#anno dracula

[forthegothicheroine]

I see your “Dracula marries Queen Victoria” au and raise you “Dracula sets up shop as a sexy wizard with fun symbolic jewelry and gets gullible rich people to do black mass rituals that involve them giving him their blood.”

[skeletalroses]

Jerry and Severen’s cameos in Anno Dracula

Posting by request from @rock-n-macabre! I’ve never seen anyone on this site mention the Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman, but it’s an AU/spinoff of the original Dracula novel wherein Dracula was not defeated and successfully took over England. It’s an alternate history of real-world events in which vampires live openly, and it’s populated by personages from all manner of vampire media, real history, and classic literature. The list of cameos and references is massive and they range from major characters to hidden Easter eggs.

For us 1980s film vampire fans, here are the relevant excerpts from the chapter featuring my beloved boys Jerry Dandridge of Fright Night and Severen of Near Dark. This is from book two of the series, The Bloody Red Baron, which centers on World War I. In this scene, Allied pilots are launching an attack against a German aerial force of huge shapeshifting vampires.

The pilots for tonight’s jaunt were already in flying kit. Allard had a few veterans of the old Condor Squadron, but most, like Winthrop, were from the new intake. Mainly, they were American vampires, purposeful as blades, solitary as cats.

...

Allard liked to have the patrol line up as if for inspection, and go over the particulars once more. Winthrop fell in by Dandridge, a Yank new to the war but skilled in predation. The elder had passed among the warm for centuries, stalking in the cities of the living. Others of the intake---the cowboy Severen, the insatiable Brandberg, the idealist Knight---were old, turned before the 1880s. Mr. Croft reasoned that those who lived through ages of persecution must have the instinct to kill and survive. There was friction between these elder aces and Cundall’s contemporaries. No arguments, just mutual distaste.

...

Allard favoured a barbed arrow formation: taking the tip position himself, ranks falling back above and below and to both sides. Winthrop kept steady immediately above and behind the flight commander, with the high man, Dandridge, immediately above and behind him.

...

Winthrop watched the flier tumble, wings like an umbrella reversed by a sudden wind. He recovered and cruised downwards. Severen was on the wounded vampire’s tail, whooping and firing like Broncho Billy. The elder had a killing thirst and was ignoring tactics. When his guns were empty, his enemy would recover and come for him.

...

Another burst. Another miss. The bat-creature executed a perfect Immelmann and swooped towards the slice of moon. Dandridge was on his tail, firing scientific bursts. The Boche came out of his turn and spread wings wide. Dandridge had hit him. Red gobbets dripped in black fur.

With a sinking motion, the shape-shifter got beneath Dandridge’s climb and latched like a lamprey on to the underside of the Camel, wings wrapping upwards, tail lashing. The Camel’s frame buckled and its engine stalled. The prop sliced into the Boche’s face but jammed.

Winthrop was appalled.

The Camel came apart. Dandridge’s upper plane ripped off and disappeared like a kite in a storm. The shape-shifter detached from the aircraft. Dandridge’s crushed wreck plunged, wind shrieking in the wires. As he went down, Dandridge emptied his guns.

The creature that had killed Dandridge struggled to stay aloft. He had taken many hits and the propeller slice was severe. His wings were ragged and torn. Ribbons of dark blood flew from wounds.

...

Fourteen had approached the castle. Five were returning.

Winthrop had seen Dandridge and Rutledge killed and known Severen would lose his match. Now, he realised he had for a half-instant glimpsed one of the shape-shifters with a human rag in his mouth, shaking his head as blood-trails whipped. That had been another of the pilots.

The rest had been killed without his even noticing. Nine men exchanged for two monsters. The dog-fight couldn't have lasted more than two or three minutes.

Poor guys had a rough night, but meh, they’ll be fine. (Jerry can turn into a bat; he was probably out of his plane before it hit the ground.) It’s fun to imagine the pair of them as coworkers/war buddies, and even more fun to picture them helping haul each other’s battered asses off the field. (Someone will have to draw that. That someone may even, eventually, be me)

I’m assuming there’s some kind of conscription going on, because I don’t envision Severen volunteering for an outfit that’s all about authority and discipline like the military (we see how well he follows orders). So I love that someone along the line looked at this unhinged, chaotic bastard and decided that what he needed was access to heavy munitions and the power of flight

[doormouseetcappendix]

My Winter 2023 Audiobook Listening Log Part 11

Anno Dracula: 1999 Daikaiju (2019) by Kim Newman 

Devil House by John Darnielle (2022) read by John Darnielle 

A Headful Of Ghosts by Paul Trembly (2016) read by Joy Osmanski

The Troop by Nick Cutter (2014) read by Corey Brill 

The Deep by Nick Cutter (2015) read by Corey Brill

Little Heaven by Nick Cutter (2017) read by Corey Brill

Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan (2001) read by Lauren Fortgang

Daughter Of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan (2007) read by Suzy Jackson 

Paradise Lost  by John Milton (1667) read by Simon Vance

The Sandman Act II by Neil Gaiman (2021) read by Neil Gaiman, James MckAvoy, Emma Corrin, Brian Cox, Kat Dennings, John Lighgow, Bill Nighy

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Anno Dracula 

Author: Kim Newman

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 1992

Genres: fiction, horror, fantasy, historical fiction, paranormal, mystery

Blurb: It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders...and their connection to the new king consort.

[twobitmulder]

Wait a minute, you’re telling me Icepick Joe is from some obscure Scorsese film and wasn’t just created by Kim Newman for that Anno Dracula short story. Well damn, now I gotta go through that collection and see if any other characters from the movie show up.

*sorry, Scorsese *produced* film. All due credit to Matteo JWHJ 0715.

**Did any of these characters show up in Dracula Cha Cha Cha? It would have made sense but I don’t have the energy to go through the whole book.

[stainlesssteellocust]

What with Dracula Daily refreshing my memory of the plot and pushing me to re-read Dracula, I have a feeling some of the retellings and what-ifs I’ve read over the years might not hold up so well. I recently started Anno Dracula again, and I’m already raising an eyebrow.

[dashedwithromance]

march reads

anno dracula - kim newman

was this the best written book? no. did i agree with the characterisation with a lot of the original dracula characters? no, not particular. is this book a very 90s vampire story that contains racially insensitive elements that should be critically read by a contemporary reader? also yes, by a lot. in saying that, this was a very fun exploration of the modern vampire through stoker’s original characters under the premise of: what if dracula won? interesting take on the gothic tradition, loved the playful attitude with literary and historical characters, probably wouldn’t recommend to anyone other than die hard gothic fans

the drover’s wife: the legend of molly johnson - leah purcell

read for my aus lit course but i really loved this text! it’s an adaption (originally for stage, now in novel form, film releases this may) of henry lawson’s iconic australian short story, ‘the drover’s wife’. without spoilers, the book tackles the pervasive gap (conscious or otherwise) of Indigenous presence and voice in the original story. you don’t necessarily need any prior knowledge of the lawson short to read it (i read this before i read lawson) but it doesn’t hurt. a short little story, would definitely recommend, especially if people want to branch into australian literature

true history of the kelly gang - peter carey

another aus lit read. this was… interesting, to say the least. it’s a fictional excavation of ned kelly’s life (a famous bush-ranger/ outlaw/ robin-hood-type figure in australia - hotly contested) based on kelly’s own 1879 jerilderie letter. it’s written in the same style as kelly’s letter, giving it an autobiographical feel, penned to kelly’s (fictitious) daughter. it was super hard to get into (the word ‘adjectival’ is burned into my brain) but once i got into it, it was definitely hard to put down. a major critique is that it’s literary fiction, not a history. so i probably wouldn’t recommend if people want an unbiased account of kelly’s life, but it was an interesting read and i found myself swayed by it

current reads (aka my beloved unfinished reads i still want to ramble about)

hell followed with us - andrew joseph white

this book. THIS BOOK. scream. throwing up. setting honey traps in my brain and letting the ants infest me. i’m halfway through, i have no coherent thoughts aside from its furiously, fiercely queer and a beautiful horror story. pls read it when it comes out (june 7) i need friends

rejecting compulsory sexuality - sherronda j brown

i’m only a handful of pages in, but i feel extraordinarily lucky to be reading this work. this book is a transformative piece of Black asexual scholarship and it is absolutely amazing. releases september 13 - anyone who wants to know more about asexuality, or Black asexuality, or compulsory sexuality should definitely read this one

the yield - tara june winch

another read for aus lit. i’m not too far in but i’m really enjoying it so far - it’s a beautiful piece of australian fiction and it explores language in a very unique way

mutuals, please feel free to reblog/tag with any books you read this month, or if you’ve read/heard of any of these!! 💚💚

[ricardian-werewolf]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Victoria (TV), Anno Dracula Series - Kim Newman Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: John Conroy/Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne/Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) Characters: Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom, Dash (Victoria), John Conroy Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Political Alliances, Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Human/Vampire Relationship, Character Turned Into Vampire Summary:

1838 - the house of Hanover and the United Kingdom are at last stable. Queen Victoria has taken to the throne with Lord M at her shoulder and also as her beloved Prime Minister. However, as always, those left in the shadows squabble and plot.

For what more of a travesty can there be than a sweet queen of 18, and a human one at that?

Wrongs must always be righted, regardless of who is in the way. Sometimes those means are more dastardly than anyone could imagine. As someone once said, family is not stronger than the blood that is spilt on the battlefield for power.

[a-ramblinrose]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge || March 15 || Unique Cover:   Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

[doodlerach]

Little treat to celebrate a successful Halloween decorations haul!

[forthegothicheroine]

Me finding out about Dracula's harem in Anno Dracula

Finding out about Mina Harker in Dracula's harem: Oh no, this is terrible!

Finding out about Mata Hari in Dracula's harem: Well, at least she won't be dying by firing squad.

Finding out about Lola Lola in Dracula's harem: Okay, this is definitely an upgrade to her life. Get it, Lola!

[music-movies-mayhem]

Does anybody else read those really crazy Anno Dracula books?

I’ve read almost all of them because they’re honestly like the book version of a “bad” but still entertaining movie. (ie Van Helsing, Sleepy Hollow, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen you get the picture) Although I would probably give the series as a whole either a 7/10 or 8/10 depending on my mood. They’re well thought out and usually pretty harmless although you can kinda tell they’re written by a man because even though he has several really well rounded female characters I just feel like none of the women in the series particularly like each other...which is a shame because they’re all super powerful badass vampires....

Anyways, I only came here to ask because I  can not get over the absolute whiplash I had when reading the second to last book and realizing he had actually managed to cram Popeye the Sailor Man into a novel about late Victorian vampires being exiled to Japan.

[doormouseetcappendix]

My 2020 Fall Audio/Book Log Part 3 

Afropessimism by Frank B. Wilderson III read by Frank B Wilderson III

Black Sunlight by Dambudzo Marechera (text)

We Cast A Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin read by Dion Graham 

Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark read by Channie Waites 

Demon Theory by Stephen Graham Jones read by Richard Ferrone

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman read by William Gaminara 

What The Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong read by 

Antkind by Charlie Kaufman read by Fred Berman 

Ontological Terror (Blackness, Nihilism, & Emancipation) by Calvin L. Warren (text) 

In The Dust Of This Planet (Horror Of Philosophy Vol. 1) by Eugene Thacker read by Robert Slade 

[bookscreener]

Anno Dracula - Kim Newman

Book Tags and Triggers

Alternative history  -  Literary Crossover  -  Multiple POV  -  Victorian  -  Vampire  -  Werewolf  -  Political Intrigue  -  Serial Killer  -  Jack the Ripper  -  Death Showed in Scene  -  Violent Death  -  Child death  -  Body Horror  -  Graphic Medical Description  -  Violence Against Women  -  Homophobic Violence  -  Violent Mental Illness  -  Psychological Delusions  -  Slurs/ Racially Insensitive Language  -  Domestic Terrorism

(Referenced) Death in Childbirth  -  (referenced) Sexual Violence

(arguable) Infidelity

Review

Once upon a time, before I graduated, I was an English Literature major, with a focus on genre fiction, and how literary messages are encoded at a more accessible level within genre fiction (ie literary elitism is pointless), so when Neil Gaiman tells me that a book should be required reading...

Now usually, I would aim to give a neutral review because I think there are few things that are just bad, they are just ill matched for the scenario. I might like something and you might hate it, or vice vera, BUT, when NEIL GAIMAN endorses you, you better live up to it. 

I personally find the ~problematic~ dark tropes of much 90s horror/dark fantasy to be cathartically enjoyable, but sometimes you read something and just think, wow, I’m pretty sure you could have handled that better. 

The premise is what if Bram Stoker’s Dracula succeeded in his goal of taking over Britain and Vampires became socially prevalent and the dominant social demographic of England. The world is a giant crossover of various Victorian Stories including Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes, along with historical figures. For those who have a background in it, it’s a fun spot the reference game.

Most of the horrible stuff that happens to people in this book is coded as “bad guy stuff,” but there’s some sneaky tone stuff that made me a squidge uncomfy. The use of racially insensitive language in exposition rather than just in dialogue was questionable. I understand that the author was going for a tone that emulated Victorian diction, but there were anachronistic expressions in other parts of the exposition so why did we need the casual racism to be accurate? Also wasn’t super comfy with the way the female characters were portrayed, again I get that he is trying to emulate Victorian societal norms, but the human women come off caricature-like, and the men constantly infantilize the POV vampire woman despite repeated displays of her overwhelming competence. 

It is definitely a character driven rather than plot driven book. If you aren’t used to that the pacing will feel wonky. To be honest, even I thought the pacing felt wonky. 

If you are the kind of person who does still enjoy 90s esque shockhorror, that “how bad can we get before we get banned from the library” type vibe, you might like this. I usually do, but I came into this with too high of expectations from the Gaiman endorsement. But, if you are the kind of person who is easily turned off by the problematic, you will not have a good time. 

 (that Dom Ter tag didn’t occur to me when I was reading it, but then Jan 6th happened and I figured we have had a lot of riots recently, around the world, and some ppl may not enjoy reliving being caught inside of one) 

[universitybookstore]

Bargain Book Recommendations

During these difficult times, University Book Store hope you are staying safe and well. We’re here to bring you recommendations for fresh reads, if your To-Read Pile is getting uncomfortably low. We’ve recently added more than 400+ bargain-priced titles (cause $$$ is tight for us all right now), and our booksellers will be posting some of their recommendations over the coming weeks. Today’s picks come from our Bargain Book Buyer, Dan Doody.  

Written on the Body | Jeanette Winterson—In this brilliant novel, Winterson chronicles the life & loves of a unnamed, genderless narrator and in the process detaches the romantic experience from physical gender, showing us the universal truths of love. 

Watership Down | Richard Adams—This is one of my absolute favorite books that keeps growing in my estimation as the years go by. Of course, it follows a band of rabbits who travel forth from their native warren in search of a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.

Paperbacks from Hell | Grady Hendrix—Hendrix and his co-author Will Errickson chronicle the golden age of horror publishing (the 70s & 80s) with plenty of evil children, diabolic cults, bedeviled children, sexy vampires, and oh-so-many skeletons.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | Alvin Schwartz—Speaking of horror literature, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a true classic of the genre and so often the first exposure to the genre for many young readers. Grab your trusty flash light and favorite blanket….

Anno Dracula | Kim Newman—What if Dracula, Lord of the Undead, had defeated Van Helsing, Harker, Dr. Seward, et. al? This is the tantalizing question Kim Newman explores here. Following his victory over his enemies, Dracula now rules England having wed Queen Victoria to become her Prince Consort, meanwhile vampirism has spread through all levels of English society, particularly amongst the aristocracy. But all is not well in this increasingly Undead Albion—a murderer, dubbed Jack the Ripper, stalks London’s Whitechapel district….

The Books of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin—Le Guin’s epic saga collected in one volume with beautiful illustrations by Charles Vess. This is a must have volume for any lover of the Fantasy genre. 

The Shining Girls | Lauren Beukes—an intricately plotted tale about a time-traveling serial killer who stalks his victims, bright young women who burn with potential, across six decades. Absolutely brilliant in its vision and execution.

Tailor, Tinker, Soldier, Spy | John Le Carré—This might be the best Cold War espionage thriller ever written, and it’s certainly my favorite. If you’ve only ever seen the BBC miniseries or the recent film adaptation, do yourself a favor and read the unforgettable original novel. 

The Gin Dictionary | David T. Smith—It’s summer time, and nothing is more refreshing on a hot afternoon than a cool, gin & tonic with a twist, maybe a slice of cucumber, too. Here we have a concise compendium to the many complex terms and techniques, equipment and varieties that go into the most perfect of alcoholic spirits.

Cork Dork | Bianca Bosker—Maybe wine is more your summer sip of choice. Amateur wine enthusiast Bianca Bosker charts her journey through the fascinating, labyrinthian world of vintners, wineries, and sommeliers.

The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824 | Harvey Sachs—This year marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. For many, he is the quintessential composer of classical music, and Sach’s enthralling book explores the ground-breaking symphony and the cultural and historical world that produced it.

Why You Love Music | John Powell—If you find yourself humming “Ode to Joy” after reading the above and want to know why, then pick up a copy of John Powell’s book and learn the answer. He explores both the innumerable physiological and psychological ways in which music affects us.

[stainlesssteellocust]

Kim Newman, you got a lot of positive cred from me in Drachenfels, but you need to answer for your crimes in Anno Dracula

The cast of Dracula did not deserve that.