Book: Anno Dracula

Well, it's about time I admitted that I am something of a nerd. After reading something so weighty (in every sense of the word) as Moby Dick, I needed something light and frothy to enjoy and ended up with Anno Dracula  in my hand after a trip to the bookstore. It was a Neil Gaiman comment on the cover that first drew me to it, because Gaiman's American Gods and Anansi Boys are two of my favorite fantasy novels. I didn't learn (until several chapters in) that Anno Dracula was actually first published a couple of decades ago. In fact, it already has two sequels and a third on the way.

That's actually good news, because I really ended up enjoying it.

Set in an alternate world in which both vampires and the events of Dracula are real--except that Dracula did not lose at the end of the novel, but in fact went on to mesmerize and marry Queen Victoria. Thus vampires are now free to come out of hiding and converge in Victorian England, where politics, love, and Jack the Ripper all come to get mingled together.

So, clearly, this is not for everyone. In fact, you probably already know whether or not you would ever pick up.

I really appreciated the fun the author had with the novel. Do you know your famous vampires from movies or literature? They probably make an appearance here. How about Victorian lit? Do the names Jekyll, Moreau, or Lestrade mean anything to you? Look for cameos by them as well. Newman hit the idea of the gothic mash-up out of the park years before the genre reached the public consciousness with books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and he creates compelling original characters to boot.

As I said, I have no delusions that this is a book anyone else would enjoy besides me, but if you like supernatural fiction, and "spot-the-reference" games, and like a grown-up take on vampires, the book is a lot of fun. I'll pick up the next two in the series sight unseen--in fact, I'm looking forward to them even more, since one is set in World War I and one is set in the world of James Bond. Good times.

Grade: B+