ANNO DRACULA PB [Paperback]

Newman K. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1994

In an alternate history of the nineteenth century, Queen Victoria has married Vlad Tepes, better known as Count Dracula, leading to a reign of terror, while, in Whitechapel, Silver Knife, a murderer of vampire girls, threatens the new regime. Reprint. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As Nina Auerbach writes in the New York Times, " Stephen King assumes we hate vampires; Anne Rice makes it safe to love them, because they hate themselves. Kim Newman suspects that most of us live with them . . . . Anno Dracula is the definitive account of that post-modern species, the self-obsessed undead." In this first of what looks to be an excellent series, Victorian England has vampires at every level of society, especially the higher ones, and they engage in incessant intrigue, power games, and casual oppression of the weak--activities, as we know, that are all too human. Numerous characters from literature and from history appear in both major and cameo roles. Spectacular fight scenes, stormy politics, and a serial vampire killer keep the action lively. A scholarly bibliography is included.

From Publishers Weekly

Queen Victoria consorts with Count Dracula in this ingenious historical romp peopled by historic characters.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 21, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038072345X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380723454
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent alternative-history and dark fantasy, February 20, 2004

By 

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ANNO DRACULA PB (Paperback)

At the moment I write this, Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" is out of print. (Hopefully, by the time you read this, it will be available again.) It baffles me that such a wonderful recent novel (1992) could easily slip out of publication, especially when it is still very popular: apparently used bookstores can't keep this one their shelves for more then a day. With the huge success of Alan Moore's graphic novel "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" you would think this similar blending of Victorian personages, both historical and fictional, would widely available. This is really the dark fantasy version of Moore's heroic graphic novel, and anyone who enjoys either 1) alternative history, 2) vampire novels, or 3) dark fantasy will adore this book and never let their copy out of their greedy reading hands.

Mr. Newman imagines Victorian England if the bloodsucking count had been the victor in Dracula. The Count marries Queen Victoria and becomes ruler of an England rapidly becoming the territory of `new-born' vampires, who seek to be `turned' so they can rise in rank. Dracula opens up a reign of terror reminiscent of a medieval monarchy, yet still filled with traditional British Vicotrian attitudes. It's a delightful mixed brew of history and gothic darkness.

Into this thrilling setting slinks Jack the Ripper (also known as `Silver Knife'), slashing vampire girls in Whitechapel. Charles Beauregard, a human (or a 'warm' in vampire terms) who works for a secret society, and Genevieve, a vampire of an ancient boodline who has great distate for Dracula's reign both search for the murderer. Coming from two different angles, they join forces to try to fathom the mystery of the killings. Their invesitgation will lead to repercussions for all of this topsy-turvy, nightmare version of England.

"Anno Dracula" is an extraordinary feat of imagination: bloody, violent, erotic, and chock-full of historical and fictional guest stars: Oscar Wilde, Arthur Holmwood, Henry Jekyll, Jack the Ripper, Dr. Moreau, Danny Dravot (from Kipling's "The Man Who Would be King"), Professor Moriarty, George Bernard Shaw, etc. Even a quick mention of Lewis Carroll and Allan Quartermain! It's a Victorian literature lover`s dream come true -- and one for any fan of dark, exciting, BLOODY good fantasy and horror. Look for a copy, and let's hope it will be back in print soon!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anno Dracula (Titan Books edition), May 31, 2011

By 

Brendan Moody (Randolph, ME, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anno Dracula (Paperback)

There are books one simply shouldn't attempt to describe to the casual reader; regardless of merit, they sound not just uninteresting, but deeply silly. In eighth grade I was reading Harry Turtledove's Worldwar tetralogy, and a well-meaning classmate mentioned to our history teacher that I was reading a book about World War II. I was left to explain, "Yes, it's an alternate history where World War II is underway... and then aliens invade." Mercifully, I've forgotten what Mr. Dennett's reaction was.

The other day I was in the car, reading the new edition of Kim Newman's landmark vampire alternate history Anno Dracula, and I happened to read a passage out to my mother. (For readers familiar with the book, it was the exchange of insults in the pub.) She asked what the book's premise was, and I dutifully replied: "Well, it's like Dracula, except Dracula wins and he marries Queen Victoria." Mother was not amused.

I suppose it does sound ridiculous, but it isn't really. Dracula was a prince, and his ambitions were not small; had he not been defeated by Van Helsing's merry band, he might well have ingratiated himself with the British royal family, and the consequence would have been the world Newman portrays: a country where vampires have emerged into everyday life, where the best way to advance in high society is to "turn" and vampire-resisters are dragged off to concentration camps, where the prostitutes of the East End are as likely to offer blood as sex. Unless they're vampires themselves.

The story around which Newman's evocation of this alternate England is woven is the author's second quirky stroke of genius: Jack the Ripper is active in this world as well, but all his victims are vampires. The police, urged on by the government, are desperate to find this madman and potential folk hero, and so is the Diogenes Club, a secretive organization devoted to the national interest. The Club's agent, Charles Beauregard, finds himself working alongside the centuries old vampire Geneviève to find the Ripper. But their investigation is complicated by the sheer range of suspects, not to mention a vendetta against Geneviève and an increasingly repressive palace regime.

As one might expect, the characters of the novel include several from Dracula-- those, at least, who have survived, including Dr. Seward and Arthur Holmwood. But other Victorian and Edwardian literature is amply represented. One of the police detectives is Inspector Lestrade, while two doctors consulted about the murderer's knowledge and motivations are named Jekyll and Moreau. Vampires from other fiction have flocked to England for safety and freedom. Readers who don't like this sort of cameo appearance are advised not to read Anno Dracula, which is littered with them. For those who enjoy the game of tracking down references, there are plenty of semi-obscure names to identify. Historical figures, from Oscar Wilde to Sir Charles Warren, also appear.

But the novel is much more than a complicated game of Where's Waldo. Its world-building, in which real-world issues like sodomy raids and child prostitution are given a vampire twist, is ingenious enough, but it also includes vivid action sequences, intricate political intrigue, and a well-thought-out investigation. The Ripper's identity (itself a brilliant notion) is revealed to the reader early on, turning the book into a howcatchem rather than a whodunit, but allowing a powerful, disturbing insight into the killer's motivations. Anno Dracula is a fast-paced, delightful entertainment, a marvel of storytelling for those who like this sort of thing.

The book, first published in the 1990s, has long been out of print, but was recently released in a new edition by Titan Books. In addition to the original text, the new edition includes a number of bonus features: annotations by the author, identifying some of the more obscure references; an afterword on the novel's genesis; an excerpt from the novella "Red Reign," which preceded the novel and has a slightly different ending; extracts from Newman's unproduced screenplay for a film version, which includes a few new sequences and some altered characters; "Drac the Ripper," an essay on other Ripper/Dracula stories; and "Dead Travel Fast," a short story featuring Dracula that, while not formally part of the Anno Dracula universe, could fit into it, and is in any case a sharp, nasty piece dealing with a less-appreciated trait of the vampire.

I mention the Anno Dracula universe. Newman followed the original novel with two sequels: The Bloody Red Baron, set during World War I, and Dracula Cha Cha Cha (released in the US under the dull title Judgment of Tears), set in the 1950s. A fourth novel, Johnny Alucard, bringing the series into the present day, has long been in the works. Titan Books now plans to publish the entire series. Anno Dracula came out this month; The Bloody Red Baron (containing a never-before-published novella) will follow in October 2011, while Dracula Cha Cha Cha (with another new novella) will appear in April 2012 and Johnny Alucard in October 2012. Fans of Wold Newton-esque vampire fiction have much to look forward to.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alternate "History" -- Dracula Meets Jack the Ripper!, August 3, 2004

By 

Scott Schiefelbein (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: ANNO DRACULA PB (Paperback)

Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" has one of the most audacious plots imaginable -- let's assume that Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was non-fiction, and that Dracula defeated his nemesis, Van Helsing. Then, let's assume that Dracula "seduced" Queen Victoria and is now the Prince Consort, effectively ruling Great Britain. Throw in Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Jekyll, John Merrick (the Elephant Man), Jack the Ripper, and even a brief reference to the Lone Ranger(!), and you've got one heck of an amazing world to spin a yarn.

Newman's Victorian England is populated by vampires and "warm" humans, and there is little shame in being a vampire. But not every vampire becomes a "lord of darkness" -- Newman shows many vampires scraping by, selling themselves just like the "warm" cheap harlots of London's lower neighborhoods.

In that murky world, Jack the Ripper is butchering vampire prostitutes, using vicious silver blades. Two kindred spirits, the "warm" adventurer Charles Beauregard and the ancient vampiress Genevieve, pursue Jack and seek to put a stop to his diabolical ends. Beauregard works at the behest of the mysterious cabal known as the Diogenes Club, a group dedicated to the removal of Dracula's power, while Genevieve chases Jack out of mercy, trying to save the vampire-girls Jack seems hell-bent on savaging.

Newman packs "Anno Dracula" with action, unlike other "alternate vampire histories" (granted, a limited genre) like Brian Stableford's "Empire of Fear." Beauregard's prowess with a sword is easy to grasp, but Genevieve, an "elder" vampire even more ancient and powerful than Dracula, has powers far beyond the grasp of even other vampires. And even Genevieve meets a vampire that she cannot fend off for long, a Chinese horror sure to give more than a few readers nightmares.

A detective story that takes place in a London ready to explode in civil war where the "warm" take on the vampires and the vampires fight among themselves, "Anno Dracula" is a lark. Packed with enough gore and gothic eroticism to satisfy the vampire afficionado, "Anno Dracula" rarely goes over the top and manages to stay fairly grounded. A terrifying climactic stand-off between Beauregard, Genevieve, and Dracula ends ominously - Dracula is still out there, and he's not going to take his lumps lying down. Here's looking forward to the next in the series!