The Historian
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The Historian
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Narrated by:
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Justine Eyre
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Paul Michael
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Written by:
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Elizabeth Kostova
About this listen
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.
©2005 Elizabeth Kostova. All Rights Reserved. (P)2005 Books on TapeYou may also enjoy...
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A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi - and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes.
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All the Fiends of Hell
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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What the critics say
- 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year, Adult Fiction
"A bloodthirsty delight....Both literary and scary, this one is guaranteed to keep one reading into the wee hours." (Booklist)
"Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Historian is artfully constructed and atmospheric." (Washington Post Book World)
What listeners say about The Historian
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2024-08-02
A long, beautiful walk for a small drink of water
This book had me absolutely captivated from the get go. The eerie atmosphere and wonderful details of the locations was perfection. The way the story is told through various memories and diary entries was fast paced enough that you weren’t feeling as though things were going on and on, but also slow and methodical to really get an understanding of each characters motives. The voice acting was also fabulous.
Unfortunately, I felt the ending was disappointing. It felt as though we were completely in the up and up and tensions were building and then..! It’s done. The explanations and reasonings for a big part of the plot were swept under the rug as though everything was fine and left me saying “thats it?”
If you’re on the fence about it, I will still say it’s amazing, but the ending kinda sucked.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jesse
- 2024-05-02
A History Book, With Vampires
Great if you're a history fan. It can go on at times, much of it reads like a history book as well. I had to take a few breaks but overall I loved it. Lots of depth, great character building and the performances were top notch.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PK
- 2023-03-18
A richly detailed story
My hopes were not high, but I was curious. I half expected a boring derivative neo-gothic horror, with too much romanticising of vampires. This is NOT that.
This is a story which takes a certain inspiration, and even some of the narrative structure, from Stoker's seminal novel, but the similarities end there. I'm certain that Stoker would have loved to write something so richly detailed, with so many apparently disparate threads traced through history and masterfully disentangled to reveal a touching and beautiful, sometimes tragic tale.
In a way, I wish it had been more than one book, so that more attention could have been lavished on the beautiful settings and the stories contained within them.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this, and I really hope to have the chance to watch this story one day as a feature film or three, perhaps a mini - series (HBO - Starz, are you listening?)
As to the performance, it was good. Very, very good. It sounds as though the performers went to great lengths to develop the sound of each character they voiced, and to pronounce the difficult names and words of Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Love this.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AJ Moore
- 2022-04-06
I wanted to believe it was not fiction.
This novel engaged me from the very first words. It's one of those books where one wishes it were true, rather than a masterful blend of history and fiction. And masterful truly sums it up for me. As I read elsewhere online, this book is DaVinci Code meets Bram Stoker. I highly recommend it to Vampire fans who also love history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan L.
- 2024-09-13
Excellent blend of fact and fiction
I loved the artful blend of fact and fiction as it elevated the narrative. At times, I wanted to Google some of the references to see if they were real or not!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rose
- 2020-08-19
long but a good read and listen
it's very long but it's really one of those long " romantic' stories which by it's length submerses you. Some might see that as a lackluster plot or an unsatisfying ending but it never broke tone and remained true to it's own elemental feel and richness of writing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ToadyTheFree1
- 2022-10-20
WOW, JUST....WOW
Justine Eyre and Paul Michael presented Elizabeth Kostova's book THE HISTORIAN
perfectly. Their calm narration of a family of
academic historians trying to solve a mystry both ancient and yet recent concerning family. Their quest just pulls the reader along, a faint trail of clues leads one all over
Europe to ancient monasteries or reverd bastions of learning, such as Oxford.
You can just smell the musty leather bound books. Feel the hard oak study carrols darkened with age. Like a maze this quest,
with many a dead end. A quest seeking answers and the remedy for a broken heart.
This is a very well told new take of a familar
scary piece of Europe's history....Oh make sure you a flashlight handy incase the lights go out..
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Lynn
- 2022-12-16
Amazingly visual!
I had read the book and now listening to the characters I've come away with a more complete understanding. It is a hauntingly beautiful story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2024-05-28
Outstanding
Loved every word and twist of this story, characters, setting and plot. A new recommended fave.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2017-11-10
This will sit with me for a long time
Wonderfully intelligent, feels like real scholarship. Accents are intoxicating. I wish I could meet all the characters. Helen is my favourite.
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