My tendency here so far at ClimbingSky has been to review books, short stories, and poems that I like. But as an indiscriminate reader that is probably not practical. When you add in the fact that I am also a fan of anything to do with Bram Stokers’s Dracula (not necessarily vampires per se), it means that I end up reading a lot of books that I cannot easily sing the praises of here.

Dracula the Undead by Freda Warrington is one such book. I really, really wanted to like it. Especially since it begins so promisingly, using the same diary/journal/epistolary style that Stoker used so well. While Warrington is clearly a fine writer, the plot is not very good.

Seven years after the events of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the Harkers are living a traditional Victorian life, their marriage characterized by friendship rather than passion, with Jonathan holding conservative views on sexuality. Their son, Quincey, named after the fallen hero of the original, is a frail and frequently ill child.

The narrative picks up when the Harkers and others return to Transylvania, apparently “seeking closure” from their past. This journey inadvertently reawakens Dracula’s spirit. Simultaneously, a subplot unfolds involving Professor Kovacs, an associate of Van Helsing, whose perilous quest for forbidden knowledge leads him to seek out the mythical Scholomance, the Devil’s school rumored to hold the secrets of undeath.

While in Transylvania, they encounter Elena, who becomes close to Mina. This friendship serves as a crucial plot device, as Elena is intended to be the vessel through which Dracula can regain physical form and reconnect with Mina. The plot leans into a more romantic interpretation of the bond between Mina and Dracula. created an enduring connection between them.

A significant twist is introduced with the suggestion that Quincey’s sickly nature and potential vampiric traits might be a result of this blood bond, implying Mina could have been pregnant with Dracula’s child or that his blood influenced the fetus after she drank it. 

Maybe if Warrington had stuck to the Dracula-Mina relationship the book may have worked for me. But the whole Scholomance sub-plot seemed to derail the entire work.

If, like me, you are a fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, add it to your list. Otherwise, try something else by Warrington who is clearly a very good writer.