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Zahir al-Daoud
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 9:18 pm: |       |
Didn't see this one mentioned anywhere. This is an alternate universe story, rather akin to the recent film [i]League of Extraordinary Gentlemen[/i]. It is the year 1897, a few years after Abraham Van Helsing failed to stop Count Dracula from gaining a foothold in England. Now the foriegn nobleman is married to a suddenly-youthened Queen Victoria, with Lord Ruthven as Prime Minister. Actually, almost every ficitonal vampire from the 19th century makes an appearance, from Lestat to Barnabas Collins.
What has this got to do with Jack the Ripper? The novel begins soon after the murders do. In a nice touch, the first victim isn't one from history but from fiction--Lulu of [i]Pandora's Box[/i]. All the victims aren't just prostitutes, but also vampires. "Jack" uses a silvered knife to puncture their organs, rendering their regenerative powers useless. That is in fact essential to this case--for the Ripper is Dr. Jack Seward, trying to save his Lucy again and again and again.
The cast also includes a wide variety of famous names--both real (Oscar Wilde, Florence Stoker, Montague Druitt) and fictional (Bill Sikes, Dr. Henry Jeckyll, Professor Moriarty). Which is fun and all, but the story itself is genuinely compelling as several people in this weird alternate London are given the job of tracking down the killer. One is a vampire named Genevieve, a nearly-five-hundred-year-old teenager. Another is Charles Beauregard, a gentleman employed by the super-secret Diogenes Club, headed (sometimes) by Alexander Waverly.
What follows is not only a clever pastiche of countless fictional creations (and identifying them all is part of the fun), but also a genuinely affecting tale of intrigue and mystery. Genevieve and Charles ultimately join forces, slowly becoming aware how different groups are trying to manipulate the Ripper murders for their own ends. The truth--theoreticlaly revealed in chapter one--turns out to be just as complex and troublesome as life can get.
The novel is remarkably accurate, especially given its extraordinary premise. Its "solution" is of course irrelavent to the genuine murders. But that doesn't prevent it from offering some real insight into people and situations. Plus its interesting to see how Jack The Ripper has in effect joined the same company as Fu Manchu, Dr. Moreau and (of course) Count Dracula. |
David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 170
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, October 19, 2003 - 10:59 am: | |
Thanks for the review, Zahir. Sounds like a fun book.
Cheers,
Dave |
Eduardo Zinna
Police Constable
Username: Eduardo
Post Number: 8
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 20, 2003 - 7:03 am: | |
Zahir, David,
Kim Newman is a prolific, versatile and multi-talented novelist, critic and short-story writer. 'Anno Dracula' is the first novel in a series also comprised, so far, of 'The Bloody Red Baron'and 'Dracula Cha Cha Cha' (Known in the USA as Judgement of Tears'. A further volume in the series is expected to be 'Johnny Alucard', including 'Coppola's Dracula' and 'Andy Warhol's Dracula'. Kim is also the author of 'The Night Mayor', the inter-active novel 'Life's Lottery', the short-story collections 'Seven Stars' and 'Unforgivable Stories', studies on film such as the 'BFI Companion to the Horror Film,' 'Apocalypse Movies' and 'Cat People' and much, much more. He is a film critic at Empire Magazine. He has been a guest speaker at the Cloak and Dagger Club and is a contributor to the next issue of 'Ripperologist'.
I thought you might like to know.
Best,
Eduardo |
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