It's been twenty-five years since the events that took place where the evil vampire Dracula was vanquished by lawyer Jonathon Harker, Doctor Van Helsing and their compatriots in arms. But life hasn't been easy for those who thought they killed Dracula. Jonathon is an aging alcoholic who turns to other women for comfort because he can't get over his jealousy in regards to his loving wife Mina. Jonathon believes Mina still desires the vampire count who almost stole her heart and soul. Their marriage is a sham and Jonathon almost disowns their son, Quincey, who is trying to live his dream as an accomplished stage actor. Jonathon has lost all hope and the will to live. And when he and Mina find out that the former asylum doctor and pupil of Van Helsing, Jack Stewart has been brutally murdered, everything they've tried to accomplish, including living a normal life, will be destroyed because something more evil than Dracula now lurks in England.

Jack Steward held dark secrets and figured out that Dracula wasn't the villain he thought him to be. The one responsible for the bloody carnage back in 1888 was because of the evil Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who bathed in the blood of the innocent virginal girls when she lived. Bathory was a cousin to Dracula, who allowed her to run rampant, killing all over the globe. She may also have been Jack the Ripper. Now Bathory has returned to destroy those who defeated Dracula.

Things are not what they seem, especially when it comes out that Bram Stoker's gothic horror masterpiece written in 1897 was based on the real life events surrounding Dracula. Quincey Harker finds this out when his idol of the Shakespearean stage, the young dashing Romanian Basarab, will play Dracula in the opening of Stoker's play. Quincey is in shock because his parents have hidden so many things from him. When he confronts Mina, he is devastated because the life he has known has been a lie. And things continue into a downward spiral when Van Helsing returns and brings with him important information that will shock everyone to the core. With Bathory killing anyone who crosses her path, it is up to Mina and Quincey to stop her. Mina will come to terms with her own past and her love for Dracula who she has always held deep in her heart. She will search out the man she thought she saw burn to ashes, but in actuality survived and looks to claim her once again.

Dacre Stoker has twisted and turned everything in the original version of Dracula that may upset Bram Stoker's fans, but DRACULA THE UN-DEAD has some interesting things to recommend it. I will say it is a very imaginative tale that is faced paced and a true Victorian like feeling mystery. There is also this great sense of feminism and the power a woman has over her male counterparts in regards to the villainous vampire Bathory and with Mina Harker who is able to engage in a battle of wits and strength. The character of Mina is the one reason to read this quirky supernatural tale. But other than the familiar characters, DRACULA THE UN-DEAD really doesn't have anything to do with the original.

DRACULA THE UN-DEAD has some great fight scenes and Dacre has an annoying habit of name dropping many recognizable faces from the turn of the 20th century. There is also a shocking scene between Mina and Bathory that may make reader's cringe. Bathory is true evil in every sense of the word and Dracula is shown in a more sympathetic light who has an explanation for everything.

Overall, I did find DRACULA THE UN-DEAD to be a pale attempt in keeping constant the world Bram Stoker created and I wouldn't be surprised if Dacre used the majority of the plot based on Francis Ford Coppola's movie version of Dracula if anything.

Book Summary

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the prototypical horror novel, inspiration for the world’s seemingly limitless fascination with vampires. Though many have tried to replicate Stoker’s horror classic—in books, television shows, and movies—only the 1931 Bela Lugosi film bore the Stoker family’s support. Until now.

Written by a direct descendant of Bram Stoker and a well- known Dracula historian, Dracula: The Un-Dead is a bone- chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker’s own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of many members of the Stoker family, Dracula: The Un-Dead begins in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula “crumbled into dust.” Van Helsing’s protégé, Dr. Seward, is now a disgraced morphine addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe. Meanwhile, an unknowing Quincey Harker, son of Jonathon and Mina, leaves law school for the stage, only to stumble upon the troubled production of Dracula, directed and produced by Bram Stoker himself.

The play plunges Quincey into the world of his parents’ terrible secrets, but before he can confront them he experiences evil in a way he had never imagined. One by one, the band of heroes that defeated Dracula a quarter-century ago is being hunted down. Could it be that Dracula somehow survived their attack and is seeking revenge? Or is there another, far more sinister force at work whose relentless purpose is to destroy anything and anyone associated with Dracula?

Fast-paced, full of suspense, and rich with historical detail, Dracula: The Un-Dead is the answer to every vampire fanatic’s prayers.