The Historian is a 2005 novel by Elizabeth Kostova. It's a mixture of so many genres that it's impossible to list them all. Most importantly it's one of the many works that combine the fictional Count Dracula created by Bram Stoker with the historical figure Vlad the Impaler.
Within a few chapters the main problem with the book becomes all too clear. There are three different narrators. All of them use the first person. None have distinct characters or voices. It took me ages to figure out who was speaking when. Very confusing!
Related to that is the complete lack of any memorable characters. Everyone is just a puppet acting out what the author tells them to, with no individuality or even personality. Not even the first person narration makes them seem real; they all have the exact same outlook and style of writing.
But by far the worst offence is the portrayal of Dracula. People have conflated Count Dracula with his historical namesake for decades -- with very mixed results. This is definitely one of the less successful examples. The book completely fails to make him a convincing threat as either a vampire or a human. He made so little impression on me that I can't even remember what his goal was. And as for his apparent death, it's one of the biggest anti-climaxes I've ever read. If all it took to "kill" him was to distract him while someone shoots him, why wasn't he killed years ago?
From beginning to end this book is confusing, meandering, and boring. A thorough disappointment.
Is it available online?: I don't care enough to check.
Rating: 1/10.
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