num_pages: 642
description: In 1972, a 16-year-old American living in Amsterdam finds a mysterious book in her diplomat father's library. The book is ancient, blank except for a sinister woodcut of a dragon and the word "Drakulya," but it's the letters tucked inside, dated 1930 and addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," that really pique her curiosity. Her widowed father, Paul, reluctantly provides pieces of a chilling story; it seems this ominous little book has a way of forcing itself on its owners, with terrifying results. Paul's former adviser at Oxford, Professor Rossi, became obsessed with researching Dracula and was convinced that he remained alive. When Rossi disappeared, Paul continued his quest with the help of another scholar, Helen, who had her own reasons for seeking the truth. As Paul relates these stories to his daughter, she secretly begins her own research. Kostova builds suspense by revealing the threads of her story as the narrator discovers them: what she's told, what she reads in old letters and, of course, what she discovers directly when the legendary threat of Dracula looms. Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too.
language: English
title: The Historian
titlecomplete: The Historian
characters: Vlad III, Bartholomew Rossi, Hugh James, ____ Getzi, Turgut Bora, Stephen Barley, Helen Rossi, Paul Ross, Evá Orbán, Anton Stoichev
genres: Paranormal, Historical, Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Vampires, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horror
ratings_count: 261975
places: Oxford University, Oxford, England, Netherlands, England, Budapest, Istanbul, Hungary, Amsterdam, Turkey
awards: awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: International Horror Guild Award
category: Best Novel, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Hopwood Award
category: Novel in-progress, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Book Sense Book of the Year Award
category: Best Adult Fiction, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: The Quill Award
category: Debut Author of the Year, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Lord Ruthven Award
category: Fiction
publisher:  Little, Brown and Company