The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

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Parts of this Dracula novel are deliciously tense and creepy. It's a smart, well-researched retelling of the Dracula legend, but I was a little disappointed in the end, which seemed a little too much like every vampire movie you've ever seen. However, I admit that in a different mood, the references to our pop culture Dracula probably would have delighted me.

The novel includes a lot of fascinating and disturbing stories about the historical Vlad the Impaler, on whom the Dracula legend is supposedly based. I loved the vivid descriptions of some Eastern European cities. It's long, but I'd recommend it. (Bram Stoker's Dracula is also worth reading.)

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