Selling Price : RM 16.00
Original Price : RM 34.90
Status : Sold
Book's Condition : It's in a great shape. =D
Synopsis taken from goodreads :
Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor", and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of--a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known--and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself--to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.
What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed--and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe.
In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign--and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.
Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions--and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers--one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil.
Elizabeth Kostava's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearable suspenseful--and utterly unforgettable.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known--and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself--to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.
What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed--and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe.
In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign--and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.
Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions--and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers--one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil.
Elizabeth Kostava's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearable suspenseful--and utterly unforgettable.
hi...
ReplyDeletei saw this book somewhere in someone's page or blog.but i was at no interest at that time to look further in its synopsis..
coincidentally, i have just finished my reading on Ramlee Awang Mursyid's novel Sutera Bidadari and he mentioned about Dracula and Vlad the Impaler in it. I thought it was just his imagination and creation, indeed it did appear in epic or history (i dont know)...since I have a really deep interest in historical thingy (but not all history captures my heart), this could be an interesting novel to read.
I guess anything that talks about Dracula would perk up our interest. Maybe it's something nostalgic that makes us crave for vampires more because in reality, we haven't seen one. Anyway, the vampire stories does seems fascinating to me because it's like some sort of a dark fantasy or a mystery and how they seem to have supernatural powers that we didn't have. But reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova does broaden my world on history. I managed to book travel to other places and also learning the heritage from those historical places. But I have to say, this book is not for those who doesn't have much patient because this book is thick. 500+ pages.
Deleteyes...agree with u...i am thinking to purchase it..but i dont know when will i read it since i have tons of books to read for my thesis..but i would love to have it in my collection..maybe sooner or later, i will read it..
ReplyDeleteWell, you can think about whether or not buying this book as It's up to you ... I know, I had tons to-be-read books.... I'm feeling guilty about not reading it once I bought them. =.= .... Oh well, I've gotta read them soon .... I hope ...
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