Book Review: Vlad, The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys
Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys. © 2011 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402253515. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction. 397 pages. Source: review copy provided by the publishers.
Synopsis: A novel about the real man behind the Bram Stoker myth. It tells of the Prince, the warrior, the torturer, the survivor, and, ultimately, the hero.
Review: Vlad Tepes has a bad rep outside of Romania, known solely as ‘The Impaler’ who went on to spawn the sinister vampiric legend of Dracula for Bram Stoker (in fact, if you are looking to for vampires here, you will be sorely disappointed). Yet, in his home country, he is remembered as a hero, a champion of Christendom and a bringer of peace to Romania. He was a man driven to avenge the murder of his father and brother but he also fought for what he believed in.
Vlad mainly has a bad press in the Western world due to the fact that it was not the poor who suffered during his time, but the rich. C.C. Humphreys has done an excellent job with opening the Western world’s eyes to the hero that Vlad was. This is done through highly researched prose, full of great characters but also through further appendices which provide even more information on Vlad Tepes.
Vlad: The Last Confession is told through the eyes of three witnesses: Ion Tremblac, Ilona Ferenc and Brother Vasile and will have historical fiction fans devouring it! I’m only giving it a 3.5/5 because it did take me a bit to get into it, and some areas had me struggling but I’m sure more seasoned HF fans will have no trouble.
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