Rating: This book took me a long time to get through, partly because of the style in which it was written, which can be quite confusing if you start thinking about it too much, and partly due to the depth of the story. Not only is there far more content on Vlad/Dracula than I’ve ever come across before, the details on every setting are incredible as well. It was almost like taking an strange exciting yet scary and very, very long vacation.

Any vampire fan should surely enjoy this book. In fact I think any book-lover will enjoy this book. And of course, any librarian, seeing as quite a few of the characters are librarians themselves, and there’s quite a lot of library visiting going on throughout.

The story follows mainly the studies of a father and his daughter, and the many paths which intertwined with theirs along the way. For Paul, it started with his advisor, who had his own tales to spin about the paths that had crossed with his over time. In fact, it’s his advisor’s disappearance that gets Paul on the hunt for Vlad, picking up where Professor Rossi had left off.

In the meantime, Paul stumbles upon another student doing similar research. Wilder yet, her name is Helen Rossi.

After brief discussion, they head off to Romania, in search of the Professor. A journey which gets wider and more daunting at each turn. Most of it we learn of through the eyes of Paul’s daughter, years after the fact, as she reads through his notes, Rossi’s notes, postcards from her mother, letters from her father.

The details throughout are incredible. From the customs of the countries passed through, to the descriptions of the food, architecture and scenery. So long as you’re prepared to give this story your full attention, it should definitely please.