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Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron (Anno Dracula #2)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 948 ratings · 69 reviews

WAR IS HELL...

It is 1918 and Graf von Dracula is commander-in-chief of the armies ofGermany and Austria-Hungary. The War of the Great Powers in Europeis also a war between the living and the undead. Caught up in the conflict,Charles Beauregard, an old enemy of Dracula, his protegé Edwin Winthrop,and intrepid vampire reporter Kate Reed go head-to-head with the lethalvampir...more

Paperback, 587 pages

Published April 10th 2012 by Titan Books (first published November 2nd 1995)

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Jan 27, 2013 Matt Mitrovich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Creatures from our darkest nightmares are unleashed on the closest thing to hell on Earth from human history. Monsters own the skies and tanks can be brought down by a single, blood-thirsty soldier. Women surrender their silver for the war effort and creatures lurk in No Man's Land that you could not imagine. This is World War I envisioned by horror and alternate history author Kim Newman. This is Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron.

Some backstory for those not familiar with the Anno Dracula seri...more Creatures from our darkest nightmares are unleashed on the closest thing to hell on Earth from human history. Monsters own the skies and tanks can be brought down by a single, blood-thirsty soldier. Women surrender their silver for the war effort and creatures lurk in No Man's Land that you could not imagine. This is World War I envisioned by horror and alternate history author Kim Newman. This is Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron.

Some backstory for those not familiar with the Anno Dracula series. The Bloody Red Baron is the sequel to the first book in the series, Anno Dracula. The series is ann alternate history, except the point of divergence comes from literary history and not real history. In the first book, the heroes in Dracula fail to defeat the world's most famous vampire. The Count goes on to marry Queen Victoria, becoming Price Consort of the British Empire. The upper crust of British society willingly become vampires, while older vampires step out into the moonlight (because sunlight is bad for them you know) feeling comfortable that no one is going to stab them in the heart with a stake. Dracula's reign, however, is far from peaceful and a revolution sends him into exile.

Now Dracula is back and he has the combined armies of the Central Powers under his command. In this alternate World War I, vampires fight on both sides and their unique ability to see at night means the war is fought 24/7. Silver is hoarded by both sides as it is one of the few substances lethal to the undead. I am glad I finished this book before watching episode 189 of Mythbusters which featured silver bullets. Because silver tends to shrink and deform as it cools after molding, silver bullets may acquire shape irregularities that affect their flight. This means they are incredibly inaccurate, which makes the idea of a machine gun loaded with a silver bullet every seventh bullet an ineffective weapon against a horde of fanged troopers.

The Bloody Red Baron begins in the winter of 1918 and everyone on the Allied side of the lines is awaiting the dreaded Spring Offensive, the Kaiserschlacht. A million men have been freed from fighting on the Eastern Front and are being moved for one last push in the West. An important piece of the offensive is Manfred von Richthofen and his all-vampire Jagdgeschwader 1. Charles Beauregard, member of the ruling cabal of the Diogenes Club, has sent his protege Edwin Winthrop to find out what the German's plan is for their squadron of undead aces. Kate Reed, vampire reporter, is also on the tail, but it will be vampire Edgar Poe who will get to meet Germany's secret weapon and witness first-hand the next evolution of vampire-kind.

The Bloody Red Baron is exceptionally well-written, gore-filled, alternate history masterpiece. There were scenes in the book, such as Isolde's grisly performance in a dilapidated Paris theater, that sent my imagination into some dark places. Unlike the prissy, sparkled vampires that infect popular culture today, Newman's vampires are bloody and dark. They do not just prefer human blood, they desperately need it. Yet despite its horror setting, one can't help but notice the humor in the over-arcing story. The Bloody Red Baron is amusing as it is horrifying.

Like Back in the USSA, Newman's collaboration with Eugene Byrne, The Bloody Red Baron features a great deal of intertextuality. Historic events and people are combined with fictional characters from popular culture. Part of the fun of the novel is to try and figure out all of the references. An appendix is provided in this edition, but it is only for characters that Newman feels were too obscure. After reading a more complete list on the Internet, it made me ashamed about how little-read I am compared to Newman.

Despite being separate timelines, I cannot help comparing The Bloody Red Baron to By the Blood of Heroes by Joseph Nassise. Both alternate histories are set in World War I, have steampunk elements and feature horror monsters being used as weapons. Both novels also feature Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Baron, as one of the antagonists. In By the Blood of Heroes, Richtofen is an egoistical, reanimated monster bent on not just winning the war, but conquering the world. If this presentation of the Baron seems like a cliche super-villain, that was intentional. On the other hand, Newman's vampiric Richtofen is much more straightforward. He is a killer, pure and simple. There is nothing else but the war, the fight, the kill. He has no plans for the future, he lives for the hunt. Personally I think I liked this version of Richtofen better. He was more frightening as an undead serial-killer then as a power-mad zombie.

I highly recommend reading The Bloody Red Baron and if you get the Titan Books edition you will also get the new novella, Vampire Romance, included in the back.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Verushka

Recently, I found my way to a blog and a post about the vampires in the supernatural and fantasy genre (I did comment on the post, but I cannot for the life of me find it again). The post questioned whether the vampire had to return to being a psychopath, a killer as the genre currently features more of the vampire bad boy in a romantic setting and everything the creature was has been lost.

I agree that more often than not, the vampire as the romantic bad bo...more Brought to you by OBS reviewer Verushka

Recently, I found my way to a blog and a post about the vampires in the supernatural and fantasy genre (I did comment on the post, but I cannot for the life of me find it again). The post questioned whether the vampire had to return to being a psychopath, a killer as the genre currently features more of the vampire bad boy in a romantic setting and everything the creature was has been lost.

I agree that more often than not, the vampire as the romantic bad boy is more popular than anything else these days, but I don’t think that the vampire has to return to being a cold-blooded killer in order to rejuvenate the genre or rather the audience’s love for the creature. I think, and as much as I enjoy the settings authors come up with, scenarios and certain aspects of novels tend to be incredibly similar. This is one of the main reasons I enjoyed The Bloody Red Baron – the vampires are not the bad boy romantic heroes but Newman has made them part of normal society and created a world so different at the same time that a genre I had grown very tired of was suddenly interesting again.

And, yes, I feel incredibly weird writing this about a book that was first published in 1995, because I was sure it was much newer than that.

So, in a nutshell, after marrying Queen Victoria in the first Anno Dracula book Newman moves Dracula to World War I on the German side, and readers follow Edward Winthrop as he navigates the war and his need for vengeance on the Red Baron. The Red Baron gets plenty of page time as well, through Edgar Allan Poe, a vampire and his biographer. No, seriously and it works brilliantly.

As well as fighting in the war on both sides, vampires tend to the wounded (their blood aids recuperation), are journalists writing about it, or happen to be PM of the UK, the Red Baron, or Mata Hari. Not a bad boy or psychopathic killer (and no, the Red Baron and his fliers don’t count – read it, and you’ll see what I mean) in sight, though vampires, like the human characters are not without their flaws. Newman has taken something readers are used to and familiar with and gave it a very simple vampire twist. He’s coupled this with incredible attention to detail in his writing (aerial dogfights in World War I fighters and the war down on the ground) and his research of World War I.

Newman also doesn’t restrict himself to the usual characteristics of vampires – his are capable of being out during the day, among other things. They have their bloodlines, which each have their own characteristics and it widens out the scope of the book and the characters immensely.

The next best bit? Is the mix of fictional and real world characters that include Churchill, Mycroft AND Sherlock Holmes (briefly), and Edgar Allen Poe. It’s captivating to see the world and how these characters navigate it in ways completely different to what we usually expect of them.

The new edition of this novel also includes a long novella entitled Vampire Romance and featuring Genevieve, a vampire from the first Anno Dracula book, that doesn’t feature as much in the Red Baron. In addition there’s a film treatment of the book called Red Skies, and a wealth of annotations from the author.

http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Nigel rated it 5 of 5 stars

A ridiculously enjoyable book in a ridiculously enjoyable series. This is the sequel to Anno Dracula, which had Genevieve and Charles Beauregard chase Jack The Ripper through the fog-choked streets of Victorian London, as ruled by the Prince Regent, Dracula. Not to spoil it or anything, but at the end of the book revolution was kindled and Dracula ejected from Britain. Now he's in Germany, running the War for Kaiser Wilhelm. Warm and dead alike are chewed up in the muddy fields of France as the...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stole the reviews but so fucking what???

"Kim Newman's Anno Dracula is back in print, and we must celebrate. It was the first mash-up of literature, history and vampires, and now, in a world in which vampires are everywhere, it's still the best, and its bite is just as sharp. Compulsory reading, commentary, and mindgame: glorious." - Neil Gaiman

"Politics, horror, and romance are woven together in this brilliantly imagined and realized novel. Newman's prose is a delight, his attention to detail is...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

The second novel in this series sees us move on from the events of England in 1888 and Jack the Ripper.

It is now 1914. The Great War is underway between Germany and the rest of Europe. Count von Dracula has fled England after The Terror (in Book One) and is now Graf von Dracula, commander in chief of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Fighting against England and his old enemies Charles Beauregard and the secret Diogenes Club, vampires and humans (‘warm bodies’) are dying in the trenches though the la...more The second novel in this series sees us move on from the events of England in 1888 and Jack the Ripper.

It is now 1914. The Great War is underway between Germany and the rest of Europe. Count von Dracula has fled England after The Terror (in Book One) and is now Graf von Dracula, commander in chief of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Fighting against England and his old enemies Charles Beauregard and the secret Diogenes Club, vampires and humans (‘warm bodies’) are dying in the trenches though the latest technologies mean that the conflict is fought most keenly in the air. The Flying Circus, a vampire squadron, led by Baron Manfred von Richthofen, The Bloody Red Baron, seem unstoppable. Beauregard’s young protégé Edwin Winthrop, and vampire reporter Kate Reed try to defeat the German onslaught. But will they succeed?

In this second tale, the set up of Anno Dracula becomes international. We spend most of our time here not in England but in France, following the actions of heroic pilots, both vampire and human, as they struggle to cope with the stresses and slaughter of such desperate battles. When not flying, the pilots would live life almost as dangerously on the ground trying to make their sacrifices worth it.

The cold calculating Baron is pitted against English vampires, such as Albert Ball. Though in the real world Richthofen was killed, there is no such guarantee here in this alternate-world meta-fiction. The use of vampires in combat has had some unusual developments, such as night flights with their enhanced vision, for example.

Attempts to find out the reasons for Richthofen’s success in killing Allied pilots are dealt with so effectively that there are usually no survivors to tell what happened. Victims’ corpses are often discovered totally drained of all bodily fluids. It is clear that the Germans have a big secret at the headquarters of the Vampire Circus and that Richthofen and his men are more than human. There’s something creepy going on at the Chateau de Malinbois, and for the sake of the Allied survival it is up to the Diogenes Club to find out.

Kim here steps it up a notch. The story is as detailed and yet at the same time as much fun as ever. Anyone who has thrilled to stories of WW1 aerial combat and the heroic actions of aviators on both sides will love this, as such events are described in brilliant action sequences. We have dogfights, Zeppelin raids and trench battles which tell in thrilling detail how deadly such fighting must have been. Elsewhere, on the ground, the effect of the War on the French civilians and their towns and cities are told but with the added effect of the war being fought with some un-human elements.

As ever, though, with Kim’s work it is the mixing of people, both real and fictional, that provided me with most fun. From the exiled vampire Edgar Poe, who finds himself helping the Germans by writing the autobiography of The Red Baron, to the sad demise of secret spy Mata Hari and the exploits of imaginary character Bigglesworth (W.E. Johns’ legendary Biggles) not to mention Doctors Caligari and Mabuse, there’s enough of these little ‘easter-egg’ style touches to keep the knowledgeable reader entertained.

If that wasn’t enough, this re-imagined ‘Director’s Cut’ version includes a new novella, Vampire Romance, authors annotations showing where some of characters both real and imagined have originated from, and a film script outline for a film called Red Skies written for Roger Corman. Though never used, it is interesting to see how a film version of Red Baron could have turned out.
Vampire Romance, written especially for this edition, tells of the events of vampire Genevieve Dieudonne, last met in Anno Dracula, as she encounters a vampire group whilst working for the Diogenes Club in 1923. In comparison with the main novel, it is a deliciously dark tale of romance and death, just as much fun as the wartime tale. Though written over fifteen years later than the original novel, it dovetails nicely between The Bloody Red Baron and what will be the next novel, Dracula Cha Cha Cha, to be published later this year and set in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Both Bloody Red Baron and Vampire Romance are recommended. You don’t have to have read Anno Dracula to enjoy this one. But if you did, and enjoyed it, you’re going to love this one as much, if not more, as I did.

Bravo to Titan for republishing this underrated series.

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Apr 29, 2012 Riju Ganguly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although I had read this book in its previous "Avatar", this edition, brought out by the good folks at Titan Books, really works much better. Since the core concept of this novel, set in the alternate universe which is so unlike ours (because Dracula had won there) and yet so similar (we have nearly everything of "this" universe, including Americanised pop-culture!) is rather well-known, I would confine myself simply in gushing about the new things that have been incorporated in this version by...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Isidore rated it 4 of 5 stars

This second novel in the Anno Dracula series is no match for its stunning predecessor, but nevertheless has much to offer. There is little of the first book's complex and witty reimagining of history and biography, and the "cameos" seem perfunctory. The plot isn't much: the protagonists must slog through hundreds of pages to uncover a solution to a mystery which has been perfectly obvious to the reader since the end of chapter three. On the other hand, Newman shows unexpected mastery of "action...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Daniel Cann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having read ‘Anno Dracula’ I was eager to see what Newman did to the First World War. I am happy to say that this is an intoxicating mix of history and fiction that sees vampires engaging in dog fights (and I never thought I would write a sentence like that!)

The fast and frenetic aerial action is juxtaposed with the brutal battles in the quagmire of trenches, barbed wire and disease of the ground. This is packed with shocking and striking images, plenty of exotic creatures, shape shifting vampir...more Having read ‘Anno Dracula’ I was eager to see what Newman did to the First World War. I am happy to say that this is an intoxicating mix of history and fiction that sees vampires engaging in dog fights (and I never thought I would write a sentence like that!)

The fast and frenetic aerial action is juxtaposed with the brutal battles in the quagmire of trenches, barbed wire and disease of the ground. This is packed with shocking and striking images, plenty of exotic creatures, shape shifting vampires and of course lots of gore.

Thanks to Newman’s skill as a writer the gore and horror never threatens to overwhelm the narrative which manages to infuse some much needed humour into the poignancy and sacrifice. This is war in all its futility with propaganda from the likes of vampire writer Edgar Allan Poe (here as Edgar Poe) who attempts to turn the pilots into ‘knights of the skies’ masking the reality of lives wasted and unnecessary suffering.

Newman makes it clear that both sides are commanded by egomaniacs and glory seekers who have not an ounce of tactical nous or compassion for the thousands of men they are willing to sacrifice. The vivacious heroine, journalist Kate Reed is back and on hand to chart the terrible prolongation of the conflict which has reached an awful stalemate.

Beauregard is now an ageing and creaking hero but still as stalwart as ever and his young impulsive protégé Winthrop characterises the young men of the war desperate to prove themselves in serving King and Country.

The Red Baron is a cold-eyed killer and sociopath who only relates to life in terms of the ‘kills’ he has achieved. His monstrous transformations and aerial exploits are both thrilling and repellent.

With intrigue, action and a certain detached amusement and mischief added to the heady mix Newman has again done the Dracula legend proud. His encyclopaedic knowledge of film, history and novels is unparalleled in this genre and he has again succeeded in giving readers a unique and original take on a seismic episode in history here given a horrific twist.

‘Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron’ is a masterstroke of alternate world horror fiction.

Like the previous Titan new edition this is packed with an array of fascinating extras like ‘Red Skies’ a mooted film treatment that sadly never saw the light of day and a brand new novella ‘Vampire Romance’ with old favourite Genevieve Dieudonne. This features a conference of vampires at Mildew Manor in the Lake District. This is huge fun reading like a detective story with an impressive ensemble cast of vampires through the ages.

This new edition is definitely worth the investment, not only does it contain the ‘writers cut’ (if you will) of the original story but also so many added bonuses, annotations, notes and other projects offering the reader fascinating glimpses inside the creative mind of Newman who has to be one of the premier horror writers of today.

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Jan 13, 2012 Jaya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I keep seeing a lot of reviews saying that people wanted more character developement, or better writing, etc etc. Look, I really feel that these are pulp fiction adventure for the intelligent. It's just a great action adventure, a ripping good yarn, like I said about Anno Dracula. It's not meant to be a literary epic for the intelligentsia. It's purely well written entertainments for the well read. I laugh every time I recognise another character from my reading, it amuses me and makes me want t...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Matti Karjalainen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kauhu, kotikirjasto, vaihtoehtohistoria, 1-maailmansota, aikuiset, vampyyrit, in-english, 1970-1999, gbr-kans

Vuosia kestäneen terrorin jälkeen Iso-Britannia on päässyt eroon kreivi Draculasta, joka on lähtenyt maanpakoon ja hankkinut itselleen uuden jalansijan keisarillisesta Saksasta. Ensimmäisen maailmansodan sytyttyä paholaismaisella kreivillä on mahdollisuus tasata puntit.

Vuonna 1918 länsirintaman saksalaisjoukot valmistautuvat operaatio "Kaiserslachtiin", viimeiseen suurhyökkäykseen, jonka tarkoituksena on muuttaa sodan kulku. Englannin salainen palvelu saa vihiä, että kreivi Draculan johtaman vih...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Georgiana Derwent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this immediately after Anno Dracula, the first book in the series. AD instantly became one of my all time favourites, so I couldn't wait to read this. In this novel, the setting moves from the Victorian era to World War One. Otherwise, the formula is broadly the same. Vampires are real and out in the open, and lots of historical figures and literary characters make appearances, many of them having been turned.

Part of me feels harsh in giving this book three stars, as the level of researc...more I read this immediately after Anno Dracula, the first book in the series. AD instantly became one of my all time favourites, so I couldn't wait to read this. In this novel, the setting moves from the Victorian era to World War One. Otherwise, the formula is broadly the same. Vampires are real and out in the open, and lots of historical figures and literary characters make appearances, many of them having been turned.

Part of me feels harsh in giving this book three stars, as the level of research about both history and literature was phenomenal, and the execution was generally well done. However I found it much harder to care about the plot and the characters in this book than in the former. Where AD centred around the hunt for a vampire killing Jack the Ripper, this was basically a series of vignettes about the horrors of WW1. I really had to drag myself through the last third of the book.

It suffered from a lack of the characters from Dracula, and Genevieve, one of the author's few originals creations. The other original creation (to the best of my knowledge) Charles Beauregard, the hero of the first book, was present, and now in his late sixties. The chapters where he was involved were notably better, partly because he was a great character, partly because there was real pathos in the tale of a former romantic hero growing stubbornly old and weak in a world of ever-young immortals. His replacement as protagonist, Edwin Winthrop, just didn't do it for me at all.

I got the impression that the author just wasn't as passionate about WW1 as he was about the Victorian era, so the references felt a bit more forced. Or maybe that's just me projecting - I love
victoriana, but not WW1 tales. Maybe if you're the other way round, you'd enjoy this book more than the first.

In conclusion, if you've read and enjoyed the first book, there's enough to enjoy here to make it worth a look, but be prepared for a bit of disappointment. Alternatively, if you just love World War One literature and like vampires, it might well work as a standalone read, and you might well get more out of it than I did.
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Sep 30, 2012 Friedrich Haas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-supernatural, military-fantasy-sf

I want to start by liking the style of the cover, but that Tripe is so bad it offends me both as an artist and as a modeler. Apparently, they never saw a Dr.I, or were they trying for something else?
I start the book with the especially strong feeling I'm playing catch up from the previous novel that I did not read and did not know came first, and in any case I was drawn in by der Rittmeister. The author does well to help me along and I want to learn the details of this history. It becomes qui...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Jaclyn Hogan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-real-or-imagined, thriller, horror

Kim Newman is a demented genius. While most of this book is dark and weird, occasionally Newman's twisted sense of humor pops through. My favorite bit might be Dr. Moreau and Herbert West (of Lovecraft's Reanimator fame) performing gruesome experiments on injured vampire soldiers in the trenches of WWI France.

Since this is a rerelease edition, it has some lovely extras that didn't come with the hardback printing. After the main story, we get a bizarre novella called 'Vampire Romance'. This has o...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Segan Friend rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not a bad diversion for a few days but ultimately unsatisfying and lazily written. There are two tales in the Kindle version I read. The Bloody Red Baron, a tale of daring do in WWI and Vampire Romance a Wodehouse/Searle/Christie mash up set in the 20's.
Almost all of the characters are either from other works of fiction or historical and so the job of populating the world Newman has created has already been done for him. It's not even that he takes them anywhere particularly new.
Also some scene...more Not a bad diversion for a few days but ultimately unsatisfying and lazily written. There are two tales in the Kindle version I read. The Bloody Red Baron, a tale of daring do in WWI and Vampire Romance a Wodehouse/Searle/Christie mash up set in the 20's.
Almost all of the characters are either from other works of fiction or historical and so the job of populating the world Newman has created has already been done for him. It's not even that he takes them anywhere particularly new.
Also some scenes are just overpopulated with cameos leaving you constantly wondering where you know someone from, not too much of a problem when you are reading on the Kindle with it's search function, but annoying enough to take you out of the moment;
In one of the scenes that take place in a Parisian cafe, for example, there is a vampire Toulouse Lautrec hanging around as is some other historical character that escapes me now, meanwhile someone else discusses the exploits of Fantomas. Of course all these people are there, it would be too much effort to evoke a 1918 Parisian Cafe without them!
In the second story they travel through Royston Vasey for no other reason than to mention Royston Vasey. Luckily they don't stay long enough to interact with any of the characters from League of Gentlemen, maybe next time. There are tons of interestingly named towns in England that would have added as much to the plot, but no it has to be a town from a TV show.
It becomes a game of spot the reference.
Also plot wise the big events of the world seem to carry on the same course that they did in our world. Some of the details are different but the other than that WWI seems to play out like it did in our non vampire infested universe. No attempt is made to steer events in a new direction. I don't know maybe run with the idea that silver becomes hugely important (as vampires are poisoned by it in Newman's world and silver shortages are mentioned) and therefore regions with large silver mining concerns take on a new strategic significance. The geopolitics of North America, with Mexico and the US being big silver producers, coud take on a whole new slant. The Zimmerman plan for Mexico to invade the US could have come to fruition with an influx of German vampires. Any attempt to change world events would have been welcome rather than giant winged vampires fighting biplanes.
Speaking of biplanes, I am a bit of an aeroplane buff/nerd (take your pick) and he makes numerous egregious errors when it comes to the British planes. The errors are fairly obvious and a modicum of research would have avoided them, which you would think someone would do if you are doing a story that centers around WWI aviation . If you are going to use factual planes get them right or invent a fictional plane and do what you like with it.(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Richard Wright rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

More a continuation of the alternate, vampire-ridden history established in Newman's 'Anno Dracula' than a sequel, this novel moves on thirty years, and plunges the reader into The Great War. With vampires and humans on both sides, there are brand new atrocities to perpetrate, particularly in the skies above No Man's Land. For all of of the richly sourced vampire mayhem, the war itself is startlingly familiar in how it's portrayed here, exactly as grimy and bleak as it should be, and Newman avoi...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Cape Rust rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm almost finished with this book and I have been suprised in the best possible way. I am loath to read anything having to do with the blood sucking hipsters called vampires and this book has re-kindled my love for them, so far, so good, Thanks Kim! I finished the book a few days ago and I loved it, is it the best book I've ever read no, but it is damn good, it is well written and smart, There are some obscure references but most of them are covered in the annotations. Some of them were beyond...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Joseph Teller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, historical-fiction, pulp-horror, pulp-adventure, fantasy

The sequel to "Anno Dracula", this is Kim Newman's Diogenes Club world in the era of the first World War where vampires are very very real and a number of secret wars are being played out behind and on the battlefields of the Great War.

It is filled with period information and references, name droppings and plenty of real and fictional persons of that era plus hold overs from times before (including Edgar Allen Poe, Vampire).

It centers heavily on the great air war and the knights of the sky... i...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Andreas Strom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great follow-up to the fantastic Anno Dracula. Moving on a few years to WWI, and Dracula is now high up in the German war effort. Vampires on the battlefields and in the air, and pretty much everywhere. Beauregard takes a bit of a backseat in this story, we follow Kate Reed and one of his proteges a lot more, but he's still fighting Dracula. Funny, educating, thrilling and just a great adventure.
Genevieve isn't really in this one sadly, but there is the bonus of a 100+ page story starring her. T...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Hearts on Fire Reviews

Shelves: nov-2012-reading-challenge-ntoyab, november-2012-reads

Reviewing for Hearts on Fire Reviews.

Review: My great thanks to Titan Books, who have reprinted the “Anno Dracula” series by outstanding author Kim Newman. The title translates, of course, from Latin, as “Year of Dracula” (as in “Anno Domini,” or “Year of Our Lord,” the medieval Roman Catholic designation on the calendar). This series takes Dracula, that inimitable, ubiquitous, and arrogant former Eastern European tyrant, from Victorian England (where he was, temporarily, Prince Consort to belov...more Reviewing for Hearts on Fire Reviews.

Review: My great thanks to Titan Books, who have reprinted the “Anno Dracula” series by outstanding author Kim Newman. The title translates, of course, from Latin, as “Year of Dracula” (as in “Anno Domini,” or “Year of Our Lord,” the medieval Roman Catholic designation on the calendar). This series takes Dracula, that inimitable, ubiquitous, and arrogant former Eastern European tyrant, from Victorian England (where he was, temporarily, Prince Consort to beloved Queen Victoria, and founder of his own line of vampiric offspring), to the Great War as Graf Dracula, so idolized by the Axis Powers for his sublime war efforts. Later novels in the series see him farther into the future, for example, 1923, 1959. The 1923 story, “A Vampire Romance,” is also included in this particular edition of “Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron.”

Author Kim Newman is not just a writer of the paranormal; he is also a historical raconteur. Through reading these books, I believe I have learned more about these particular eras than I ever did at University as a major in history. Mr. Newman delves into the settings, and the periods, through explication of the depths of his characters, who are both “warm” (living humans) and vampires. There are many divergent vampire species in this series, dependent on the original “elder” who founded the line. Dracula’s line seems to be more efficient, more powerful, and more capable, than most of the others. One of the war efforts which his line has enabled for the Axis Powers is that now Germany is no longer dependent solely on aeroplanes in a “dogfight,” or aerial battle; instead, English Royal Flying Corps pilots are air-battling shapeshifted vampires, each practically the height of a building, and although not completely resistant to fatality, certainly much more so than the puny human English they battle.
I found this an originally imaginative novel. It, like the others in the “Anno Dracula” series, I consider a reread. I’m very glad to have discovered this series, and am thankful to the publisher, Titan Books, for making it once again readily available to a reading public hungry for exceptional paranormal fiction.

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Feb 19, 2013 Sam Piper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, gothic, historical, light-relief, horror

After reading a couple of extremely well-written, moving but rather serious books, picking up The Bloody Red Baron was intended to be a welcome piece of light relief: a bit of fun vampiric horror.

Kim Newman takes up the reigns of his alternate history some thirty years after the events in the previous Anno Dracula. Having fled from England in the conclusion of that book - as a result of Charles Beauregard’s effective device of giving the enslaved Queen Victoria the knife with which to kill herse...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Reverenddave rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, war, sci-fi

This was on one of the front tables at Barnes and Noble and the premise of the Red Baron being a vampire piqued my curiosity enough to read a few pages. I spent a lot of this book trying to decide if I was enjoying it. I think for the most part I did though I definitely thought its big climax was a letdown.

Not having any particular interest in vampires (beyond the ones hunted by Abraham Lincoln) I have no allegiance to any particular set of 'rules' for vampire behavior/weaknesses etc. So I did...more

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May 10, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having read and enjoyed the first in the series, I was eager to get reading the follow up. I have to say I found it harder going than the first instalment, but I still thoroughly enjoyed what was a fun read. Kim Newman is just so full of so many great ideas, I even find the elements of his writing that have been criticised before most enjoyable. Things like the use of characters from various other works and using characters he has used before in his other novels. The idea of a Vampire centric G...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Kai rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron is history rewritten with vampirism. Dracula is now a very close advisor to the German Kaiser. Since his departure from England, vampirism has spread. He is mentioned throughout the book but he is a minor character played through the book.

Edwin Winthrop is an English officer and observer. His main mission is to find out what the Germans are doing. When his fellow pilots are killed, he went and became a weapon without turning into a vampire to kill the Red Baro...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, vampires, european-history, sci-fi, world-war-1, first-reads, steampunk

**I received my copy through Goodreads First Reads.**

Being totally impressed by the first Anno Dracula, I was ecstatic to receive a copy of re-released The Bloody Red Baron. My excitement completely springs from my respect for the author, Kim Newman. It goes without saying that the vampire trope is now eye-rollingly played out, even for regular readers in the genre like me. But Kim Newman's Victorian multiverse of vampires from the first book was amazingly well-crafted, and he continues it witho...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Sharlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

This book had a slow start for me and I found it difficult to get into...with that said, once I was hooked, I was hooked. I loved how the author took liberties in using famous personalities and making them into vampires. It definitely gives one a spin on how you perceive them.

The plot was predictable as was the climax...perhaps that happens when you know your history and pick out main characters...but with that said, you may see a twist in the st...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Seawater rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gr-giveaway-won, could-not-finish

oh, I was so looking forward to getting around to this book...

Such a shame... I managed to make it a full page into this novel before my brain started convulsing, vomited repeatedly, and then retreated to a corner where it lay, curled up and quivering.

The writing...was awkward, confused, useless, and just plain unpleasant.

When I recovered and composed myself, I sought out a friend to see their opinion on the opening. I gave no pretext for why, just simply asked them to have a look. It did not go...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, fantasy

This edition includes both The Bloody Red Baron and an additional novella, AD 1923 Vampire Romance, set five years after the events of Red Baron.

The Bloody Red Baron is set during the last year of the First World War and has Europe divided between the Allies and the Central Powers with mixed armies of vampires and humans found on both sides. Once again the Diogenes Club plays an integral role throughout the story and many well known and not so well known fictional and non-fictional characters ma...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, sci-fi

Not quite as good as the first one, but that's to be expected. I also thought Genvieve should actually appear as a character, a change the author himself apparently wishes he had made as noted in his commentary. Here we have the world we left in at the end of Anno Dracula, twenty-odd years later and embroiled in a world war with vampires serving on both sides. New technologies are being tested, from chemical warfare to the newfangled aeroplane. Dracula serves as the Kaiser's right hand, some say...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, horror-supernatural

A bit slow-going at first, but it picked up. A good sequel to Anno Dracula. What if Dracula was involved in the first world war, and the Bloody Red Baron was a shape-shifting vampire who could fly? And Poe is writing the Baron's biography? And, of course, the Allies are trying to win the war and elminate the Bloody Red Baron. As with Anno Dracula, this books if full of warm and undead characters from history and fiction. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloo... to see a complete list of ch...more

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Jul 25, 2009 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-disguised-as-literature, steampunkery

Some readers didn’t seem to seem to warm to this book as much as Anno Dracula, but the World War One era is of as great interest to me as the Victorian era. Here like in the first book, history is different but not different, and the ruthlessness and stupidity of the era is put on display with the utopian belief in technology, fading aristocratic values, and resentments leading to the moronic waste of a generation of youth. Newman’s literary game continues to bring joy, creating a world where Po...more

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About Kim Newman

Note: This author also writes under the pseudonym of Jack Yeovil.
An expert on horror and sci-fi cinema (his books of film criticism include Nightmare Movies and Millennium Movies), Kim Newman's novels draw promiscuously on the tropes of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. He is complexly and irreverently referential; the Dracula sequence--Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula,Cha Cha Cha--not onl...more

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Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron (Anno Dracula #2)

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