Seance for a Vampire (Mass Market Paperback)

by Fred Saberhagen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a confection featuring both Rumania's most famous legend and England's greatest detective, a stolid prose style could have been a virtue, an understated elegance. Yet the two voices of this novel--Prince Dracula's and Dr. Watson's, narrating events that befell Sherlock Holmes--are virtually indistinguishable and far too plodding to spice up a rather drab story. It is 1903, and Holmes has been engaged to investigate the drowning death of Louisa Altamont, fiancee of the young American journalist Martin Armstrong. During a seance conducted by the sister-brother team of Sarah and Abraham Kirkaldy, Louisa appears--and Holmes vanishes from sight. Meanwhile, Vladimir Kulakov, a pirate hanged in London 38 years earlier, has made a startling reappearance in St. Petersburg. Watson quickly enlists the aid of Prince Dracula, here Holmes's vampire cousin, to find Holmes and put matters to rights. Saberhagen (the Berserker series, The Holmes - Dracula Files ) intertwines his invented characters with existing literary personalities to an empty, if pleasant, effect: none of the made-up figures seems more than a caricature, although Sarah Kirkaldy's affair with Dracula does have its moments. Ardent Holmes and/or vampire fans may enjoy seeing their heroes in new situations, but others are advised to read the originals.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
When Sherlock Holmes disappears during an investigation involving a fraudulent spiritualist, Dr. Watson reluctantly summons the famous detective's distant cousin-Count Dracula-to save Holmes's life and solve a mystery centered around a legend of pirates and buried treasure. Fans of Saberhagen's "Dracula" series will applaud the return of the immortal count, while Victorian aficionados will appreciate this tidy mystery's fidelity to period detail. Recommended for most libraries.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812533488
• ISBN-13: 978-0812533484
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #209,134 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Saberhagen's best, but still worthy, December 12, 1999

By	Carrie Laben (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book because I was blown away by his alternative telling of 'Frankenstein' (which appears, tragically, to be out of print.) It didn't live up to my first taste of Saberhagen, and so disappointed me.... but as a representative of the vampire and Holmesian genres, it's an original entry and a pleasant light read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes and Dracula?, March 19, 2006

By	George Nilsen (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not only do Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and Rasputin manage to show up in the same novel, but Saberhagen unconvincingly proposes that Holmes and Dracula are cousins. The novel is not tightly constructed enough in some respects for my tastes, and in other places details I would like to have known more about are not explored. The story is told from the perspective of both Dr. Watson and Dracula and switches back and forth. Also, it is easy to guess what happened in the case of the drowned girl (the 'mystery' part of the novel). It shouldn't require the legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes to figure it out.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely well written, April 17, 1998

By A Customer

I think that this book was well written and has alot of detail. This author has a very vivid imagination and has used it well. I think that it is material that could be made into movie. I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who like mysteries. The book does move a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up soon enough.