What do you think?
Rate this book
Dracula #9
A Sharpness on the Neck
In 1792, Philip Radcliffe, the bastard son of Benjamin Franklin, comes to France to deliver a letter to Thomas Paine--only to get caught up in a conflict far more horrifying than the Revolution. By foiling a powerful vampire's attempt at fratricide, Radcliffe dooms himself and his descendants to suffer the vampire's eternal vengeance.In present day, Philip and June Radcliffe are kidnapped on their honeymoon. Their captor, a mysterious Mr. Graves, swears that he aims to protect them. Yet as the thrilling story unfolds, involving Napoleon, the Marquis de Sade, and the Scarlet Pimpernel, as well as Jerry Cruncher and Detective Dupin, the young couple refuses to believe him--a mistake that is certain to cost them their lives.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
6 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Fred Saberhagen
335 books494 followersFred Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his ''Beserker'' and Dracula stories.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 8, 2023
More fun. Dracula vs his brother Radu (yeah, the actual historical brothers, as vampires). But Radu's a bit of a loser.
As always, the story is split between past and present. The past takes place in Paris, during the French Revolution, where Radu and Vlad come against one another and Vlad tries to save an America, due to a vow. The present involves Vlad trying to save a descendent of the American...due to the same vow. And to deal with Radu, again, but without permanently killing him. Again, due to a vow.
Fun and you'll like it if you've read the series this far.
As always, the story is split between past and present. The past takes place in Paris, during the French Revolution, where Radu and Vlad come against one another and Vlad tries to save an America, due to a vow. The present involves Vlad trying to save a descendent of the American...due to the same vow. And to deal with Radu, again, but without permanently killing him. Again, due to a vow.
Fun and you'll like it if you've read the series this far.
April 23, 2025
3.5/5
A novel in two timelines. I enjoyed the story in the present day a bit more than the one in Revolutionary France.
A novel in two timelines. I enjoyed the story in the present day a bit more than the one in Revolutionary France.
December 26, 2022
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Radciffe family have earned the wrath of an old and powerful vampire, Dracula himself, just… not THAT one, as Vlad Dracula keeps trying to prove them, having kidnapped the family to save them from his brother Radu Dracula. But the will to protect people is not enough when they don’t understand your actions, their importance, or even reasons behind them. And to attempt and explain them, well, who would believe in vampires, right?
My Opinion: Current Radcliffe family puts themselves in danger via this long and dull back-and-forth of “we’re vampires – there’s no such thing as vampires“. Much like late Anne Rice’s works, this here is a tale of a tale, where people sit down just to hear a tale from long ago, with all it’s sleep-inducing nuances, notes from long ago, additional notes made now, and notes in retrospect of things currently. It’s classically okay, but just not good. The writing is poor, the tale itself is poorer, side characters are of no more importance than furniture, and the main-sides, aka Radcliffes, lack any characteristics to make them real people, or notable characters. With all the emphasis on brotherly rivalry, it was more a mockery that we were expected to admire.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Radciffe family have earned the wrath of an old and powerful vampire, Dracula himself, just… not THAT one, as Vlad Dracula keeps trying to prove them, having kidnapped the family to save them from his brother Radu Dracula. But the will to protect people is not enough when they don’t understand your actions, their importance, or even reasons behind them. And to attempt and explain them, well, who would believe in vampires, right?
My Opinion: Current Radcliffe family puts themselves in danger via this long and dull back-and-forth of “we’re vampires – there’s no such thing as vampires“. Much like late Anne Rice’s works, this here is a tale of a tale, where people sit down just to hear a tale from long ago, with all it’s sleep-inducing nuances, notes from long ago, additional notes made now, and notes in retrospect of things currently. It’s classically okay, but just not good. The writing is poor, the tale itself is poorer, side characters are of no more importance than furniture, and the main-sides, aka Radcliffes, lack any characteristics to make them real people, or notable characters. With all the emphasis on brotherly rivalry, it was more a mockery that we were expected to admire.
November 7, 2010
I've read all of Mr. Saberhagen's Dracula series and only recently discovered I'd missed this last one when it was released. So I was fairly excited to get a new one. I've always found these books entertaining, if light, reading. But I was disappointed with this one. The plot was decent, I suppose, dealing with the Terror after the French Revolution and the struggle between Vlad Dracula and his brother Radu. But the writing was really poor. I just reread the first in the series, The Dracula Tape, and can confirm it is well written. Something obviously happened somewhere in the many years between the writing of that book and this one. There were not just typos and sentences that made no sense, but serious flaws in the structuring and telling of the story. Things were restated over and over in slightly different words, sometimes on the same page. I was constantly thrown off my reading, not sure if I'd just reread the same section or if this was a different POV, or if I had misread. It read like a very rough draft, or even notes for a novel, not a finished and edited book. By the end I felt like I had glimpsed a story that could have been a good novel, but ultimately it was more of a chore to slog through than an enjoyable experience.
May 6, 2019
I did not finish this book. I ended up stopping around page 63, as I was still having a hard time 'getting in to' the book and struggling to want to continue to read it. I was not sure what to expect; it sounded like it might have an interesting premise, but it got pretty "stupid" for me, pretty quick. I finally had to stop reading it.
For me, I think the most stupid part of what I read was that "Radu" (Vlad's younger brother) kept trying to kill Vlad in prior lives (incarnations? apparently he and Vlad both have an amazing healing factor), yet Vlad apparently has some kind of issue with saving his life by killing his brother (which I 'get,' on the one hand, having younger brothers of my own), but after some point one would think "enough is enough!" and Vlad would act to ensure his brother permanently ceased and desisted trying to kill Vlad. (Apparently Vlad placed enough dirt from their home country in the coffin to ensure that Radu never 'fully died' but remained 'alive' [after a fashion] until his head was reattached to his torso and he became 'more fully alive') (or, as alive as a vampire can become).
Neither did I care for the number of rapes that occurred right away in the book. The author never actually says how many men and women Radu rapes before sucking away at their blood, but it seems like it was quite a bit, based on how Radu lost track of the number of 'couplings' he had experienced after being revived. I call them 'rapes' because these people were not in their right minds when he took them for himself; the author is also pretty clear on that standpoint, that many if not most of them were being taken against their will in order to satisfy Radu's . . . hunger.
Now, I will admit to this - I did find it 'clever' and 'original' that Vlad forced the descendant of some dude and the descendant's wife to watch a video as opposed to answering their questions himself. In this fashion, he could continue to 'safeguard' future descendants of the man who saved his life during the French Revolution (and Time of Terror) and explain to them, via this recording he made, how he came to be their family's 'eternal guardian' (or, something like that). Well, I should say I thought it was clever that he recorded himself relating their entwined history (for at least six hours) instead of he himself having to answer the same questions over-and-over from each generation of descendants he 'has to save' from whatever. It was definitely a time-saver for him to do so!
It is 'funny' - I have read the original Dracula and enjoyed it, as well as three other stories that involved vampire-like creatures. I enjoyed those stories far more than this story, to be honest. This one left a foul taste in my mouth and mind. This book is clearly not for me, which is a shame, as it sounded like an interesting premise on the back of the book.
For me, I think the most stupid part of what I read was that "Radu" (Vlad's younger brother) kept trying to kill Vlad in prior lives (incarnations? apparently he and Vlad both have an amazing healing factor), yet Vlad apparently has some kind of issue with saving his life by killing his brother (which I 'get,' on the one hand, having younger brothers of my own), but after some point one would think "enough is enough!" and Vlad would act to ensure his brother permanently ceased and desisted trying to kill Vlad. (Apparently Vlad placed enough dirt from their home country in the coffin to ensure that Radu never 'fully died' but remained 'alive' [after a fashion] until his head was reattached to his torso and he became 'more fully alive') (or, as alive as a vampire can become).
Neither did I care for the number of rapes that occurred right away in the book. The author never actually says how many men and women Radu rapes before sucking away at their blood, but it seems like it was quite a bit, based on how Radu lost track of the number of 'couplings' he had experienced after being revived. I call them 'rapes' because these people were not in their right minds when he took them for himself; the author is also pretty clear on that standpoint, that many if not most of them were being taken against their will in order to satisfy Radu's . . . hunger.
Now, I will admit to this - I did find it 'clever' and 'original' that Vlad forced the descendant of some dude and the descendant's wife to watch a video as opposed to answering their questions himself. In this fashion, he could continue to 'safeguard' future descendants of the man who saved his life during the French Revolution (and Time of Terror) and explain to them, via this recording he made, how he came to be their family's 'eternal guardian' (or, something like that). Well, I should say I thought it was clever that he recorded himself relating their entwined history (for at least six hours) instead of he himself having to answer the same questions over-and-over from each generation of descendants he 'has to save' from whatever. It was definitely a time-saver for him to do so!
It is 'funny' - I have read the original Dracula and enjoyed it, as well as three other stories that involved vampire-like creatures. I enjoyed those stories far more than this story, to be honest. This one left a foul taste in my mouth and mind. This book is clearly not for me, which is a shame, as it sounded like an interesting premise on the back of the book.
July 22, 2020
UGH.
I’ve been noticing several typos throughout the series but the editing in this one is especially neglected~ even repeating a sentence or using the wrong character name.
If he uses “doubtless” or “no doubt” one more time....
The next volume is the last and I am honestly so eager to put all of this behind me. It’s too bad I don’t like leaving things undone~ I would have gladly stopped a long time ago.
I’ve been noticing several typos throughout the series but the editing in this one is especially neglected~ even repeating a sentence or using the wrong character name.
If he uses “doubtless” or “no doubt” one more time....
The next volume is the last and I am honestly so eager to put all of this behind me. It’s too bad I don’t like leaving things undone~ I would have gladly stopped a long time ago.
December 1, 2022
A fine addition to the series. I think I’m in place to enjoy the book more than I was when I read in my youth. The tie in the historical events of the French Revolution and including an offspring of Benjamin Franklin’s, which was all too plausible given what I now know about Franklin was fun.
May 10, 2025
An interesting look at the French Revolution through the eyes of Dracula.
June 16, 2025
Dracula name-drops his way through the French Revolution.
July 2, 2025
WARNING: some animal cruelty
Still a cracking good story.
Still a cracking good story.
November 18, 2020
Saberhagen seems to be attempting to create the same sense of mystery about the Dracula story as he did with The Dracula Tapes, by telling the story to the reader through recounting it to the descendents of someone who was part of the story. In The Dracula Tapes, it was Jonathan Harker's family, in this case, it's Philip Radcliffe's. Unfortunately, since we all know just how real the Count of Wallachia is, it falls a little flat.
The meat of the tale takes place during and shortly after the French Revolution, and the title of the tale refers not to the fangs of a vampire so much as the bite of the newly invented guillotine. Dracula's evil younger brother, Radu, has been inadvertently freed from a long imprisonment by foolish grave robbers, and he is trying to get his revenge on Vlad, while enjoying the bloody mess of the revolution. Radu is one of those guys who gives vampires a bad name, taking more pleasure from his victims' pain and fear than from the sustenance derived from their blood.
The long and the short of it - When Vlad is badly injured by Radu's minions, he takes refuge at the family estate owned by Philip Radcliffe. His debt of honor forces him to aid Radcliff (and all his descendants into perpetuity) when the American falls into the clutches of the French authorities and is destined for the guillotine. The mechanics of the rescue are the only mysterious part of the story.
The sole saving grace of this tale is the amount of interesting trivia about the French Revolution and its victims. I never realized they had executed the famous scientist, Lavoisier, before. Makes me want to read up a bit. It also brought back fond memories of Weber's Honor Harrington novels, in which the revolutionary People's Republic of Haven is led by folks like Rob S. Pierre and Oscar St. Juste.
The meat of the tale takes place during and shortly after the French Revolution, and the title of the tale refers not to the fangs of a vampire so much as the bite of the newly invented guillotine. Dracula's evil younger brother, Radu, has been inadvertently freed from a long imprisonment by foolish grave robbers, and he is trying to get his revenge on Vlad, while enjoying the bloody mess of the revolution. Radu is one of those guys who gives vampires a bad name, taking more pleasure from his victims' pain and fear than from the sustenance derived from their blood.
The long and the short of it - When Vlad is badly injured by Radu's minions, he takes refuge at the family estate owned by Philip Radcliffe. His debt of honor forces him to aid Radcliff (and all his descendants into perpetuity) when the American falls into the clutches of the French authorities and is destined for the guillotine. The mechanics of the rescue are the only mysterious part of the story.
The sole saving grace of this tale is the amount of interesting trivia about the French Revolution and its victims. I never realized they had executed the famous scientist, Lavoisier, before. Makes me want to read up a bit. It also brought back fond memories of Weber's Honor Harrington novels, in which the revolutionary People's Republic of Haven is led by folks like Rob S. Pierre and Oscar St. Juste.
March 24, 2014
An OK Dracula read. Saberhagen's Dracula is the classic interpretation (wooden stakes, mirrors, mist and bats), but he's not really a monster... or at least, he is a monster with a very high moral code. In this book, he's having a centuries long spat with his little brother (also a vampire). Dracula refuses to (permanently) put his brother to death, but his younger brother has no such qualms.
The book kept switching from 1st person to 3rd person perspective, switching timelines from "now" back to the French Revolution. Dracula protects a human from his evil little brother. That human has an ancestor Dracula also protected in France circa 1790s. Both Dracula buddies are named "Radcliffe". It never got confusing, but seemed clunky with all the switching around.
The book seems like a good excuse for Saberhagen to dig around during "The Terror" and the mass executions of the French Revolution. It would have been fun just to see him do that, simply dropping the "modern days" story arc.
The book kept switching from 1st person to 3rd person perspective, switching timelines from "now" back to the French Revolution. Dracula protects a human from his evil little brother. That human has an ancestor Dracula also protected in France circa 1790s. Both Dracula buddies are named "Radcliffe". It never got confusing, but seemed clunky with all the switching around.
The book seems like a good excuse for Saberhagen to dig around during "The Terror" and the mass executions of the French Revolution. It would have been fun just to see him do that, simply dropping the "modern days" story arc.
Want to read
April 6, 2010Read several books in this series when my older son (who was born in 1993) was in NICU immediately after birth. I read the books out loud to him, and it was fun hearing the nurses tell each other at shift change what had happened in the story :)
Anyway, I've read all the books in the series and want to go back and re-read them.
Anyway, I've read all the books in the series and want to go back and re-read them.
September 22, 2013
"A Sharpness On The Neck" by Fred Saberhagen, is the 9th book in his 'Dracula Series' I have read over the years. This book and this series has been an entertaining set of novels to read. The writing quality varies in each of the novels. Fred Saberhagen has done a credible job in giving the 'Dracula' story a twist in his retellings.
November 21, 2007
read 05.31.06
good series
good series
February 7, 2008
The Dracula series continues on with this enjoyable story.
December 9, 2010
This was an amazing, well written book. I recommend this book for those who like vampires minus all of the drama that is found in modern vampire books(such as Twilight).
November 1, 2013
Loved it, another great addition to the Dracula series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews