Maureen P. (jane1817) reviewed on 1/10/2021 + 6 more book reviews

If you like your novels historical, detailed, lengthy, and full of vampires, then The Historian is your book. I read Kostova's subsequent book, The Swan Theives, but found it - while well-crafted - more blear than brilliant. As well, Kostova's more authentic voice is the female one in The Historian; her male protagonist in The Swan Thieves never quite rings true. For any reader who has made research forays into the Dracula tale - both factual and fantasy - The Historian is a sort of bible. Kostova did a masterful job of marrying known facts of Vlad the Impaler's life, times, and geography to the persistent and evolving mythology derived from them. There are times when the load of information is a lot for the novel form to bear, but the reader needs to slow to a Dickensian pace and let the marriage work. It's a slow-cooked stew, not a quick burger.

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