I was in Colchester Library in August and I discovered 'Anno Dracula' completely by chance. It grabbed me instantly, as does any book around the subject of Dracula and I decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed it.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this book, it depicts an alternate version of Victorian London, following on from the events of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula. Newman has decided to explore a London where, instead of defeating Dracula, Van Helsing, Godalming, Seward, Jones and the Harkers failed to defeat him and Dracula has gone on to wed Queen Victoria and increasing numbers of people have decided to turn to vampires.
Against this back story, Newman has explored the story of Jack the Ripper in an interesting manner, which is truly compelling. I really enjoyed his descriptions and found myself really connecting to the characters. Newman used many characters from Victorian literature in this story. I loved the idea that characters from across literature could all be existing together in some kind of parallel world.
My geeky side was really pleased by the many appendices added at the end of the story. It was fascinating to gain an insight into Newman's thought processes when writing the story and creating his characters. I found it interesting but it was also useful to me, as an aspiring novelist, to see the depth of thought applied by someone who has been so successful. Aside from that, I was astounded by Newman's depth of knowledge of vampire literature. Amazing!
If you like vampire stories, this is well worth reading. Have a look!
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