The Historian

By: Elizabeth Kostova

Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Paul Michael

Length: 26 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor", and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of: a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known, and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself, to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.

What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed, and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign, and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.

©2005 Elizabeth Kostova. All Rights Reserved. (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

• 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year, Adult Fiction

"A bloodthirsty delight....Both literary and scary, this one is guaranteed to keep one reading into the wee hours." (Booklist)
"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." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Historian is artfully constructed and atmospheric." (Washington Post Book World)

So good!

I love a good, slower paced, thoughtful fantasy, and this was a delight! From the story to the narration, just excellent. Enjoy!

Gorgeous

Beautiful writing. Seriously one of my favorite novels in years. And the Audible narration was spot on.

Creepy gothic tale

This was a well done gothic story that was meticulously researched. The performance was great and the many different accents impressive. The book could have used a stronger edit to cut some glut out. Parts did linger much too long. I appreciated the history that was all enlightening. Yet there were very long passages of being told rather shown the action. Tightening the action and having more shown would have made this a 5-star book. Yet it’s recommended for fans of the genre. The twists were good and unexpected in parts. The characters were good people if a little one note. Romance was not a strong point and might have been best best not attempted if everyone was simply going to fall in love in a matter of days. That said I liked the couples and the historical intrigue.

i liked it.

Great narration, great(er) story. I hope the author writes more, my only disappointment was in finishing this one and finding out this is the only book she has listed. I've been a audible member for 3 years and this is my favorite book so far. (I missed a lot of subway announcements, train stops, beggars, thieves, and co-workers due to my inability to pull out my headphones ).

Goood Eeeevening

While I generally believe details to a large degree build the realism and believability of a story, this one got to be tediously detailed at times. And the depiction of the vampire, which started out scary finally became so hokey it was laughable. So I give it a three. But its non-linear construction is engaging and the characters are compelling and sympathetic. I would recommend it as an interesting, though flawed, literary work.

looooooong and detailed

This was a good read, just very long and very detailed. I think the abridged version would be a better selection to get to the point. If you were an art/history major this would be up your alley.
Would I read this again........NO!

Pros and Cons

What I didn't like about it:

1. In the letters that the father writes to the daughter he goes into waaay to much detail. No real person would describe how a person sat, what they ate, the way the wind felt, what someone was wearing down to minute details, in a letter.

2. Parts of the story were too contrived. The author was trying too hard.

3. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with the characters, especially the ones they meet in Istanbul. I think I needed to see those names instead of just hearing them spoken.

What I did like:

1. I love books that give lengthy explanations based in history.

2. I don't like gorey, suspenseful books, so I thought it was great that Dracula is mostly an historian, even though he still bites people.

3. Books! I love books about books!

4. I liked that the author didn't go into too much backstory about how Vlad became a vampire. He just did. Now we have to deal with it.

Overall, I liked this book. It had it's flaws, but I was entertained.

The Historian (Unabridged)

I liked the book. I don't normally review these books, but I found this story interesting. I like the longer books, as long as the storyline holds together.

Great Adventure!

This could have been such a clich?, but it was absolutely delightful. The narrator has some to do with this, but I really enjoyed this. It had lots of detail, but didn't bog us down in it. Not too many side-stories to get us lost. Just a great overall read... and a fresh dracula view!

Enthralling tale

LOVED this book. The story is engaging from start to finish. Dramatic and chilling, this story is written on the edge of realistic and possible. Though long, it's a well crafted book with actual historical elements woven into fiction with finesse.

This title was recommended for my European vacation/train trip by a friend knowing that I am not a big fan of 'scary' books. This book is not scary or frightening but has chilling elements making it perfect for me. Each time I turned off my player, I looked forward to the next installment. This is one of the few that I will burn and listen to it again in the future. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND.