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)

average

I found it to drag . not what I expected . but that is just me

A great listen - my favorite book in years!

This is a phenomenal story. I read a book or two a week and listen to audiobooks hours every day and this is my favorite book in years. A thinking person's horror story. If you are a history or literature buff, you should check this out. If you somehow have missed it this long, do yourself a favor - listen to it! Read it! Do both, I did!

Highs and Lows, but in the end...Worth it.

If you could sum up The Historian in three words, what would they be?

Interesting. Drags. Dragon.

What other book might you compare The Historian to and why?

Dracula by Stoker because The Historian draws upon it in many ways. The author takes many of the legends, portrayed in Dracula, and uses them to great effect. One that comes to mind is in Dracula when they are hunting for his various hiding places in London. The Historian does the same thing, but across Europe.

Have you listened to any of Justine Eyre and Paul Michael ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but Paul Michael's performance was outstanding. Very captivating. Justine Eyre's got better as the book went on.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to ruin the book for anyone!

Any additional comments?

The book can't get VERY DRY at times. This coming from someone who is a trained historian! It is worth the payoff in the end.

Enjoyed the whole book and then.....

The ending is so anti-climactic that I was like, "what even just happened here? Did that really just happen?" But I loved the rest of the book, the details and the story itself, the searches. But man, that ending!

Fantastic to Read and a Great Listen as Well

I read this book originally in hardback as a wonderful surprise of a gift when it was first published. I'm not a huge fan of audio books. However, with free points to use, I opted to refresh myself on this book. It was quite enjoyable, after a ridiculous battle to get it downloaded on to a new Kindle Fire! If you don't enjoy history, there is a good chance you just may love it after this book. And you will definitely gain a new perspective on Vampire Lore.

Please don't end

My daughter recommended this book but was a bit hesitant because of the vampire story. Oh my land......I loved this book. The readers were incredible and I just did not want the book to end. I will be listening to this one again. Great listen to!!!

One of the better of this genre

I enjoyed the story but I have to say I was a little disappointed. This came to me with a raving review so I took it on with very high expectations. It was very well written and I did enjoy the story quite a bit. I can't really explain it further than I just wanted a little more at the end. I absolutely loved the first half of the book and just liked the second half.

Excellent! I've listened twice!

Well conceived, researched and executed! Intelligent horror that sucked me in and made it hard to take a break from even the second time around!

Haunting Tale

This is a haunting tale. It's a great story that is often difficult to follow because of the use of names and references to various locations, castles and montasaries. The story also took much longer to develope and often very predicable.

Underwhelmed, but Worth a Credit

I think the hype ruined this one a little bit for me. I went in expecting a life altering read with all the reviews touting this as the best audiobook ever, amen. It is not the best audiobook ever, for me at least. It is unique, exquisitely narrated, and fun. But not "all that". I would have enjoyed it more if my expectations had not been quite so high.

The characters are a bit aloof, the daughter particularly unrealistic to the point of becoming annoying (not the narrator, the actual character). I found myself wanting to skip over her parts because she was increasingly silly.

The format of the story is intriguing enough to stick with it, but I saw shades of a DaVinci Code-like "I know know something you don't know" game between author and reader that is a general turn off to me. It was not so bad as to make me stop listening though, and I'm glad I saw it through to the conclusion.

Worth a credit, good listen.