving this year. His insurance premiums are killing me.
I tried to read this thing for six months. I don't remember how many times I put it down promising myself it would get better. I just had to hang on till it got past the boring part, or found a cohesive voice. 146 pages and it hasn't gotten there yet.
This book is just not for me. I want a lot of action. I want dynamic characters. I want to move seamlessly from one scene to the next and feel like what I just read was worthwhile spending time on. I don't want much (or any) romance in my monster books (in my book Dracula and Hitler more than apply). And I do not like repeated perspective changes. This book shifts perspective like every chapter and often from scene to scene.
Maybe I shot myself in the foot by not reading Dracula first. In Dracula vs Hitler, young John Harker connects with his Grandfather's old hunting buddy, Van Helsing and his granddaughter.
Of all the characters, Dracula is the only one I really liked. He accepts himself for who and what he is. A monster. A monster with a mission he is anxious to accomplish.
Some male authors don't write women effectively. Duncan may be one of them. Miss Van Helsing, a competent, thoroughly modern young woman of her age seems to be trying to launch the age of feminism 20 years early and going about it completely assbackward. Does anyone remember The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones? I'm referring to the episode with the suffragette. In which Indy meets a spirited young miss with more enthusiasm than actual life experience. She always took things that step too far. And when she inevitably stepped over the line instead of behaving like an adult and saying I'm so sorry, what was I thinking? or Where are my manners? she would run away and hide. Miss Van Helsing is that girl.
This book doesn't tick off any of my favorite boxes. But I'll step a long way out of my comfort zone if the writer keeps me engaged. Duncan didn't do that for me. Possibly because Dracula vs Hitler is less a Bram Stoker and more a Georgette Heyer. Seriously. Interspersed within the book are excerpts from an unpublished manuscript. A story about a woman who is clearly Miss Van Helsing, developing a relationship with a Prince who is clearly Dracula that takes place in the same time period and under the same circumstances as Dracula vs Hitler.
Just trying to explain that gave me a headache.
I don't know if manuscript scenes are a cleverly structured ruse to adhere to 1040's mores and still let the two characters get away with something that would absolutely not be tolerated in that time because --hey it didn't actually happen (wink wink)-- or a dream, or a fantasy, that Miss Van Helsing turned into a story afterward.
There's an interesting story here. One with a lot of moving parts that I wish I'd found the will to finish. There is a good, boots on the ground representation of freedom fighting in Europe. A believable peek into the bureaucracy of the third Reich and plenty of local color.
The constant perspective changes and the story within a story was too much for me. I couldn't put all the pieces of the story together satisfactorily.
I was drawn to this book like a drug addict to a speed-ball.
A throw down between Dracula and Hitler?
Gimme Gimme Gimme!!!
I expected a slightly campy suedo-history lesson with lots of gore. And I wanted to watch Dracula wreak havoc on the third Reich, and make Hitler reach for a fresh pair of pants. My expectations and reality failed to negotiate a satisfactory compromise.
I wanted to read this book so badly that I ordered it new from Amazon in Hardback. I don't do that. I get my books dirt cheap or free because my teenager eats like a Clydesdale. Can't keep that kid in jeans or sneaks. And he's driving this year. His insurance premiums are killing me.
I tried to read this thing for six months. I don't remember how many times I put it down promising myself it would get better. I just had to hang on till it got past the boring part, or found a cohesive voice. 146 pages and it hasn't gotten there yet.
This book is just not for me. I want a lot of action. I want dynamic characters. I want to move seamlessly from one scene to the next and feel like what I just read was worthwhile spending time on. I don't want much (or any) romance in my monster books (in my book Dracula and Hitler more than apply). And I do not like repeated perspective changes. This book shifts perspective like every chapter and often from scene to scene.
Maybe I shot myself in the foot by not reading Dracula first. In Dracula vs Hitler, young John Harker connects with his Grandfather's old hunting buddy, Van Helsing and his granddaughter.
Of all the characters, Dracula is the only one I really liked. He accepts himself for who and what he is. A monster. A monster with a mission he is anxious to accomplish.
Some male authors don't write women effectively. Duncan may be one of them. Miss Van Helsing, a competent, thoroughly modern young woman of her age seems to be trying to launch the age of feminism 20 years early and going about it completely assbackward. Does anyone remember The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones? I'm referring to the episode with the suffragette. In which Indy meets a spirited young miss with more enthusiasm than actual life experience. She always took things that step too far. And when she inevitably stepped over the line instead of behaving like an adult and saying I'm so sorry, what was I thinking? or Where are my manners? she would run away and hide. Miss Van Helsing is that girl.
This book doesn't tick off any of my favorite boxes. But I'll step a long way out of my comfort zone if the writer keeps me engaged. Duncan didn't do that for me. Possibly because Dracula vs Hitler is less a Bram Stoker and more a Georgette Heyer. Seriously. Interspersed within the book are excerpts from an unpublished manuscript. A story about a woman who is clearly Miss Van Helsing, developing a relationship with a Prince who is clearly Dracula that takes place in the same time period and under the same circumstances as Dracula vs Hitler.
Just trying to explain that gave me a headache.
I don't know if manuscript scenes are a cleverly structured ruse to adhere to 1040's mores and still let the two characters get away with something that would absolutely not be tolerated in that time because --hey it didn't actually happen (wink wink)-- or a dream, or a fantasy, that Miss Van Helsing turned into a story afterward.
There's an interesting story here. One with a lot of moving parts that I wish I'd found the will to finish. There is a good, boots on the ground representation of freedom fighting in Europe. A believable peek into the bureaucracy of the third Reich and plenty of local color.
The constant perspective changes and the story within a story was too much for me. I couldn't put all the pieces of the story together satisfactorily.
October 15, 2022
This is a World War II novel about the resistance fighting in Romania to drive out the Nazis. It is also a story of Dracula, the monstrous vampire from the Bram Stoker novel. That Duncan weaves the two stories together so well proved to be a pleasant surprise.
The novel opens with the Romanian resistance achieving success in their battle against the Nazis—so much success that special forces are called in to counter them, driving home the SS’s well-deserved reputation for brutality. The resistance is rapidly being picked apart when one of its leaders—Van Helsing from the original novel (now an old man)—decides that the only way for the Romanians to continue the fight is with the supernatural aid of Dracula. So, with the help of his daughter and the grandson of John Harker, he revives the vampire initiating the main part of the novel.
Here Duncan has a choice to make as to the direction of his story. Will he write Dracula the monster or the man? The monster might have proved more interesting, but it would certainly have been harder to bring about his confrontation with Hitler had he gone that route. Instead, he chooses to resurrect the patriotic prince of history with the superhuman powers of strength, healing, and the ability to mesmerize. I personally wish he’d gone the further route of the bat, mist, and wolf, but it’s Duncan story, not mine.
As the novel proceeds, a love triangle is developed involving Harker’s grandson, Van Helsing’s daughter, and Dracula that added additional tension to the story. The reader will also immediately note the two mistakes the resistance makes that lets Hitler find out that a vampire is confronting his army. This leads to the final and best phase of the story as the Nazis try to capture the count to turn him to their own uses. Watching Dracula confronted by human foes who know what they are contending with was very exciting.
Overall, this was an exciting and immensely fun read. If you are curious about the title, you’ll probably enjoy the story.
The novel opens with the Romanian resistance achieving success in their battle against the Nazis—so much success that special forces are called in to counter them, driving home the SS’s well-deserved reputation for brutality. The resistance is rapidly being picked apart when one of its leaders—Van Helsing from the original novel (now an old man)—decides that the only way for the Romanians to continue the fight is with the supernatural aid of Dracula. So, with the help of his daughter and the grandson of John Harker, he revives the vampire initiating the main part of the novel.
Here Duncan has a choice to make as to the direction of his story. Will he write Dracula the monster or the man? The monster might have proved more interesting, but it would certainly have been harder to bring about his confrontation with Hitler had he gone that route. Instead, he chooses to resurrect the patriotic prince of history with the superhuman powers of strength, healing, and the ability to mesmerize. I personally wish he’d gone the further route of the bat, mist, and wolf, but it’s Duncan story, not mine.
As the novel proceeds, a love triangle is developed involving Harker’s grandson, Van Helsing’s daughter, and Dracula that added additional tension to the story. The reader will also immediately note the two mistakes the resistance makes that lets Hitler find out that a vampire is confronting his army. This leads to the final and best phase of the story as the Nazis try to capture the count to turn him to their own uses. Watching Dracula confronted by human foes who know what they are contending with was very exciting.
Overall, this was an exciting and immensely fun read. If you are curious about the title, you’ll probably enjoy the story.
February 9, 2017
I am not familiar with the original Dracula story but one trip to Wikipedia told me that this is sort of like a Dracula retelling.
We have the characters originally from Dracula. Professor Van Helsing, Lucille who is Van Helsing's daughter and Jonathan Harker whose grandpa have some ties with Dracula himself. The title sounds interesting of course. Two of the most bad ass characters in one book and wow I wonder what surprise does this book have in store.
I am really hyped when Professor Van Helsing wake Dracula up from his deep slumber. Rumania is at war with the Nazis advancing in so Van Helsing decided to unleashed their ultimate weapon which is Dracula himself. Next, we read about how Dracula and the team went raid after raid, bombing bridges and building. These parts really bores me to death. There gotta be a dozen of those raids in these books. I feel like I am reading some WWII non fiction. And the stupid one sided romance between Lucille and Jonathan. Lucille make it clear she want nothing to do with Jonathan and idiot Jonathan just rant on and on about how Lucille is the one for him.
I just couldn't care less about how this book ended
We have the characters originally from Dracula. Professor Van Helsing, Lucille who is Van Helsing's daughter and Jonathan Harker whose grandpa have some ties with Dracula himself. The title sounds interesting of course. Two of the most bad ass characters in one book and wow I wonder what surprise does this book have in store.
I am really hyped when Professor Van Helsing wake Dracula up from his deep slumber. Rumania is at war with the Nazis advancing in so Van Helsing decided to unleashed their ultimate weapon which is Dracula himself. Next, we read about how Dracula and the team went raid after raid, bombing bridges and building. These parts really bores me to death. There gotta be a dozen of those raids in these books. I feel like I am reading some WWII non fiction. And the stupid one sided romance between Lucille and Jonathan. Lucille make it clear she want nothing to do with Jonathan and idiot Jonathan just rant on and on about how Lucille is the one for him.
I just couldn't care less about how this book ended
October 23, 2023
If I could rate this a 0 I would. Or like -10,000.
I read all 500 pages for not one fight between Dracula and Hitler. Instead, the whole book is a misogynistic, Mary sue wet dream love triangle between the FMC, a British spy, and Dracula.
The writing was painful, the racism and misogyny were constant and never ending, there were timeline errors, the fonts were impossible to read at times, a “German Mission Report” had an aside to explain how buff a male character was, and the five different POVs all sounded and talked basically the same.
Probably one of the worst books I’ve read in my entire life. I couldn’t make up the ridiculous things I read if I tried. Describing a boner as a “turgid plight” is just the tip of the iceberg. Like it wasn’t even bad in a camp way. It was just bad.
I read all 500 pages for not one fight between Dracula and Hitler. Instead, the whole book is a misogynistic, Mary sue wet dream love triangle between the FMC, a British spy, and Dracula.
The writing was painful, the racism and misogyny were constant and never ending, there were timeline errors, the fonts were impossible to read at times, a “German Mission Report” had an aside to explain how buff a male character was, and the five different POVs all sounded and talked basically the same.
Probably one of the worst books I’ve read in my entire life. I couldn’t make up the ridiculous things I read if I tried. Describing a boner as a “turgid plight” is just the tip of the iceberg. Like it wasn’t even bad in a camp way. It was just bad.
November 27, 2016
DNF at 73%.
I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately it was repetitive and predictable.
If you like military nonfiction, and think it would be neato if one of the soldiers was a vampire, this is the book for you.
It certainly wasn't bad, and I can see why others would like it, but it's not for me.
I was just too bored.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately it was repetitive and predictable.
If you like military nonfiction, and think it would be neato if one of the soldiers was a vampire, this is the book for you.
It certainly wasn't bad, and I can see why others would like it, but it's not for me.
I was just too bored.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2020
Someone actually sat down and decided, "I'm going to write a book called Dracula vs Hitler, but I'm going to take it completely seriously."
This is almost as bad as that Syfy movie Nick Carter wrote, which starred assorted 90's boy band alums, literally premiered on April 1st, and was the dullest straightest post-apocalyptic zombie western movie you've ever seen. The only person having a good time was Joey Fatone, because that man knows who he is and has decided to make the most of it. (That movie is called Dead 7 in case you're masochistic enough to want to watch it, but it's so dull.)
The basic premise is that Van Helsing and his daughter have joined the Romanian resistance fighters against the Nazis during WWII, and things aren't going well, so Van Helsing decides (rather quickly) to bring his old foe, Dracula, out of suspended animation and recruit him to fight the real monsters. Dracula, originally a freedom fighter himself, agrees (also super quickly) to join his former nemesis and only partake of Nazi blood to save his beloved Transylvania/Romania. It sounds like it's going to be quite a romp - real Inglorious Basterds alt-history fun - but the reality is that this book is such a slog.
The characters are a disaster. Dracula is a Twilight/Vampire Diaries era vampire whiner, lamenting the loss of his humanity and control.
Which brings me to Lucille - intentionally named after Lucy Westenra, as a reminder to the woman Van Helsing couldn't save - who's just...the worst. I love me a good strong, feisty female character, but...woof. Lucille is the embodiment of what happens when a lot of male authors try to write women.
She spends the whole book either chastising the men for trying to protect her/keep her out of danger, or being the recipient of a man's infatuation, one of them being young Johnny Harker, Jonathan/Mina's grandson, and he is also the worst. He spends his whole time mooning over Lucille like a sappy puppy or second guessing his military performance. Lucille is terrible to him, but he's just too in love to give her up. It's so gross.
But what's even grosser is that Lucille is moon-eyed for actual-murderer Dracula. It's REAL uncomfortable.
The only character that knows what book he's in is Renfield (real name unknown), the explosives expert with a head injury. He's the Joey Fatone of this book, having a grand old time singing bawdy tunes or blowing things up. "BOOM!"
Hitler is BARELY even in the book! It's hardly Dracula vs HITLER! Dracula and the Relentless, Insipid Raids Against Nazis would have been a better title. Once Dracula agrees to join the fight, the rest of the book is just a series of the gang raiding different Nazi strongholds, and it gets old REAL fast. They make a plan, they go in, Dracula rips a bunch of Nazis apart, they get out and are astonished at how invulnerable Dracula is, and Dracula bemoans his monstrous killings...short interlude of characters flirting and/or rejecting each other/Lucille enlightening the men to women's capabilities/Dracula catching up on the times (or some combination)...and then they raid again. Rinse and repeat.
I was listening to this audiobook at double speed, just waiting for Hitler to show up. He makes an appearance, but it's a glorified cameo. He is present enough for the characters to try to take the opportunity to take him out, but then the confrontation is averted before it could get any good. Here I was waiting for Dracula to face a Hitler who had found the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail or some kind of supernatural/occult relic that the Third Reich historically did invest research into - and this book even DOES reference that search pretty early on, so it could have feasibly gone that direction - or maybe the Nazis had found their own supernatural abilities through their inhumane research that could have played a part in the fight against Dracula, at least raise the stakes SOMEHOW (lol, stakes), but alas, nope.
It's just...so disappointing. I wasn't expecting high literature, but I was hoping for entertainment.
Final complaint, just because it bugged me so many times. The book tries to mimic the Dracula epistle writing structure. The story is told through the war journals of Johnny Harker (translated from shorthand), Van Helsing's diary, excerpts from an unpublished novel called The Dragon Prince and I (obviously written by Lucille under a nom de plume), and some communications between Nazi parties. Unfortunately, the voices of the different narrative structures are preposterously bad. Harker's war journals are incredibly elaborate for war records, translated from shorthand no less, and often changes point of view, so apparently Harker can read the minds of other characters (that's actually a problem for most of the narratives). The novel, The Dragon Prince and I is for some reason written in third person. The only bits that actually sounded like the narrative structure they were intended to be were the communications between the Nazis. Honestly, those were the most enjoyable parts for me.
This book is just all around not a good time.
This is almost as bad as that Syfy movie Nick Carter wrote, which starred assorted 90's boy band alums, literally premiered on April 1st, and was the dullest straightest post-apocalyptic zombie western movie you've ever seen. The only person having a good time was Joey Fatone, because that man knows who he is and has decided to make the most of it. (That movie is called Dead 7 in case you're masochistic enough to want to watch it, but it's so dull.)
The basic premise is that Van Helsing and his daughter have joined the Romanian resistance fighters against the Nazis during WWII, and things aren't going well, so Van Helsing decides (rather quickly) to bring his old foe, Dracula, out of suspended animation and recruit him to fight the real monsters. Dracula, originally a freedom fighter himself, agrees (also super quickly) to join his former nemesis and only partake of Nazi blood to save his beloved Transylvania/Romania. It sounds like it's going to be quite a romp - real Inglorious Basterds alt-history fun - but the reality is that this book is such a slog.
The characters are a disaster. Dracula is a Twilight/Vampire Diaries era vampire whiner, lamenting the loss of his humanity and control.
"Boo hoo, look at what a monster I am. I have made such a mess, blood everywhere, because I couldn't control myself. How could you even look at me??"
"No," Van Helsing's daughter, Lucille, consoles, "this is war. We've all done abhorrent things. You're not a bad guy!" (not a direct quote, but it might as well be)
Which brings me to Lucille - intentionally named after Lucy Westenra, as a reminder to the woman Van Helsing couldn't save - who's just...the worst. I love me a good strong, feisty female character, but...woof. Lucille is the embodiment of what happens when a lot of male authors try to write women.
'Women can do everything men can do. If I were a man, you wouldn't be trying to keep me out of this. Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd do everything, because I'm so much more capable than everyone else. I'm so strong and beautiful and good at everything. I'm sexually liberated too, and I'm going to save the poor troubled soul of Dracula, because we're soulmates!!!!'
She spends the whole book either chastising the men for trying to protect her/keep her out of danger, or being the recipient of a man's infatuation, one of them being young Johnny Harker, Jonathan/Mina's grandson, and he is also the worst. He spends his whole time mooning over Lucille like a sappy puppy or second guessing his military performance. Lucille is terrible to him, but he's just too in love to give her up. It's so gross.
But what's even grosser is that Lucille is moon-eyed for actual-murderer Dracula. It's REAL uncomfortable.
The only character that knows what book he's in is Renfield (real name unknown), the explosives expert with a head injury. He's the Joey Fatone of this book, having a grand old time singing bawdy tunes or blowing things up. "BOOM!"
Hitler is BARELY even in the book! It's hardly Dracula vs HITLER! Dracula and the Relentless, Insipid Raids Against Nazis would have been a better title. Once Dracula agrees to join the fight, the rest of the book is just a series of the gang raiding different Nazi strongholds, and it gets old REAL fast. They make a plan, they go in, Dracula rips a bunch of Nazis apart, they get out and are astonished at how invulnerable Dracula is, and Dracula bemoans his monstrous killings...short interlude of characters flirting and/or rejecting each other/Lucille enlightening the men to women's capabilities/Dracula catching up on the times (or some combination)...and then they raid again. Rinse and repeat.
I was listening to this audiobook at double speed, just waiting for Hitler to show up. He makes an appearance, but it's a glorified cameo. He is present enough for the characters to try to take the opportunity to take him out, but then the confrontation is averted before it could get any good. Here I was waiting for Dracula to face a Hitler who had found the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail or some kind of supernatural/occult relic that the Third Reich historically did invest research into - and this book even DOES reference that search pretty early on, so it could have feasibly gone that direction - or maybe the Nazis had found their own supernatural abilities through their inhumane research that could have played a part in the fight against Dracula, at least raise the stakes SOMEHOW (lol, stakes), but alas, nope.
It's just...so disappointing. I wasn't expecting high literature, but I was hoping for entertainment.
Final complaint, just because it bugged me so many times. The book tries to mimic the Dracula epistle writing structure. The story is told through the war journals of Johnny Harker (translated from shorthand), Van Helsing's diary, excerpts from an unpublished novel called The Dragon Prince and I (obviously written by Lucille under a nom de plume), and some communications between Nazi parties. Unfortunately, the voices of the different narrative structures are preposterously bad. Harker's war journals are incredibly elaborate for war records, translated from shorthand no less, and often changes point of view, so apparently Harker can read the minds of other characters (that's actually a problem for most of the narratives). The novel, The Dragon Prince and I is for some reason written in third person. The only bits that actually sounded like the narrative structure they were intended to be were the communications between the Nazis. Honestly, those were the most enjoyable parts for me.
This book is just all around not a good time.
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