'The Historian' an intriguing look at the Dracula legend

“As a historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it. And it is not only reaching back that endangers us; sometimes history itself reaches inexorably forward for us with its shadowy claws.”

- Elizabeth Kostova,

“The Historian”

As the leaves start to change colors and the wind brings in a chilly fall breeze, readers are looking for the ideal book to pair with the changing season, and Elizabeth Kostova provides exactly that.

Kostova’s debut novel, “The Historian,” is one of Books on the Bosque’s most underrated titles, yet it never fails to leave readers enchanted and eager for more vampire literature. Kostova made U.S. publishing history when “The Historian” became the first debut novel to debut at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

During her time at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, she won the Hopwood Award for Novel-in-Progress for her work on “The Historian.” Kostova has also published two other novels, “The Shadow Land” and “The Swan Thieves.” She is also the co-founder of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, which provides support to creative writers and translators in Bulgaria.

“The Historian” begins when a young woman discovers old books and a letter in her father’s library addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor.” Beholden to her curiosity, she requests more information from her father, and he leads her through his account of his time at university and how he found himself hunting for a very real and very alive Vlad Tepes of Wallachia, better known to vampire lovers as Dracula.

When her father mysteriously goes missing, she decides to follow the path of his original journey throughout Eastern Europe in hopes that she will find him and learn more about the mysterious Vlad Tepes.

Kostova flawlessly takes readers on a journey through the eyes of the young woman (who is unnamed) and through the letters and diary entries of her father when he was hunting for Vlad Tepes decades before. What begins as a book full of history and research quickly turns into a mystery to uncover her father’s secret past and journey through the depths of Eastern Europe, the libraries of Istanbul, and the streets of Budapest, Hungary, and the strange life of Vlad Tepes and how he came to be feared as Dracula.

The story feels complex and full of research, and Kostova does a beautiful job at creating a feeling of suspense, intrigue and an overwhelming sense of terror. Kostova has masterfully ingrained common elements of vampire myth and details of Vlad Tepes with the history and legends of vampires in Eastern Europe. “The Historian” provides an inside look at vampire legend and leaves readers wanting to learn more.

This fall, if you are ready to go on a journey into the world of dark academia and vampire legend, let Elizabeth Kostova lead the way.

Adelina Blea is a journalism student at the University of New Mexico and bookseller at Books on the Bosque, located at 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane, Suite A-2, or at booksonthebosque.com.