Review: The Blood-Drenched Origin of the King of Vampires
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2013
Vlad Dracula's transition from brutal dictator to blood sucking fiend is depicted in this prequel to Shane K.P. O'Neill's epic DRACULA CHRONICLES: BOUND BY BLOOD series, BIRTH OF THE MONSTER.It's Wallachia in 1476, and Vlad is facing opposition on multiple fronts.  Defeat seems inevitable.  Yet when it seems all is lost, a mysterious benefactor shows up to make the Romanian prince an enticing offer...I read this story originally as the prologue for BOUND BY BLOOD: VOLUME ONE.  As a self-contained short story, it holds its own remarkably well.  The depiction of violence and gore is not for the timid, as it remains true to the era in general and to the story of Vlad Tepes Dracula in particular.The attempt to link Dracula with Lucifer and Hell (and hence, to explain every vampire's aversion to holy objects such as crosses and communion wafers) has been attempted before, but rarely on so epic a scale, and rarely to such a satisfying extent.  In fact, Dracula's tie to the church is expanded beyond his hatred of it, to the point where he himself will play an integral part in the institution's evolution.A grand start to what will no doubt be a memorable addition to the Dracula legend, BIRTH OF THE MONSTER will leave you thirsting for more.