Book seeks to ‘revamp’ attention on Dracula
FICTION

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Published: November 1, 2009
Modified: October 31, 2009 at 11:59 am

In "Dracula The Un-Dead,” (Dutton, a member of Penguin Group USA Inc. $26.95), Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt present a sequel to the original classic by Bram Stoker in hopes of re-establishing the original "Dracula” as the forerunner of all vampire tales that followed. Dacre Stoker is Bram Stoker’s great grandnephew.

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The Stoker family lost the U.S. copyright for "Dracula” in 1929, and hundreds of variations of "Dracula” appeared over the next century. While this book won’t erase the concept of Ann Rice’s vampires or the "Twilight” series, it successfully bring us back to the beginning of the legend.

The tale is told through the lives and interactions of the Band of Heroes, the characters from the Stoker original who killed Dracula in 1888. Now it is 24 years later, and indications are that Dracula has returned. Bodies found headless and ripped apart, a strange red fog that permeates the air, and a policeman who suspects that Jack the Ripper has returned, add to the mystery of the story.

Dracula is seen as the anti-hero, but evil prevails in his distant relative, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who’s known to bathe in her victims’ blood. This is a new take on an old favorite, one Dracula fans won’t want to miss.

— Betty Lytle