Anno Dracula

August 30, 1993
What if Count Dracula married Queen Victoria? On this intriguing, but inescapably silly, conceit, Newman ( Jago ) bases his exercise in historical horror fiction, previously published in the U.K. In England, circa 1888, ``turning'' vampire is all the rage: such luminaries as Oscar Wilde, Inspector Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes's collaborator, and the Queen herself have embraced vampirism. Those who haven't find themselves shunned by society and facing banishment to internment camps if their opposition to the new regime becomes threatening. Enter Jack the Ripper. In this version of history, he is none other than Jack Seward, the lovelorn doctor of Bram Stoker's Dracula , who here murders vampire women to avenge the death of his beloved Lucy. While Londoners, vampire and ``warm'' alike, vie to catch the Ripper for their own agendas, Charles Beauregard, agent of Conan Doyle's mysterious Diogenes Club, must track him down for the most vital reason of all: the future of England. Newman's meticulous attention to historical detail occasionally seems superfluous in a work of such unabashed fantasy, but his prose is sure-handed and vivid, especially in Seward's diary entries, which, free of the welter of Victorian trivia, are truly engrossing.

October 3, 1994
Queen Victoria consorts with Count Dracula in this ingenious historical romp peopled by historic characters.

June 1, 2012

Gothic horror and alternative history combine just as successfully in Newman's classic take on vampires. Never again will the sun rise on the British Empire once Queen Victoria marries Count Dracula. Meanwhile, Jack the Ripper carves up vampire prostitutes. First published in 1992, Anno Dracula, with its cameos by literary luminaries and fictional characters alike, including Oscar Wilde, Dr. Jekyll, and Sherlock Holmes, paved the way for countless such mash-ups. VERDICT History and horror are balanced perfectly in this original take on the vampire canon; it will appeal not only to the bloodthirsty but to the bookish as well.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 10, 2013
The transformation in 1944 of a boy into a vampire launches the zany latest entry in Newman’s Anno Dracula series of vampire stories, set in an alternate world where Dracula ruled England before dying in 1959. The boy, who goes first by John Popp and later by Johnny Alucard, heads for the bright lights of New York, where he's immersed in Manhattan celebrity culture, and Hollywood, where he’s immersed in greed; Newman gleefully and capably skewers the inanities of life in both cities in the 1990s. As America embraces the cutting-edge vampire phenomenon, Alucard’s intentions turn sinister and he contemplates revenge against vampire opponents. The exuberance of Newman’s satire is overwhelming at times, but takeoffs such as a benefit concert for the Transylvania Movement (featuring “the Free Transylvania anthem—John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ the greatest song ever written by a vampire”) are undeniably funny. As vampire characters from previous books resist Alucard’s domination, cash disbursements ensure his success in human society. The conclusion hints at further tales to come. Agent: James Lockhart, Antony Harwood Literary Agency.