The historian : a novel

To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....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 Kostova'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 unbearably suspenseful—and utterly unforgettable.

in This Riveting Debut Of Breathtaking Scope, A Young Girl Discovers Her Father's Darkest Secret And Embarks On A Harrowing Journey Across Europe To Complete The Quest He Never Could -- To Find History's Most Legendary Fiend -- Dracula.

When A Motherless American Girl Living In Europe Finds A Medieval Book And A Package Of Letters, All Addressed Ominously To My Dear And Unfortunate Successor... She Begins To Unravel A Thread That Leads Back To Her Father's Past, His Mentor's Career, And An Evil Hidden In The Depths Of History.

In Those Few Quiet Moments, She Unwittingly Assumes A Quest She Will Discover Is Her Birthright -- A Hunt That Nearly Brought Her Father To Ruin And May Have Claimed The Life Of His Adviser And Dear Friend, History Professor Bartholomew Rossi. What Does The Legend Of Vlad The Impaler, The Historical Dracula, Have To Do With The 20th Century? Is It Possible That Dracula Has Lived On In The Modern World? And Why Have A Select Few Historians Risked Reputation, Sanity, And Even Their Lives To Learn The Answer?

So Begins An Epic Journey To Unlock The Secrets Of The Strange Medieval Book, An Adventure That Will Carry Our Heroine Across Europe And Into The Past -- Not Only To The Times Of Vlad's Heinous Reign, But To The Days When Her Mother Was Alive And Her Father Was Still A Vibrant Young Scholar. In The End, She Uncovers The Startling Fate Of Rossi, And Comes Face To Face With The Definition Of Evil -- To Find, Ultimately, That Good May Not Always Triumph.

about The Author
Elizabeth Kostova Graduated From Yale And Holds An Mfa From The University Of Michigan, Where She Won The Hopwood Award For The Novel-in-progress.

the Washington Post - Michael Dirde

… Elizabeth Kostova Has Produced An Honorable Summer Book, Reasonably Well Written And Enjoyable And, Most Important Of All, Very, Very Long: One Can Tote the Historian To The Beach, To The Mountains, To Europe Or To Grandmother's House And Still Be Reading Its 21st-century Coda When Labor Day Finally Rolls Around.

The record-breaking phenomenon from Elizabeth Kostova is a celebrated masterpiece that'refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner'(San Francisco Chronicle). Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe—in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.“Part thriller, part history, part romance...Kostova has a keen sense of storytelling and she has a marvelous tale to tell.” —Baltimore Sun 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 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 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 A young woman finds old papers which begin to reveal an ancient and evil plot concerning Vlad the Impaler and the legend of Dracula, which may still be continuing. In 1972 I was sixteen - young, my father said, to be traveling with him on his diplomatic missions.