Vlad: The Last Confession
Dracula. A name of horror, depravity and the darkest sensuality. Yet the real Dracula was just as alluring, just as terrifying, his tale not one of a monster but of a man... and a contradiction.
His tale is told by those who knew him best. The only woman he ever loved...and whom he had to sacrifice. His closest comrade...and traitor. And his priest, betraying the secrets of
...morePaperback, 366 pages
Published
September 8th 2008
by McArthur Publishing
(first published January 1st 2008)
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Nov 10, 2012
Willowfaerie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dracula,
historical-fiction
***3 ½ Stars***
I know I say this all the time, but sometimes it’s really hard for me to rate a book. I keep vacillating between three and four stars. I guess I’ll go with four.
So yes, I enjoyed this book, but I think that was mostly because of the subject matter more than anything else. Humphreys is a fun writer and he writes about morbid things, which I LOVE. (Yes,I know I’m ghoulish.) So I will definitely be checking out The French Executioner. I have to say though, this book definitely is not...more
I know I say this all the time, but sometimes it’s really hard for me to rate a book. I keep vacillating between three and four stars. I guess I’ll go with four.
So yes, I enjoyed this book, but I think that was mostly because of the subject matter more than anything else. Humphreys is a fun writer and he writes about morbid things, which I LOVE. (Yes,I know I’m ghoulish.) So I will definitely be checking out The French Executioner. I have to say though, this book definitely is not...more
This the first Western novel about Vlad that does him justice as a great champion of Christendom, as well as bringer of peace and prosperity - true at a cost, but considering the times, not particularly a great cost.
It just happened that instead of the peasantry and the poor, the cost was born by the rich, merchants and noble alike as well as their families, so the truly bad press Vlad got at the times and since.
I read tons of Romanian novels with Vlad as a hero for sure, but due to the Saxon an...more
It just happened that instead of the peasantry and the poor, the cost was born by the rich, merchants and noble alike as well as their families, so the truly bad press Vlad got at the times and since.
I read tons of Romanian novels with Vlad as a hero for sure, but due to the Saxon an...more
This was the first time that i've read something fictional about Vlad, although fiction could be used for many historical 'facts' written about him!
I enjoyed this book despite the fact that it took me several attempts to get into it, I'm someone who hunts down books about Vlad and so was surprised that it took me so long to get into the story but again I put that down to the fact that it was a departure from reading history books, I read The Historian last year and while that touched on Vlad sli...more
I enjoyed this book despite the fact that it took me several attempts to get into it, I'm someone who hunts down books about Vlad and so was surprised that it took me so long to get into the story but again I put that down to the fact that it was a departure from reading history books, I read The Historian last year and while that touched on Vlad sli...more
Aug 18, 2011
Michelle
added it
Vlad Tepes is the victim of gossip and propaganda. Vilified during his lifetime, Bram Stoker slammed the proverbial nail into the coffin by making him one of the most recognized and well-known villains of all time. Yet, how much of the stories that persist today are fact and how much is simply history rewritten by the victors? In Vlad: The Last Confession, C. C. Humphreys successfully steps inside the mind of Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Vlad Dracula, in an attempt to sift through the fact with the...more
So, I bought this book either two summers ago or last summer (I don't recall) and since it was a new, I was compelled to read it ASAP (you know how it is when you buy something new and you're really excited to use/wear/read it; it was basically "that feeling" for me).
Since I've lost my interest in reading a long time ago (probably around 8th grade...I dunno, sometime before high school), it's hard to get back to the pace of things; i.e.: reading frequently, reading more than 3 books (yes, I use...more
Since I've lost my interest in reading a long time ago (probably around 8th grade...I dunno, sometime before high school), it's hard to get back to the pace of things; i.e.: reading frequently, reading more than 3 books (yes, I use...more
Vlad was the "king" of Wallachia and he was called Dracula, a name which Bram Stoker used for his vampire. While the real Dracula did not suck blood, he used horrific tactics in war and to restore order to his country.
The author tries to understand Vlad rather than condemn him. His construct is to tell his protagonist’s story through the "confessions" of the three people who knew him best-- his confessor, his mistress and his best friend (who later betrayed him). The story is complicated-- Vlad...more
The author tries to understand Vlad rather than condemn him. His construct is to tell his protagonist’s story through the "confessions" of the three people who knew him best-- his confessor, his mistress and his best friend (who later betrayed him). The story is complicated-- Vlad...more
Everyone knows Dracula as a blood-sucking vampire, but in real life Vlad Dracula was the Prince of Wallachia, a lawless region bearing the brunt of Ottoman expansion into Eastern Europe. In Vlad: The Last Confession, C.C. Humphreys uses three characters close to Dracula to tell his tale: his mistress, his priest and his closest friend.
And an interesting life it was too. Taken into captivity in Edirne at a young age by the Ottomans to secure his father's loyalty, Vlad grew up amongst the Turks, f...more
And an interesting life it was too. Taken into captivity in Edirne at a young age by the Ottomans to secure his father's loyalty, Vlad grew up amongst the Turks, f...more
Well, I was so excited to read this book after reading the reviews. However, after reading the first third I grew tired of it. The use of a seemingly older version of English made the story chug along, instead of flow. I found myself getting bored every few sentences with the 'over-the-top' prose, longing for some straight-forward writing to carry me onward to the actual story. Others of a more patient disposition might wonder what the hell I'm moaning about.
I even found reading Dracula easy in...more
I even found reading Dracula easy in...more
Thanks to Bram Stoker when most people hear the name Dracula they think of a vampire from Transylvania. The myth, I think has become more famous than the real man. C.C. Humphreys uses his novel to delve into the life of the real Dracula; the man who has come down through history as Vlad the Impaler. A real man with a story that is not easy to read.
The period in history when Vlad was fighting for his throne in the small kingdom of Wallachia (which is now part of Romania) is not exactly noted for...more
The period in history when Vlad was fighting for his throne in the small kingdom of Wallachia (which is now part of Romania) is not exactly noted for...more
When I was pitched this book, it almost sounded to good to be, well . . . good.
How many times have you bought a book (or asked for a review copy) and wanted it to be as good as the blurb, yet past let-downs jaded your hope?
I’ve never been so happy to be disappointed.
Historical Fiction can be a challenging genre to read if the author hasn’t take care to do their research. It also takes skill to weave that knowledge into a story seamlessly, never allowing it to detract from the overall storytell...more
How many times have you bought a book (or asked for a review copy) and wanted it to be as good as the blurb, yet past let-downs jaded your hope?
I’ve never been so happy to be disappointed.
Historical Fiction can be a challenging genre to read if the author hasn’t take care to do their research. It also takes skill to weave that knowledge into a story seamlessly, never allowing it to detract from the overall storytell...more
I've read maybe, more than a thousand books in my life? I know that I have at least a few hundred in my bedroom at home because I've counted. Exactly four have left my bent over, dry heaving, sobbing - that's how phenomenal they were. And I'm not talking about anything stupid written by Nicholas Sparks or whatever fluff love story. This book is one of the best I have ever read. And don't be turned off about the whole Dracula - vampire Twilight bullshit that we all have to drown through right now...more
Wow. Just wow. I found the italicized words in Romanian rather distracting because there were so many of them, but other than that, this was a really good, interesting book. I feel bad fro Dracula. He was, obviously, harsh in his methods, but they worked to keep people under control and safe. I'm not sure if he was driven crazy by his time at the hand of the Turks, or if he hand a natural bent towards being a little off. Betrayed by his family, friends, and noblemen, what a way to live! I can un...more
I actually give this book a 3 1/2 but the system won't let me. This book was hit and miss for me. It had me hooked in certain parts and other parts I struggled to finish it.
This is the story of the real Vlad Dracula as told through the eyes of 3 witnesses to the life of Vlad, Ion Tremblac, Vlad's childhood/adult friend for almost all is life, Ilona Ferenc, his lover for over 20 years and Brother Vasile, the hermit.
Some of the history kept me hooked and other parts just confused me with so many n...more
This is the story of the real Vlad Dracula as told through the eyes of 3 witnesses to the life of Vlad, Ion Tremblac, Vlad's childhood/adult friend for almost all is life, Ilona Ferenc, his lover for over 20 years and Brother Vasile, the hermit.
Some of the history kept me hooked and other parts just confused me with so many n...more
In this excellent title by CC Humpreys you meet finally the real Vlad Dracul, not the blood sucking vampire but the real man the prince, you learn how the legends were born and may have been twisted by history "History is written by the victors" and in this case they didn't write very nice things, but maybe that just goes to show how effective one small prince and his small army was against the Muslim hordes that were banging on the door of the Christian west?
This take told in a time slip style...more
This take told in a time slip style...more
Okay, well as I had promised, I'd try to write a review about this book, making it my first review ever written.
When I first saw and picked up this book at the bookfest this past september, I thought it would be an intersting tale. It told of a more human and realistic view of the man - not the mythical vampire. That same day, it started reading it.
The entire book was a good read for me. It was fast paced and an easy read if not counting the dusturbin horror in the book. I liked the first part...more
When I first saw and picked up this book at the bookfest this past september, I thought it would be an intersting tale. It told of a more human and realistic view of the man - not the mythical vampire. That same day, it started reading it.
The entire book was a good read for me. It was fast paced and an easy read if not counting the dusturbin horror in the book. I liked the first part...more
Vlad: The Last Confession is a historical fiction account of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad The Impaler. This story does not include any vampire references as it details the life of the man from which Bram Stoker wrote the original Dracula story. C.C. Humphreys mentioned in the Author’s Note “…it is in the gap [between so-called facts] that the historical novelist lives”, and it was very interesting to watch the story unfold as Humphreys worked in facts, myth, and his own ideas into the story....more
This is not your typical 'I want to suck your blood' vampire book. This is historical fiction at its best.
The book opens in Poenari Castle...5 years after Dracula's death. Count Horvath has brought the three people who will tell Vlad's story the best. They're the three people that knew him the best...Ion Tremblac, Vlad's childhood friend and the one person who was always by his side; Ilona, Vlad's one true love; and Vlad's confessor. The Count has brought them here, along with Cardinal Grimaldo...more
The book opens in Poenari Castle...5 years after Dracula's death. Count Horvath has brought the three people who will tell Vlad's story the best. They're the three people that knew him the best...Ion Tremblac, Vlad's childhood friend and the one person who was always by his side; Ilona, Vlad's one true love; and Vlad's confessor. The Count has brought them here, along with Cardinal Grimaldo...more
Don't look for broodsuckers and demons in this book. It's one of the best I've read and the closest to the real life of one of the most feared men in Europe of 15th century, prince Vlad Tepes.
It is a rich historical drama, about the real Dracula, his life, his wars and reign of terror. C.C.Humphreys has created a fascinating story, where fiction meets reality, about the real man behind the myth.. a cruel man who faught the Turks & for his righfull claim to the throne of Wallachia, who wanted...more
It is a rich historical drama, about the real Dracula, his life, his wars and reign of terror. C.C.Humphreys has created a fascinating story, where fiction meets reality, about the real man behind the myth.. a cruel man who faught the Turks & for his righfull claim to the throne of Wallachia, who wanted...more
I bought this a while ago & in my continuing 2013 quest to read some of the lingerers on my Kindle, I tore into this one. I do have something of a fascination with Vlad (not the vampire) & really enjoyed reading a fictional recounting of his final confession as told through three closest to him. I really had hoped it would be something like Vlad's own words speaking to us in found journals or from the great beyod but I really came to enjoy the points of view of those closest to him. I th...more
You know a writer is skilled when they can take someone who is quite ruthless and insane and make you like them, and in many ways understand/sympathies with them.
Thomas Harris did it with Hannibal Rising, and C.C Humphreys has done it with Vlad the Impaler.
I must admit, that I did have to put this book down a few times because of the brutality of it, but once you learned about what Vlad lived and went through in his life you understand in a strange way. He wasn't the first person to impale peo...more
Thomas Harris did it with Hannibal Rising, and C.C Humphreys has done it with Vlad the Impaler.
I must admit, that I did have to put this book down a few times because of the brutality of it, but once you learned about what Vlad lived and went through in his life you understand in a strange way. He wasn't the first person to impale peo...more
So many books have been written about Dracula. They fall into two categories: either they attempt to vindicate, by explaining his origins and mentality; or the infamous story of Dracula as an un-dead force of evil. This was a stellar attempt to show the more human side of Dracula. Humphreys carefully illustrated Vlad's forced sojourn in the Tokat, the Turkish school of torture, to explain his thirst for blood during his later years. Vlad's brother Radu's imprisonment and then love affair with th...more
In bringing to life the brutal era of 15th-century Ottoman-dominated eastern Europe, historical novelist Humphreys ( Jack Absolute ) focuses on the reign of Wallachian prince Vlad Dracula (1431-76), known throughout the ages as the Impaler. The story begins with Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, as hostages of the Sultan. All goes well for them until their father betrays his word. Radu is made a slave of the Sultan's son, and Vlad is sent to the infamous Turkish prison of Tokat. During his cap...more
Libro sin alma, tenia mucho tiempo sin leer algo que te llevara a ningún lado. He de confesar que mi morbo fue el principal incentivo para hacerme de este libro y al final solo quede decepcionado. Pasan 3/4 del libro sin que pase absolutamente nada, personajes vacíos y sin sentido, Vlad tiene el carisma y sabor de un chayote mal cocido, se nota el deseo de ofrecer una historia que pintaba interesante y otro lado del famoso empalador pero la poca habilidad del escritor sale a flote, y se siente...more
Times when people lend you a book you didn't ask for are hard and makes rating said book an uncomfortable task 'cause I didn't choose the book in the first place. That's what happened here but I decided to read the whole thing nonetheless and hope for the best.
The story was interesting enough to keep me reading and there was also my constant need for learning new historical facts to help me continue. A bit too much politics and battlefield scenes for me; the first half of the book was what I li...more
The story was interesting enough to keep me reading and there was also my constant need for learning new historical facts to help me continue. A bit too much politics and battlefield scenes for me; the first half of the book was what I li...more
5 stars to the wonderfully well-written story of Vlad. This isn't the supernatural, typical blood-sucker story. This is about the man himself, told from the standpoints of those who knew him best.
I don't go for historical fiction but I have always held a fascination about the legend of Dracula and this book caught my eye. When I finally was able to get my hands on it, I couldn't have been more impressed. It kept me immersed and I couldn't put it down. This book doubled my feelings about the man...more
I don't go for historical fiction but I have always held a fascination about the legend of Dracula and this book caught my eye. When I finally was able to get my hands on it, I couldn't have been more impressed. It kept me immersed and I couldn't put it down. This book doubled my feelings about the man...more
This is a wonderful take on an old tale that we all know and love. Vlad Dracula, Dracula, Son of the Devil, The Impaler Prince. He was known by so many names, yet few know his story.
When you first look at this book, you think it is about Dracula, the creature. In actuality it is a story about Dracula the man, and how he did and might have lived and died all those years ago.
A glorious, gory, enthralling read, I find that Vlad The Last Confession is an excellent balance of history and fiction. One...more
When you first look at this book, you think it is about Dracula, the creature. In actuality it is a story about Dracula the man, and how he did and might have lived and died all those years ago.
A glorious, gory, enthralling read, I find that Vlad The Last Confession is an excellent balance of history and fiction. One...more
Dracula was made famous by Bram Stoker, and the man behind the infamous vampire, Vlad the Impaler, was etched into history as a purely evil man. However, was the man that inspired Dracula and whom history has called the impaler the devil incarnate?
Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys seeks to answer these questions through three confessions from those who knew him best — Ion, his childhood friend; Ilona, his mistress; and the hermit — as the powers that be try to resurrect Vlad’s reputati...more
Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys seeks to answer these questions through three confessions from those who knew him best — Ion, his childhood friend; Ilona, his mistress; and the hermit — as the powers that be try to resurrect Vlad’s reputati...more
As would be expected from a novel based on Vlad the impaler, this book is filled with the brutal dealings of the era and the man. I did not find the story really enthralling and it was hard to like, admire or respect a man who resorted to such tactics, though maybe it is only because he was not the victor, as while he was extreme in his ruthlessness he was not any worse than most rulers. My inability to sympathize or engage with any of the characters is more than likely the ultimate reason for m...more
This is the first of this author's work that I've read and my, what a treat! His depiction of Vlad the Impaler is as grounded as you're likely to find on the subject anywhere. He pulls no punches on the dark acts that made this man's reputation; yet he manages to give the reader pause for thought, not to rush to judgement. Vlad's place and time - 15th century Wallachia - is brutal, treacherous and full of intrigue. We catch a glimpse of famous personalities - Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, Sultan...more
This book was interesting and gave another side to Vlad. The author had researched his subject and made an interesting comment that really struck me. He had spoken to an academic remarking that he was afraid to humanise Vlad to which she replied you can't he's already human. I think we all forget that that the most cruel and vicious people are human. In the context of his time Vlad was probably no more vicious than others and I do believe that the amount of stakings he had performed was probably...more
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aka Chris Humphreys
C.C. Humphreys was born in Toronto, Canada, and grew up in Los Angeles and London. A third generation actor and writer on both sides of his family, he returned to Canada in the nineties and there his writing career began. He won the inaugural playwriting competition of the New Play Centre, Vancouver with his first play, 'A Cage Without Bars' which was produced in Vancouver and L...more
More about C.C. Humphreys...
C.C. Humphreys was born in Toronto, Canada, and grew up in Los Angeles and London. A third generation actor and writer on both sides of his family, he returned to Canada in the nineties and there his writing career began. He won the inaugural playwriting competition of the New Play Centre, Vancouver with his first play, 'A Cage Without Bars' which was produced in Vancouver and L...more
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