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A review by taranana
Johnny Alucard by Kim Newman
4.0
"Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard" by Kim Newman [4/5]
This is the fourth book in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series. I was surprised, to say the least, to learn there are more books after the initial trilogy because I think it wrapped up quite nicely. But here we are, another book - expanding the universe.
The premise seems to be an interesting one; Johnny Alucard is one of the vampires from Dracula's bloodline and he goes to the US and from there on everything revolves more or less around his actions in the 80s. The reader gets to see familiar faces too - Penelope, Kate, and Geneviève are also POV characters but if you read this book because you love those characters I suspect you might find this a bit of a disappointing read. The focus of this novel is Johnny Alucard, not the three female vampires the reader already knows (and possibly loves). I think it works fine because the blurb does not suggest that this novel is NOT about Johnny Alucard but instead about them. Johnny Alucard begins his rise to fame - both outside vampire society and inside.
Spot the Reference
If you have ever read a book by Kim Newman, you probably know how much he likes to throw reference around. If you like to play spot and guess the reference this is totally fine (I know I do and it is one of the reasons I try to get my hands on his entire backlist). But if you don't... You probably gave up after the first book. I have to say I am not well versed regarding history of the 1980s in the US. I know of certain figures (e.g. Warhol) but I think I missed a lot of the references. Both regarding cultural and historical stuff. But it was fun nonetheless.
Being a Vampire
Johnny Alucard is an intriguing character and I think he works fine as a POV character in this book. It is a bit difficult to connect to his point of view though. I think it might be on purpose because he is not as human as Geneviève or Kate and he is a contrast to both women when you compare their view on humanity. I think it is also interesting how he differs from the elders we see in this book. Johnny Alucard is quite unique in regards to his view on Romania and it's importance for the vampires.
Romania is also a huge aspect of this book - it is not the place most of the novel takes place (Johnny Alucard is a vampire novel about vampires in the US) but Romania is one of the aspects that drive the novel. There is this conflict in the novel that Baron Meinster wants to claim it as a country for all vampires and Johnny Alucard gets involved in this process too. It is very interesting to see the differences and similarities between those two. Meinster behaves more like a conservative noble while Johnny seems to be the one with the revolutionary ideas, looking into the future and not the past. But both seem to share their contempt for the human race.
There is a Story and there is an End...Kind of
If you are looking forward to a real and definitive ending... you won't get one in this book. It seems much more like the beginning of a new story for Kate and Geneviève. I am a bit annoyed because of this because I know the next book in the series takes place back in the 19th century and in Japan and I have no idea when Kim Newman wants to deal with this somewhat more open ending.
The story itself presented in this novel is sometimes a bit boring, I think the book could have done with less pages. Sometimes it seems as if scenes won't come to an end. It is not as annoying as this could be because most of the characters (both fictional and based on real people) are quite interesting. I really like the chapters revolving around Orson Welles even if they dragged on a bit.
In the end this book is a 4/5 for me. I do not like it as much as I like the original trilogy but still enjoyed it a lot. I think you should not try to use this book as an entry point for the Anno Dracula universe even though it is the beginning of a new story within it because there are many references to the books before this one.
This is the fourth book in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series. I was surprised, to say the least, to learn there are more books after the initial trilogy because I think it wrapped up quite nicely. But here we are, another book - expanding the universe.
The premise seems to be an interesting one; Johnny Alucard is one of the vampires from Dracula's bloodline and he goes to the US and from there on everything revolves more or less around his actions in the 80s. The reader gets to see familiar faces too - Penelope, Kate, and Geneviève are also POV characters but if you read this book because you love those characters I suspect you might find this a bit of a disappointing read. The focus of this novel is Johnny Alucard, not the three female vampires the reader already knows (and possibly loves). I think it works fine because the blurb does not suggest that this novel is NOT about Johnny Alucard but instead about them. Johnny Alucard begins his rise to fame - both outside vampire society and inside.
Spot the Reference
If you have ever read a book by Kim Newman, you probably know how much he likes to throw reference around. If you like to play spot and guess the reference this is totally fine (I know I do and it is one of the reasons I try to get my hands on his entire backlist). But if you don't... You probably gave up after the first book. I have to say I am not well versed regarding history of the 1980s in the US. I know of certain figures (e.g. Warhol) but I think I missed a lot of the references. Both regarding cultural and historical stuff. But it was fun nonetheless.
Being a Vampire
Johnny Alucard is an intriguing character and I think he works fine as a POV character in this book
Spoiler
I really enjoyed it whenever he became DraculaRomania is also a huge aspect of this book - it is not the place most of the novel takes place (Johnny Alucard is a vampire novel about vampires in the US) but Romania is one of the aspects that drive the novel. There is this conflict in the novel that Baron Meinster wants to claim it as a country for all vampires and Johnny Alucard gets involved in this process too
Spoiler
killing Meinster in the process and proclaiming himself DraculaThere is a Story and there is an End...Kind of
If you are looking forward to a real and definitive ending... you won't get one in this book. It seems much more like the beginning of a new story for Kate and Geneviève. I am a bit annoyed because of this because I know the next book in the series takes place back in the 19th century and in Japan and I have no idea when Kim Newman wants to deal with this somewhat more open ending.
The story itself presented in this novel is sometimes a bit boring, I think the book could have done with less pages. Sometimes it seems as if scenes won't come to an end. It is not as annoying as this could be because most of the characters (both fictional and based on real people) are quite interesting. I really like the chapters revolving around Orson Welles even if they dragged on a bit.
In the end this book is a 4/5 for me. I do not like it as much as I like the original trilogy but still enjoyed it a lot. I think you should not try to use this book as an entry point for the Anno Dracula universe even though it is the beginning of a new story within it because there are many references to the books before this one.