Customer Reviews

Incarnadine: The True Memoirs of Count Dracula: Volume One

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An engrossing and richly descriptive page turner, "Incarnadine" tells the life story of the most famous vampire in literary history from Dracula's own point of view. Carrying the reader through Dracula's tragic mortal existence, his incremental transformation into a vampire and the resulting consequences of those events, writer RH Greene reveals the immortal as a passionate, emotionally complex and, yes, deeply sympathetic figure. Full of lush descriptions and detail, the novel transports you back in time to Ottoman-controlled Eastern Europe so completely that you might actually find your mind walking in Dracula's footsteps and viewing the world through his eyes. Written entirely in the first person narrative, as if it were Dracula's diary, the book explores, with great empathy and insight, the feelings of a man driven beyond insane by the circumstances of his life and proposes an original answer to the most interesting question about the infamous character; what circumstances could possibly drive someone to forsake their own humanity?

Not just another Dracula novel, "Incarnadine" is a delicately woven and thought provoking commentary on the characteristics of love, faith and despair deliciously wrapped in a great vampire origin story. You won't want to put it down.

As a fan of Greene's work as an essayist, I was excited to see what he would do with the Dracula legend. "Incarnadine" surpassed all my expectations. Greene's Count is more man than monster, more burdened than emboldened by his curse. The heart of the novel is the Count's relationship with his three victims/disciples--a wholly unexpected and moving love story. But while the overall tone of the work is contemplative, the action scenes crackle with a cinematic energy. This is a Dracula memoir that will challenge fans of Stoker, Lugosi, and Coppola, while also satisfying readers of literary genre-benders like John Gardner's "Grendel."

Or more precisely, Dracula with an addictive personality. Throughout this book written in the guise of the early memoirs of Konstantin Kuzmanov,he becomes completely engrossed in each stage of his life. Buffeted from one extreme to the next he certainly can't be accused of not throwing his whole soul into each becoming. Which seems to be his undoing. As soon as a human does that which is most human, being imperfect, he becomes disenchanted with his whole being. And yet he continues to search for that unconditional love. And when he finds it, his reaction is of course imperfect and forces him to reject his life for a time, with a dreamlike sequence in the book that is mesmerizing.
The author relocated to Bulgaria while writing this book and manages to capture the essence of the area which to this reader seems frozen in time, giving the tale a sense of otherness and permeates the prose with a feeling of oppression. The explanations of the older myths of the most infamous of all vampires are woven into the tale and are very satisfying and intriguing.
This book may force the reader to reflect on how a person's life forces unwanted changes to their soul and the impact on their faith. I impatiently await the continuation of the story, The Charnel House. Cheers to R.H. Greene for returning to the true essence of the vampire.

Having read and reviewed numerous vampire novels over the past decade, I was getting used to the light reading that these books have become; something to leaf through on the subway or over lunch, with characters and plots quickly forgotten once the last page was finished. Granted, there are a number of good reads among the stacks of mediocrity, but I find that in general, vampire stories of late seem have the same simple characters, predictable plots, topped with a mix of blood, sex, and violence, adding gloss to stories that are barely worth telling. Surprised was I, then, when I read "Incarnadine: The True Memoirs of Count Dracula: Volume One." Not only did it challenge my perception of the most iconic character in vampire literature, it also reassured my faith that there is still room for true works of art within this genre.

Bram Stoker may have introduced us to the vampire, but what of the man who came before? In "Incarnadine," author R.H. Greene gives us a prequel of sorts, a first-person memoir of "Konstantin Kuzmanov," the warrior-turned-priest who would eventually become known as Dracula. But his is not simple tale; Kuzmanov's life was a difficult one, and his journey, even at its most fantastical moments, is still believable because Greene gives us such a well-rounded and sympathetic character to root for (pun intended). The world in which Kuzmanov lives is deeply enriched with history and folklore, and when he turns his back on God and transitions from man to monster, we begin to fully understand the circumstances behind how such an unearthly transformation could take place. Through trial and error, as Kuzmanov learns to both understand and develop his newly-gained abilities, the reader gets a glimpse into the genesis of the now-familiar vampire lore. We even learn of the three women who would eventually become known as Dracula's "brides." As the tale concludes and Jonathan Harker arrives on his doorstep, Dracula, to us, is now much more than simply a fiend lurking within the shadows of a crumbling ruin high atop the Carpathian mountains. He's now a fully-realized character; a monster still, but one we now truly understand.

"Incarnadine" is packed with richly-descriptive passages, with each word and line of dialogue adding weight to the story -- there is no filler here. The author has created an engrossing back-story to Dracula, breathing new life into what had become a tired, one-dimensional character. This is the Dracula we never knew; his tale is bittersweet, often philosophical, laced with moments of true happiness and great tragedy. It's a journey you'll not soon forget, and one that is highly recommended.

The memoir continues in "The Charnel House," a companion volume set to offer Dracula's perspective on events that took place within Bram Stoker's novel. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting its publication. -- Brad Middleton, [...]

A truly excellent re-imagining of the Dracula legend. This volume is in essence an origin story for the being that will ultimately become the one dimensional villain of Stoker's story. We meet the character as a young man and witness his metaphorical and actual transformation over many years into a creature unrecognizable as human and yet on another level more human than he was when he started. Greene is a superb storyteller and while he never shies away from letting Dracula be Dracula - with all the horror and cruelty imaginable - he also gives us a character at once sympathetic and understandable. Stoker's vampire is an evil force of nature, a disease to be extinguished. In some ways, Dracula is the least well drawn character in the original eponymous novel. We never understand, beyond simple blood lust, what makes the vampire tick. Greene's man is a seeker who keeps trying to understand what the world and God hath wrought. He is a fully realized character and he is fascinating. I recommend this book whole-heartedly.

Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic. It makes you seriously rethink the classic story of Dracula and his victims, while at the same time challenging every thought you've ever had about good vs. evil. Dracula suddenly becomes pitiable, a lost and confused soul who is searching for the one person who can love him unconditionally. It's difficult for me to put into words exactly why I left off that one final star. I guess POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT that I'm very slightly unsatisfied with how exactly Dracula was made into his new immortal self. On one hand, I like the mystery of it, that his transformation is unkown and unknowable, but at the same time, Dracula himself doesn't dwell on it much. He just kind of accepts it as part of him now, which he does with each of his transformations. This, of course, makes one think about their own life changing events and how they changed afterwards.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to the sequel.

This book is imaginative, intriguing and exceptionally well written. I have always enjoyed the "horror" genre. This memoir is a creative, vivid and fascinating take on Dracula "the man" and his journey to the other side. Really well done. (I can't wait to read the sequel). A must read!

This book is one of the most creative and imaginative reworking of the Dracula story I've ever read. It made my mind burst with ideas. It has some very beautiful prose too. It's kind of an odd book though, with very short chapters.

I picked up "Incarnadine," because I read such rave reviews on Amazon. About halfway through the book though, I wondered if I had been had. I was frustrated because the book seemed pointless, and mostly narrative, with little in the way of deep relationships. For instance the protagonist falls in love with a girl while he is still human, but we never really get to know her or delve into their feelings. Their romance was barely touched upon, like most of the relationships so far in the book.

I was worried the rest of the book would be like this, but then all of a sudden the character turned into a vampire and everything went surreal. It sort of blew my mind. In fact, there's this part in the middle which is quite poignant and breathtaking, and it's like nothing I've ever read in fantasy or horror. So basically the end totally makes up for the slow first half. In fact, I can't wait until Green writes the second book. I'm so curious to see what he will do in the next part of the story.

I can't decide to give this book four stars of five. I decided to give it five, but I would liked to have given it 4.5.

I am normally a HUGE Dracula fan, but this book kind of lost me somewhere in the middle. The whole "tree thing" (and I won't elaborate so I don't spoil it) kind of made me go WTF? I see where the author was going, but I was not impressed. It was okay, and I did like the story enough that I may read the next one when it comes out, but I'm a hardcore Saberhagen fan and I think he did a much better job with the subject matter.