As a fan of historical fiction, The Monk and Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, I will not cease raving about this book - it hit all the right notes! It is astounding that the author wrote this novel in her mid-twenties; this in itself was an INCREDIBLE achievement but The Stuart Vampire is a real treat for lovers of horror and the gothic.
Told beautifully, in a language most suited to the 17th century, and by a historian who is intimate with the Stuart period, this book could be described as The Monk meets Cinderella with a touch of Charlotte Dacre's Zofloya.
Told beautifully, in a language most suited to the 17th century, and by a historian who is intimate with the Stuart period, this book could be described as The Monk meets Cinderella with a touch of Charlotte Dacre's Zofloya.
The prince charming in this tale happens to be Henry Stuart the Duke of Gloucester, who bedridden with smallpox does not die as history tells us, but instead is transformed into a vampire by a ruthless, self-interested Venetian vampiress in league with the devil. Griselda is her name and she is as bone-chillingly wicked as they come, offering us some of the best dialogue in the novel. Her cruelty and scheming in her quest for adoration and love reminded me of Zofloya's female protagonist.
One of the best passages in the book is when Zuvich introduces us to the inbred village where a Cinderella-esque Susanna grows up ill-treated and brutalised. I loved the sinister atmosphere that Zuvich's almost stoic voice manages to stir in those moments. The author's keen insights into the social condition, backwardness and hypocrisy of the villagers and how these factors will eventually lead to witchhunts artfully merges the gothic with the historical realities of the period.
Throughout the novel, Zuvich takes her heroine through much suffering and one really needs to be a fan of the horror genre to withstand it, but the climatic ending brings much relief and satisfaction.
When all the ghastly macabre scenes have passed, a beauty emerges that is both spiritual and touching. Susanna is a wonderful character.
Evocative writing, a gripping plot unfolding within a vivid historical setting, and an ancient vampiric movement all work splendidly together in a novel that ultimately celebrates the most precious force of all - love.
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