Customer Reviews

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula (Wicked: True Stories of Villains Who Changed the Course of W)

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

 

 

A great compact, but comprehensive, biography of Vlad the Impaler. They do a great job of creating an overview that's historically accurate (yes, there are impalements and cruel punishments as diversion,) without being so wildly horrific as to be inappropriate for a young audience.

We are supposed to start our school day with 20 minutes of silent reading, and this is not an easy sell for 8th graders. I bought a couple of these books and the students actually fight over who gets to read them! I read the book myself and was deeply interested in spite of myself. I was impressed by the thoughtful and multifaceted presentation of the subject matter.

An easy read with many pictures and accepted facts (a few of which are questionable). Gives the basic life story of Vlad Dracula with several German sources quoted (several of which were admittedly documented many years after the fact). If studying Dracula this book alone should not be used as a single source to "uncover" the truth, but over all a quick and good read.

My only complaint about this book is that it does not have deep details about Vlad's way of impalement and other forms of torture. Other than that, anyone who is interested in Vlad will like it.

Vlad the Imapaler... a man of history shrouded somewhat in mystery... This book makes learning about history's famous leaders interesting. No more long, boring chapters to drag through, when only in the end you remember nothing! It's like a dream come true for those who like history made interesting! And you actually remember it!

I have learned that these little books are very handy if you don't know anything about the person that you are reading about. It gives a very brief history of who the person is and what they did throughout their life. For example, Vlad's father gave him away while he was young in order to avoid prison himself. These types of treacheries between blood is common in Vlad's family. The person that took Vlad's place as ruler of his territory was his own brother. The information upon the wars and struggles has no emotion in it at all, but it is not a narrative, so it's not expected. If you are looking for something to give you more information than you already knew about Vlad (from documentaries, or other reading) then you want to find something else. If you are a beginner and want to know the basics, this is perfect.