The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing [Hardcover]

Allen C. Kupfer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Professor Abraham Van Helsing was the fictional creation of Bram Stoker for his dark work of fantasy Dracula--or was he?

Fragments of a recently discovered journal suggest otherwise.

For the first time, in his own words, the legendary vampire hunter tells his own story
- his background and early years
- his research in Rumania and the Mideast
- his medical work
-and most importantly his discovery of perhaps the greatest threat to man's dominion on earth, vampires.

Filled with data to inform, and tips to educate, the journal is more than a study of vampirism. It is also the story of a man's obsession with eradicating the world of its greatest scourge, a dark evil that claimed his wife in its thrall.

Working with the textural fragments he inherited from his grandfather, Professor Allen Conrad Kupfer, has managed to piece together the story behind the story that did not begin and end with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Spoof, send-up or wannabe spook tale, this addition to the "vampire culture" that Kupfer claims is all too real today attempts to go for the throat but misses any vital artery. This slim novel purportedly contains an 1886 diary by the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing of Dracula fame, annotated by Kupfer's long-lost grandpa and unearthed in Kupfer's grandmother's attic. Clearly smitten by Keats's "Lamia" and "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" (Swinburne's overheated Lady of Pain), as well as by Lord Byron's darker proclivities, Kupfer struggles to give Van Helsing's jumpy journal entries a credible 19th-century flavor, though occasional flare-ups of Americanisms dilute the Transylvanian atmospherics. Kupfer's narrative professorial persona also updates his various subnarrators' tales with pseudo-scholarly footnotes that include an evidently irresistible whack or two at stingy academic administrators. Van Helsing's diary includes entries both before and after his London adventure that resulted in the gory destruction of Dracula, recounted far more satisfactorily by Bram Stoker. Embellished with befanged drawings signed "V.H.," Kupfer's little tale has all the depth of a comic book-without any of its whiz-bang pop art fascination.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In the introduction, Kupfer asserts that he found this journal, complete with notes from his grandfather, Daniel, in his grandmother's house after she died. The journal begins with Van Helsing's first exposure to vampires, when he attends a lecture given by a Dr. Borescu. Leaving his beloved wife, Rita, in Amsterdam, Van Helsing travels with Borescu back to his native Romania, where the skeptical professor has a face-to-face encounter with a lovely but deadly vampiress known as Malia. After tragedy strikes in Romania, Van Helsing leaves for home by train. When vampires attack the train, it appears that Malia is not going to let Van Helsing go without a fight. He arrives home only to face a great personal tragedy and the realization that he may never be able to escape the vampires. The journal format recalls that of Dracula, and with a movie about Van Helsing (unrelated to this book) due in May, Kupfer's spooky, atmospheric novel appeals to the film's prospective fans as well as devotees of Stoker's book. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765310112
• ISBN-13: 978-0765310118
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,856,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't get your hopes up, August 2, 2004

By 

Amanda N Brown "andiebrown" (Savannah, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic fictional read for a high school student who enjoys Poe. However, if you are a vampire fanatic or academic scholar, don't get your hopes up too high. The language is not as "proper" (as one reviewer wrote) as I expected. Stoker's Dracula was much more authentic and well researched. There are several little technical errors surrounding the premise of the novel that annoy me, but may be unnoticeable to others. I borrowed the book from the local library and read the 204-page novel in about 2 hours. But, for $12 to $14 on Amazon.Com, its an enjoyable escape to the nineteenth century. Do not expect a new classic though.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vampire hunter, September 21, 2005

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Hardcover)

It seems that vampire literature is seeing a revival, and this book fits right into the genre. It purports to be the journal of the man who tracked, and was responsible for the death of, Dracula. But Dracula is not the focus of this work; rather it is a female vampire who, according to the book, may be the one who "made" Vlad Tepes into a vampire. There are some rather gruesome scenes, and a side trip to 19th century Iraq, but the quest for the female vampire is left unfinished, although there are some indications in the book that she still exists and seeks revenge on all who searched for her, and also on their immediate families. This isn't great literature, but it doesn't pretend to be; it's rather a pleasant few hours diversion into a subject that still fascinates most people.

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother!!!!!!, January 11, 2012

By 

Kenneth M. Beishir - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Paperback)

This was a very poor attempt to flesh out the story of Van Helsing. A little more research could have gone a very long way. In fact, late in the book in one of the footnotes, the author speaks of his "shoddy scholarship" in regards to a particular issue. Unfortunately, "shoddy scholarship" was a theme that ran the length of this offering.

The author's understanding of Middle Eastern customs and cuisine were apparently derived from eating at a Mediterranean buffet. His knowledge of Middle Eastern geography was derived from reading the newspapers of 2004 (publication date). (Tikrit and Mosul ring a bell?)

I understand it was meant to be a journal and as such summaries of events could be expected. The entire story set forth by Bram Stoker was summarized in two paragraphs. I guess the author figures he had nothing of interest to add and had better leave that story to a far better author than himself. On this point, I agree with the author.

There were several instances in the book where the author skipped occurrences that, with a little more research, the author could have added color and flavor to his book. Instead, he just took a shortcut and explained away his omissions.

I think I have put more time and effort in this review than the author took in writing his book. So, I'll just wrap it up...

I really wanted this to be a good book and it really wasn't. Don't waste your time on this one.

1 Star because I couldn't give it less!