i have never been interested in vampires. never read dracula or even seen any of the movies. the whole idea just seemed so dumb to me. blood sucking people who live forever? no thanks. don't buy it. but there's something to be said about actual historical references to vampires from eastern europe and the events that surround vampire-like plagues that ravished small towns and villages during the expansion of the ottoman empire. it's these real events that fuel this book, the historian, and lend truth the legend of dracula, vlad tepes III, the impaler.

it's probably among the more morbid of subjects that i have read over the past year but if you find history at all intriguing, you'll really love this book. i remember being in high school and groaning about going to history class or taking a history test but as i grew older, it became much more alluring to me. over the past few years, i've studied quite a bit about japanese and chinese history but never really thought much about eastern europe.

the areas of romania, hungary, and the surrounding regions are rich with a past that reaches back to ancient civilizations and great mystery. the historian, of course, can't capture it all, but it does a great job of explaining the times of the ottoman insurgency into romania and the romanian wars to push them back to constantinople. during this time the long standing ruler of wallachia (the southern region of romania) was vlad tepes III. not the nicest of rulers, he was well-known for impaling his enemies -- and anyone who sided with them -- on large stakes and generally torturing anyone who got in his way. his subjects both feared him and respected him because he kept the infidel ottomans out of their country.

another thing that tepes is well-known for is that he was one of the first warriors to use a sort of germ warfare. he would intentionally send sick subjects with the plague into enemy camps so that they would infect and kill them before big battles. it's these references to the plague that have kept many romanian legends swirling for years. a plague that turns the subject in a state of undead. vampirism.

in the historian, we follow the letters, journals, and historical documents of many people who are trying to find the final resting place of vlad tepes III. though the material can often be dry and detail-oriented, the author does a great job with keeping you satisfied and wanting to know more. she leads you on the trail of dracula through oxford, paris, amsterdam, new york, romania, hungary, and more. if you've ever loved to travel through reading then this is definitely the book for you. it took me several weeks to get through all the material here but the conclusion was well thought out and left me wanting more information (thank you wikipedia!) be prepared to skip over some information on occasion because sometimes it's just too much! all in all, it was a mystery definitely worth solving.