The Historian

Sometimes while digging through a whole trove of books, one ocassionally finds something interesting, which, more often than not, is an attractive cover, a catchy line, and a whole series of reviews by Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, or The Times. All those (good) reviews printed on the back of the books make it harder to take a pick, a problem that I have overcome by simply choosing the thickest book (after narrowing down the choices, it was either this or Bram Stoker's Dracula, both piqued my interest)

Suffice to say, this method of choice has not let me down so far. The Historian follows the tale of a young girl (whose name is currently unknown to me, as the story was written in a first-person perspective) who, in her late night ventures among the shelves of a private (her father's) library, found letters addressed to a "dear and unfortunate successor" like an open will, except in this case, the heir is somewhat cursed.

The story goes on in sequences, unfolding as the girl and her father takes turns telling their experiences, alternating between chapters. I suppose this is like reading Stoker's work, except here, the survivor is narrating to his daughter, rather than having us read journal entries. Readers are treated to a highly vivid description of various European towns, from the Les Pyrénées Orientales, somewhere near the border of Spain, to the dark medieval Wallachia, where Vlad Ţepeş (supposedly also known as Vlad Dracula) once roamed.

Before you go into a fit, no, this is not a love novel, nothing romantic happens between the protagonist and the supposed count (at least not yet, I'm only about halfway through).

Another good aspect of this novel is that instead of using myths and legends as most fantasies usually do, characters in The Historian, as you might suspect, use historical research as a base of reference, suggesting at one point that Vlad Ţepeş (supposedly translated as "the impaler") was a lord so notorious that his heirs had decided to use the same title, thus creating the legend of his immorality.

For those who prefer something of a slower pace, where the pit stop between reads are clearly shown, this is something you can try (unless of course, vampires are not your thing)