A Sharpness on the Neck [Hardcover]

Fred Saberhagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

In 1792, Phillip Radcliffe becomes caught up in the Terror of the French Revolution and unwittingly saves the life of Prince Vlad Dracula, the most honorable of the Nosferatu, bringing down the eternal vengeance of the Prince's evil brother on himself and his descendants.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A year before Anne Rice published Interview with the Vampire, Saberhagen published The Dracula Tape (1975), in which he dreamed up a sympathetic vampire of his own, launching a horror subgenre. Now Saberhagen's Vlad Dracula returns for his ninth novel (after A Matter of Taste, etc.), still driven by a sense of honor and still explaining himself to humans; here, to two whose survival depends on their believing his supernatural origins and history. Thrills and chills are provided by Vlad's malevolent brother, Radu. The narrative flickers between two eras: Revolutionary France, where Vlad and his gypsy-vampire companion, Constantia, try to save Phillip Radcliffe, an illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, from Radu and the guillotine, and modern America, where they kidnap Radcliffe's identically named descendant and his wife in order to save them from the still-vengeful Radu. There's plenty of crisp historical detail, including appearances by Napoleon and the Marquis de Sade. The series' ironic contrast between Vlad's innocence and the bloodlust of humans continues, with Vlad's aristocratic narrative voice (which alternates with third-person passages) continuing to impress. To be sure, the pace is languorous at times, but when you're spending quality time with someone who has centuries on his undead hands, what's the hurry?
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Saberhagen adds another volume to his long-running, sadly underrated Dracula series that masterfully mixes historical and contemporary characters and settings. In 1790s France, Philip Radcliffe, an illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, befriends Vlad Dracula, thereby incurring the enmity of Vlad's brother, Radu. Two hundred years later, a Radcliffe descendant and his bride are kidnapped and imprisoned by one Mr. Graves--for their own protection, he says. In fact, Radu is on the prowl again, and the Dracula version of a family feud has caught up with the young couple. By now, Saberhagen's well-imagined Dracula is almost an old friend to long-term followers of the series. Since this latest entry is well up to the highest standards, nobody is likely to be disappointed, unless libraries fail to shelve this one with its predecessors. Roland Green

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312857993
• ISBN-13: 978-0312857998
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,443,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saberhagen Writes Excellantly!, June 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Sharpness On The Neck (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read and re-read all of Saberhagen's books in the Dracula series, and this book, along with exceptional The Dracula Tapes, are easily my favorites. Saberhagen brilliantly paints a truly loathsome character in Radu, Vlad Dracula's sadistic little brother. But one HAS TO READ *ALL* THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES TO GET THE FULL ENJOYMENT FROM THIS NOVEL! It stands alone, as a great novel, but, trust me, you'll understand more if you've read the other books in the series. It may not be the most well-edited book, but it is full of well-researched history, as are the other novels in this series, and a delightful humor.

Saberhagen weaves all sorts of figures in history into this novel, such as the Marquis de Sade, a "friend" of Radu, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. This is a enchanting and innovative tale, particularly how they manage to save the Philip Radcliffe in the time of the French Revolution. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that loves history, or even vampires. And read the other books in The Dracula Series, too, including the soon-to-come A Coldness in the Blood!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two of my favorite subjects, October 11, 2000

By 

"estellechauvelin" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Sharpness On The Neck (Mass Market Paperback)

As a fan of most fiction related to the French Revolution and as a seeker of the perfect Dracula, I was pleasantly surprised that a book I was drawn to more by the guillotine than the vampires may wind up leading me to my answer. I may be at somewhat of an advantage, already being familiar with the historical references and other literary characters, but I find this to be a highly skilled connection of different worlds of fact and fiction. I am highly dissapointed that several books in the series seem to be out of print, although I know they will not share the setting that attracted my attention.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could Be Worse..., February 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Sharpness on the Neck (Hardcover)

I have followed Fred Saberhagen through most of his works, including the Swords and the Dracula series and have usually found him to be a riviting author. Of course, some stories are better than others... I started out the Dracula series a little backwards -- I had some "grave" misgivings about Dracula and Sherlock Holmes ("The Holmes-Dracula File") appearing together. And, although there was a cringe or two, the book was very good. Over the years I have managed to read the rest of the Dracula series, including this latest one. "A Sharpness in the Neck" was not bad but certainly wasn't as good as some of the others in this series. The back cover is very misleading -- it mentions Napoleon, Dupin, the Marquis de Sade and the Scarlet Pimpernel, as being characters in this tale. They are not. Napoleon and de Sade do have a few lines -- none of which is the least important to the storyline -- but the others are mentioned very obliquely in passing. The story itself is not very clear; The Count's immortal, sadistic brother, Radu, is back to revenge himself for Dracula's very imaginative punishment; i.e. leaving Radu in pieces in a grave for a few decades. Why Radu is so hot and bothered about killing a 20th century decendant of a man (Phillip Radcliff) who had helped the Count during the Revolution, is not real clear. For that matter, it's rather vague as to why Radu was so hung up on killing the origional Radcliff, other than a petty annoyance for the Count. The back-and-forth from the 20th century to the Reign of Terror, is also kind of confusing. Was the entire story, as written here by "Mr. Graves", on the tape that today's Radcliff's had to watch? Or was it Dracula's remembrances? The switching of Radcliff -- who thought he was a vampire who had been beheaded -- with a wax dummy was nicely done; it accomplished the goal of being a surprise. But it didn't fill in the plot enough. All in all, I didn't find the story too bad -- although Saberhagen did tend to describe the actual beheadings (up to and including why a decapitated body doesn't appear to have any neck) in perhaps a bit too much detail. But then again, since the story is supposed to be written by Vlad Dracula (and who am I to say it wasn't?) I suppose gory details are to be expected. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for another installment in this series. And equally hopefully, the next tale will regain the "sharpness" of some of the older works.