Vampires….But Not That (uggh) Twilight Kind!

As I was browsing the shelves at Brodie for a book to read for the weekend my gaze passed over The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  I instantly made a mental note to write about it in my next Back List Blog entry.  I read the book about 5 years ago when it first came out and while it was a long read (about 650 pages) and was slow goings at first, The Historian was very well written and most definitely picked up steam after the first few chapters.  Kosova’s debut novel begins as a young woman exploring her late father’s library happens to come across an ancient book and letters from her father.  Her father’s letters tell the tale of his true research and quest in searching for Vlad the Impaler.  His daughter now has the information to either continue with the search for Vlad (who the legend of Dracula is based on) or ignore them and live out her life.  However, within these parchments there may be a connection with her father’s research and the mystery of her mother.  The Historian is told from three different perspectives: the daughter, her father Paul and Paul’s mentor who initiated Paul into the search for Vlad.  Each perspective shows the reader pieces of the puzzle that will come together as the novel continues.  This novel also features numerous locales throughout the world and a timeline covering a large amount of the world’s “civilized” history.  I really loved this novel; the writing style was fantastic, the pacing quite steady and the story unique and intriguing.  The actual genre of the story is also hard to pinpoint; this is a detective story wrapped in historical, gothic themes.  Going to camp?  Take this badboy with you.  WORD!!