Review: Great Appetite-Whetter
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2013
Shane O'Neill's `Birth of the Monster' opens his epic `Dracula Chronicles'.I was a little wary of reading this, as there have been so many reworks of the classic Bram Stoker novel that I had my doubts as to whether anyone could come up with an original slant.I need not have worried. Although this is a short piece, it sets up O'Neill's series for a canter through centuries of European history with Dracula as the instrument of Lucifer's Grand Design. The demonic link in the Dracula legend has always been there, but in this version it is overt and informs the whole nature of the narrative.The author gives a wonderful description of the aftermath of the Battle of Snagov, Wallachia in 1476, and the action never slackens from there. The writing is visceral and gripping.I look forward to reading the `Bound by Blood' series to find out how Mr O'Neill interweaves his vampiric epic into the various chapters of history.