by Stephen P. Unger
If
you love Bram Stoker's classic horror character Dracula, are intrigued
by the real-life story of his historical counterpart Prince Vlad the
Impaler, and have a keen interest in Transylvania and Dracula country
in general, then I guarantee that you will devour this brilliant book
by Stephen P. Unger as keenly as you probably devoured the original
Dracula novel itself.
The
author of this book certainly knows his Dracula stuff, a fact that
is much reflected in the many detailed descriptions of the areas and
exploits associated with both the factual and fictional story of the
infamous Count. Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was based on the
life and notorious deeds of Prince Vlad the Impaler, and Unger has
done a great job here in returning to the real places where Prince
Vlad actually lived. In addition, Unger vividly relates the real-life
crimes of Prince Vlad, before presenting a comprehensive tourist guide
for anyone who wants to learn more about this colourful character
who cultivated a rather infamous reputation for heinously impaling
thousands of his enemies on large wooden stakes - often even dining
as he coldly watched them slowly writhe and die in agony
Steven
starts off his narrative with his visit to the Romanian town of Bistrita
in the Borgo Pass, a place never really associated with Vlad Tepes,
but only with Stoker's fictional Count. But that certainly hasn't
prevented the Bistrita locals from capitalizing on the connection.
In
Chapter Four, the author gives an account of his time spent in Whitby,
England, where Stoker wrote the literary classic and his immortal
vampiric creation came ashore after the shipwreck of the "Demeter",
the vessel carrying the bloodsucker in his wooden box.
He
then devotes all of Part II (Chapters 5, 6, and 7) examining the life
and atrocities of the real-life Vlad Dracula.
Part
III has Steven hitting the high points of The Impaler's life at Sighisoara,
his birthplace, Targoviste, the site of a palace, Poenari, Vlad Dracula's
"real" mountaintop fortress (as opposed to the fraudulent,
"theme-park" version at Bran), and finally to the island
monastery of Snagov, which ostensibly houses the ruler's tomb (though
historical evidence suggests not).
In
Part IV, the author briefly explores Bucharest and London, the latter
city being where author Stoker did much of his research on Transylvania
in the Reading Room of the British Museum.
Whereas
most of the travel books I have read in the past have, disappointingly,
included no photographs at all, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA is a welcome
change. It contains, in total, 185 images pertaining to the book's
topic - and very good they are too - including one of the author riding
a horse at the beach. I was very pleased by this presentation. And
Unger doesn't just stick the pictures on the page without explanation;
he uses them to enhance his textual narrative to an excellent degree.
This is how ALL travel and guide books should be presented.
At
the end of the book, Steven provides fans of the intermingled Count
Dracula/Vlad Dracula stories an invaluable handbook should they wish
to retrace Dracula's footsteps on their own. Part V, entitled "Nuts
and Bolts: A Practical Guide to the Dracula Trail", shares valuable
advice on getting to and about England and Romania, based on his own
experiences.
I
have read a lot of Dracula books in my time, both fictional and factual.
However, I have to say that Steve Unger's book has to be the most
enjoyable and highly informative book on the whole Dracula story that
I have ever read. I cannot fault this book at all, and I am sure that
if, like me, you can't get enough of reading everything you can about
Stoker's immortal creation, then you will enjoy reading every single
page of this fantastic work.
(The
Webmaster wishes to express his thanks to Steve Unger, the author,
for his kind gesture in providing the opportunity to review IN THE
FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA.)
You
can buy IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA by clicking on either the UK or
US Amazon link below.
UK
Link (left) and US Link (right)
