Dracula: The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt
Reviewed by: Karen McEwen
With all the vampire books on the market today it is hard to imagine one that carries on
the original Victorian characters of “Dracula” as skillfully as Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt’s
“Dracula: The Un-Dead.” That is right; you read the author’s last name correct. Dacre
Stoker is the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker, the author of the original “Dracula.” Ian
Holt is a noted Dracula expert. Together they create the first sequel worthy of the
original.
If you read the original novel did you ever wonder what happened to the small band of
heroes that defeated Dracula? The only thing we know for sure is that Quincey P. Morris,
the American cowboy, was killed in the final confrontation with evil. What about
Jonathan and Mina Harker? Did they live happily ever after? What about Professor Van
Helsing and his protégé Dr. Jack Seward? Did Arthur Holmwood ever get over having to
see his fiancé Lucy Westenra die twice (once by a rare blood disorder and soon after by a
stake to the heart and dismemberment of the body)? All of these questions may make you
take pause and wonder what really did happen after the end of the story. If that is the case
you may want to read “Dracula: the Un-Dead.”
The novel opens up with Quincey Harker, Mina and Jonathan’s naïve son, trying to
pursuit his dreams of the stage rather than law, as his father would prefer. Quincey has no
concept of what peril his parents and their friends fought to bring forth good over evil. By
strange coincidence Quincey happens upon a strange play by Bram Stoker. He is at once
entranced by the plot and does not hesitate to let his mentor, a veteran Romanian actor by
the name of Basarab, know that the part of Dracula would be perfect for him. However,
why is Bram Stoker so against Basarab playing the part when it seems that the part is
written for him specifically? To untangle the mystery Quincey finds himself in the middle
of a battle that his parents started years before. To his and his mother’s astonishment they
find that the battle is older than they ever imagined. Could London be subjected to the
evil Prince Dracula again or could there be someone even more threatening lurking in the
shadows of Edwardian England?
If vampire books have made their way to your reading list then you must try this new
novel. “Dracula: The Un-Dead” and its classic inspiration “Dracula” are both available
through the Sumter County Library.