I just finished the dazzling 2005 novel by Elizabeth Kostova entitled "The Historian." A true gem of a Vampire novel, in the sea of fairy tale worthy vampire hunks. This novel will reintroduce you to the dark side of the lore and legend of the Vampire. It draws heavily from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and also several actual (and some fictional) historical documents chronicling the history of the folklore of Vampires.
The book is also sexy. It's sexy, not only because it takes you back in time a little, spanning from the 1930s-1970s, but into these particular scholars worlds, who have not yet felt the wild impulses of the sexual revolution. The girl who dates herself as having been a teenager in the 70s even lets us know how particular odd this was for her, even if it isn't so odd for the older characters. The desire is palpable but the intellectual respect and outright innocence of assumption is startling. There is one passage where Paul, a main character, is staying at a monastery with his female traveling companion and fellow scholar, Helen, and he has just proposed to her the night before. He hesitates before entering her cell, but then says that he suddenly remembered that she was his fiancee, and he felt that it was right to go in and kiss her good morning. For God's sake, how sexy is that? The innocent hesitation at one's own fiancee? His love for her surpassed a sexual habit. He knew her enough to ask her to be his wife; he did not need to sleep with her to know that.
And there's a lot of good old fashioned eerie tomb digging, ancient artifact finding, bloodsucking/ demon creating, silver stake in the heart driving, Vampire fun.
A fun question for those who have read or plan to read the book: Who exactly do you think Kostova is referring to in the title? Or is she referring to anyone particularly at all? I have my thoughts, tell me yours!
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