Kell Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 The Historian Author: Elizabeth Kostova ISBN # 0751537284 Publisher: Time Warner First Published: 2005 704 pages Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor'. Her discovery plunges 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 evil hidden in the depths of history. In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright - a hunt for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the Dracula myth. Deciphering obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions, and evading terrifying adversaries, 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 captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable. Deciphering obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions, and evading terrifying adversaries, one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. This novel blends fact and fantasy, history and the present. From the outset, a large amount of historical information is laid out for the reader, so that, at times, this novel reads as rather text-bookish, but none of the information is extraneous and every fact presented winds itself into the storyline and makes it all the more interesting. Having read Dracula years ago at school, it was interesting to see how much I remembered and how much of the history was new to me, as well as delving into another culture in a time just slightly before our own. I found that I occasionally lost track of which character was narrating the tale if I only had short periods of time for reading, but on the whole it was easy to decipher who was narrating after a short while and the threads picked up again. The story was slow-moving at times, with quite a lengthy lull in the middle, after which the pace quickened once more until it felt slightly rushed at the end, but, nevertheless, the closing chapters felt quite satisfying and the ending seemed quite natural. Even if this novel is sometimes a little dry, it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I loved the story in this book but found I got lost in the history/geography paragraphs. I sometimes found myself thinking 'yes, that's a lovely descriptive page and a half about Paris but I really want to get back to the story now' but that is purely my own ignorance and I know it will be better appreciated by others. I haven't read Dracula but I loved this story and managed to keep up and follow. If anything it has encouraged me to pick up the classic too. This book was a bit on the hefty side though and I had to keep putting it down to give my arm a rest. IMO buy the paperback version!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 I highly recommend Dracula, Kat - it's an excellent novel as it is, but having read The Historian, you'll remember bits & think to yourself "Ah! That's what that was all about!" Ideally, I suspect, they should be read the other way round, but after reading one, the other will definitely have more resonance for the reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 It should be on it's way to me soon.... Bless RISI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boris Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 sorry for sounding dumb but what is risi? and i have the book but my mum stole it so i dont kniw when i will be getting it back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 17, 2006 Author Share Posted September 17, 2006 RISI is a site called Read it, Swap it, where people list their books for swapping - it's an excellent way of trying out new authors, as all you pay is the cost of postage on the book you send in return. http://www.readitswapit.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 The thing about the Historian is it is written in the style of Dracula, the travelogs, the letters, the descriptive nature. Plus there are tons of references to it. If you can read Dracula first then follow up with The Historian. You'll get a lot more out of it. Plus, I agree with Kell, Dracula is a GREAT book!. Read it! Read it! Read it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boris Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 RISI is a site called Read it, Swap it, where people list their books for swapping - it's an excellent way of trying out new authors, as all you pay is the cost of postage on the book you send in return. http://www.readitswapit.co.uk o thats cool thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeman66 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Just about to start this one, really looking forward to it saw it reviewed on Richard and Judy (I don't normally watch it, honest! :oops: ) and Madely totally blew the end for everyone, but still am sure it will proove to be a good read, I have read Bram Stokers Dracula years before and thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the language of the time was hard going sometimes, I think it's quite a bold move for someone to have attempted to write a companion to the original,will let you know what I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I love dthis book, thought the movement and description of parts of Europe was great. The story was believeable but fantastic at the same time. Only gripe... ended abruptly. Nearly best of 2006 but then I am one (an historian) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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