The Historian

By: Elizabeth Kostova

Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Paul Michael

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.

©2005 Elizabeth Kostova. All Rights Reserved. (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

• 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year, Adult Fiction

"A bloodthirsty delight....Both literary and scary, this one is guaranteed to keep one reading into the wee hours." (Booklist)
"Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Historian is artfully constructed and atmospheric." (Washington Post Book World)

Excellent narration, but...

I love historical fiction because it tends to make history come alive, but the history in this book is dead. I could never concentrate on the parts about the Ottomans doing this or that - it just didn't hold my attention, and never seemed to move the story forward.
I like the concept of a book written in letters, but it goes to far with letters inside of letters inside of letters, and the only present character appears too rarely.
The narration is fabulous - a male and a female voice with excellent ability to change accents - without this variation, I don't think I could have made it through the book, and I certainly couldn't have read it.

Amazing stoyteller

This novel took me places I have never been before - my imagination ran wild in the streets of Istanbul and hiked up hills to monasteries in France. What an incredible romp through Europe with a vampire on you heels!

Vampires for adults (Is that possible?)

What made the experience of listening to The Historian the most enjoyable?

It makes you feel like you are reading a historical novel. You find yourself in a Transylvania reverie wondering if vampires might be real. Didn't the historian just prove it? The narrators did an excellent job of gliding from one character to another without any annoying disturbances in the flow of the story. Because the story was written about an earlier time, before cell phones and computers, it was much easier for us to be seduced into picturing it a perfect era for Dracula, even if it was in the 20th century. Some of the other reviewers made me laugh because they felt like it had "unbelievable plot twists" and
coincidences. This is a story about vampires after all. If you want a an enjoyable fictional read, without all the blood, gore and sex of other vampire novels, this is the book for you. And yes, unbelievable things just might happen and for no particular reason other than to entertain us.

What other book might you compare The Historian to and why?

The Historian definitely has the flavor of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley with the old world architecture and the Romanian woods and mountains.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hearing the different dialects, especially when they are done well, really makes a story come to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I found the meeting with Helens mother very moving. It was a little bit of light in a book about darkness.

Any additional comments?

If you liked the original Dracula, you will love this book.

For a historian? Fun

A whole lot of this book takes place in libraries and old castles. So, I really could see how some would find it boring.

For me? It was awesome. It's a vampire novel from the prospective of a historian. As a history buff who loves nothing more than the dustiest floor of the library, it was a really different and compelling take on the vampire novel.

Great book!

This was a wonderful book. The characters were well developed and the story kept you captivated. I couldn't wait to go to work so that I could listen some more.

The format did get a little confusing because the story was told in three parts in three different time periods, so you had to pay close attention to what time period they were talking about.

Very Enjoyable

I had purchased the book thinking I would spend the month reading it until I found it on Audible. I got the unabridged because I wanted to "read" the whole book. I enjoyed it tremendiously. It reminded me alot of the Devinci Code, and the mystery in it. The author's writing is very good, and the two readers made it easy to keep up with the changes in protagonist of the story.

I normally don't read books about Dracula or this type of book. But this search for Dracula isn't the ordinary story of vampires. The author gives alot of historical information and a very interesting story line. I was always curious about what was going to happen, and was surprised at the ending. I enjoyed it alot, and recommend you read it even if you aren't interested in Dracula.

good story but very long!

really enjoyed the story and the history of the countries involved but it was very long and struggled to make it to the end

Historical Fiction on the Trail of Dracula

It seems that my review will echo that of many others. The ending was a bit of a let down. The other thing that brought my rating down were some inconsistencies.

One I will mention is that at the beginning of the novel, the young heroine had travelled to a city. She gave the city a ficticious name to protect it from thrill seeking tourists. It was an obvious reference to the effect that The Divinci Code had on people who thronged to see the landmarks in the book. I thought both - a ficticious name for the city and the nod to The Divinci Code - totally irrelevant. It seemed to stick out as a sore thumb when other cities and landmarks were not similarily treated.

What I loved about the book was the attention to detail in the historical research. It had me searching maps and articles online for more information. The other thing I loved was the narration of Paul Michaels. I see that Audibles has another version narrated by Joanne Whalley, Dennis Bourtsikaris, and others. I would highly recommend that you get the version with Paul Michaels. He is masterful at accents. Each character that he speaks for has their own unique sound.

It was a pleasure to read a book about Dracula that didn't follow the Romeo & Juliet theme of the Twilight series and the plethora of its ilk that is the fad of teenage girls everywhere. It returns Dracula and vampires back to the evil, cruel creatures of Bram Stoker's day.

Hang in there!! It's worth it!!

Would you listen to The Historian again? Why?

Yes, the story is so detailed, especially in historical references that one would have to in order to truly recall everything.

What did you like best about this story?

There is a great deal of research behind this story, making it all the more real for the listener. I found myself googling places in western Europe that I would have never known about otherwise. Similar to the art I googled while reading Dan Brown, the story makes you want to know more about the environment. I feel smarter after reading this book!!

What does Justine Eyre and Paul Michael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Since this story is so detailed, the juxtaposition of male and female voices truly is helpful in keeping with the complex story line, especially when moving from the present to the past within the chapters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Vlad you've never known

Any additional comments?

Starts out a little dry, but well worth the time you put in. Stay with it!!

The Historian

Would you listen to The Historian again? Why?

No. The plot, story, and narration were good but it was a little too long. The book could have been summed up in a shorter period of time.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was really disappointed in the ending. It left some loose ends and unanswered questions. It was just abrupt.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the scenes in Turkey and Bulgaria.

Who was the most memorable character of The Historian and why?

I enjoyed the girl narrator. Though we do not know much about her, she has a thirst for the truth about the past.

Any additional comments?

It seemed a little one-sided historical speaking. I wish both sides were discussed.