To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history….Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor,” and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of-a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an … inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known-and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself-to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed-and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler’s dark reign-and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions-and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad’s ancient powers-one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful-and utterly unforgettable.
more
LOVED IT!!!!
A brilliant updating of the Dracula story this book is intriguing, elegant and creepy.
The tale is told through the correspondence and research of three generations of historians each in their turn drawn into a web of intrigue by the appearance of a mysterious book. Those whose curiosity draws them to research more deeply soon discover that the …
I read it three times. Highest compliment I can give. I rarely reread a book let alone three times.
Year after year, this remains one of the single best books I’ve ever read.
I’ve read The Historian many times. This eerie and beautifully-written novel tells the story of more than one generation’s search for a man who appears to be the historical Dracula. He plagues each of them and steals what they love most. Much of the book is told through more than one series of letters, and putting them together is part of the …
Well written. Holds your attention.
I love History of any kind so this book was really fascinating to me. I loved this retelling of Dracula or Vlad whichever name you want to use. I also loved getting into the history of this world some of which I know the author made up which makes me curious how much research went into this book seeing as how much history was packed into it. …
Picked this up while on a cruise and couldn’t put it down! Love this author…she really makes you fell you are in the location. Easy to get caught up in this story
This book traced the evolution of the Dracula myth through history. I learned so much about Eastern Europe and its libraries, churches, and the connection between east and west…
Great book taking place in Romania, about Vlad Tepes, Vlad The Impaler.
The search for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the archetype for the Dracula legend, takes the reader across eastern Europe and into the archives of medieval monasteries and libraries. But it is not simply an academic pursuit. The protagonist has a vested interest in finishing the research her father began – research that brings her into the …
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is another of my favorite books in the supernatural/historical fiction genre, specifically because the story revolves about the relationship between a daughter and her father, and I love a good story about relationships. Through a series of letters a young woman’s quest takes her across Europe and deep into the …
I couldn’t put it down! I was completely engrossed in the story.
I have goosebumps just thinking about reading this one again. It kept me up, late into the night, thrilled and terrified. If you are mesmerized by the legends that were birthed from the life of Vlad the Impaler, this is an absolute must read.
If you like old Vlad you’ll love this read…
Who would have thought a vampire book could be so amazing?
I must admit the few first pages were tough to get through but then all of a sudden I ended up at the page 85 fully immersed in the fascinating story. It is so life like and real you start seeing the characters and situations she gets into for yourself.
Scary and exciting! Totally recommend it!
Couldn’t put it down.
Just fast enough paced to keep the reader hungry for more. A great take on Dracula!
This is a great read anytime but I particularly like it in the Fall. Maybe that’s because it involves academia and library research. Maybe it’s because I enjoy it most wrapped in a warm blanket. No matter. If you like a little mystery, a little romance and big unanswered questions, this is the book for you. It takes place across Europe in …