The Historian

by Kostova, Elizabeth
ISBN: 9780316070638
4.7 (6)
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Used - Trade Paperback - 9780316070638

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Overview

To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of-a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known-and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself-to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed-and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign-and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions-and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers-one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful-and utterly unforgettable.
  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Kostova, Elizabeth
  • ISBN: 9780316070638
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.10 x 1.30
  • Number Of Pages: 720
  • Publication Year: 2009

Customer Reviews

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4 ★   33%
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4.7
6 Ratings

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  • Not your every day Vampire tale

    Olivia M. - 2 years 9 months ago

    The Historian is about a search for a woman; a wife and mother and also a Historian who went missing while searching for an ancient, possibly mythical vampire. However, it is not all about vampires, it is about relationships and history. It reads like a historical travelogue with beautifully breathtaking scenes of Europe and the Old World. Peruse ancient libraries in Turkey and take a train across Europe. Take the time to take a rich adventure, you deserve it.

    HPB Staff Review

  • The right balance of history and narrative

    Meghan Z. - 4 years 11 months ago

    A very interesting twist on the Dracula tale that incorporates the right amount of history and narrative so that you're learning strange facts while unraveling the mystery of Dracula. It has some weak points but is overall an intriguing book for fans of Dracula! #SpringPicks

  • A great retelling of a wonderful classic

    Christina C. - 5 years 3 months ago

    When I first picked up The Historian, I thought it was just another run of the mill vampire novel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a mix of both historical facts and the myths surrounding Dracula. In this adaptation, an unnamed narrator finds a book with no title in her father's library. The book within a book follows two scholars on their quest to find their missing mentor, who has been kidnapped by Vlad the Impaler. This book was a great read and, in my opinion, did justice to Bram Stoker's original story.

    HPB Staff Review

  • One of the best books I've read in years

    James T. - 5 years 10 months ago

    Not the type of dusty old sheaf of leaves the namesake of this book might find buried in the stacks. This is a riveting story in many ways! A beautiful portrayal of culture, history, adventure, and romance sets the backdrop for an emotional drive to at once rescue one's family and the world. The stakes couldn't be greater, and that's not just he kind you'll need to kill the insidious and dark-shrouded villain. Oh yeah, there's vampires too.

  • The Historian is a page-turner

    Mel C. - 5 years 11 months ago

    The Historian is a page-turner. The author brought the story to life. I sympathized with the main character and I could hardly wait to find out where the story would take her. The Historian is a thriller that kept me in suspense. It is a gothic romance. The characters are layered and complex. The settings are well described. I was transported. I am still wondering, is this a semi-autobiographical tale? I wish to think so.