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The Vampyre: The Secret History of Lord Byron
by
Tom Holland
Wandering with his friend Hobhouse in the mountains of Greece, Byron is drawn to the beauty of a mysterious fugitive slave whose pale, slim body and burning, black-fringed eyes arouse his lust; soon Byron is utterly entranced, and his fate is sealed. The supreme sensualist embarks on a life of adventure even his genius could not have foreseen - that of the world's most for...more
Published
2000
by Abacus
(first published 1995)
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i cant help it, i love byron. i have about 30 books here that fictionalize his life and work and discourtesies. and most of them look like cheap romance novels, but i can't help it; i love the clubfooted bastard. even when they are bad. and this one is bad. byron as a vampire?? how could this story go off the tracks, you wonder?? well, it does. pretty spectacularly. and i own the sequel too, and i will read it because i cannot resist! i'm just glad i can read pretty quickly, so i am able to indu...more
Lord Byron as a vampire
Performed by Richard E. Grant
Duration: 3 hours
I picked up this audiobook version of Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of Byron because I very much enjoyed Holland's non-fiction book about the end of the Roman Republic, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic . I am not particularly a fan of vampire books nor of Lord Byron (who I can believe was a vampire considering the level of his debauchery and self-absorption) but I decided to give Tom Holland another try and...more
Performed by Richard E. Grant
Duration: 3 hours
I picked up this audiobook version of Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of Byron because I very much enjoyed Holland's non-fiction book about the end of the Roman Republic, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic . I am not particularly a fan of vampire books nor of Lord Byron (who I can believe was a vampire considering the level of his debauchery and self-absorption) but I decided to give Tom Holland another try and...more
Hmm, somewhat mixed feelings about this one. It started great; the opening scene is spooky, mysterious, creepy, frightening. Most of the book, however, is written in a form I generally dislike. Around page 30, Lord Byron starts to tell his story, in dialogue, to another character. This comprises most of the book. Who sits and talks like that? And, who sits and listens to it? Every now and then, there's a short (maybe a paragraph) break to describe Byron and his listener, but mostly it's page aft...more
Just finished it.It is compared to Interview with a vampire but i have to say that i feel meaningful difference from this book and Interview with vampire.When i read Interview with vampire i had to skip few pages in this case i read every letter and when i had to drop book i was sorry for it. His highest vampire,Velekh Pasha is scarier to me then any other. He walks in daylight and Bayron's first meeting with him is done inn late noon or so. Something is scary in it. He even smiled at him.I can...more
The figure of the brooding, Byronic hero and that of the vampire found their places in English literature at around the same time, both as part of the Romantic movement of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. One of the first vampire stories written in English was in fact composed by Dr. Polidori, the physician of Lord Byron himself.
In this novel, the two figures are blended, as Lord Byron, poet, lover, scandal-driven exile and freedom fighter is further cursed with an immortality, stained with...more
In this novel, the two figures are blended, as Lord Byron, poet, lover, scandal-driven exile and freedom fighter is further cursed with an immortality, stained with...more
One of two very cleverly done vampire books. Two of my favorites actually. He manages to combine some notable people and fictional characters in history in a totally believable way and also creates more of a place for John Polidori than he usually manages to have. It was well done, richly textured and I might have to read one again today now that I am talking about it.
:)
:)
What if Byron was a vampire?
This book takes that and brings it to a terrifying conclusion for one descendant who gets trapped with him and his... bride, you could say?
It's like a slow fall into evil, as Byron goes from a perfectly innocent human into a fledging vampire, raging against his creator, to a decadent mature vampire that has to hide his thirst for human blood from polite society.
I especially like how this was integrated with real life events, using the premise of vampirism to explain w...more
This book takes that and brings it to a terrifying conclusion for one descendant who gets trapped with him and his... bride, you could say?
It's like a slow fall into evil, as Byron goes from a perfectly innocent human into a fledging vampire, raging against his creator, to a decadent mature vampire that has to hide his thirst for human blood from polite society.
I especially like how this was integrated with real life events, using the premise of vampirism to explain w...more
Lord of the Dead is that one book when I've had a rough day I can simply open to no place in particular, read for twenty minutes, and instantly feel better about myself. Thoroughly researched and meticulously arranged, Tom Holland has created a historical fiction masterpiece told in the simple elegance of a frame story. With a foothold in reality, this fantastical piece of the supernatural tells the story of what may lie in the secret memoirs of Lord Gordon Byron, which till this day remain unfo...more
Lord Byron as a vampire. I do so love my victorian vampire tales! A fun, little romp!
Couldn't find this to start with as I read it under a different title (The Vampyre). I love anything to do with Byron and this was the book that got me started. At the start of the chapters was a snippet of a poem, the one that called to me was "She walks in beauty" and I had to know more. I couldn't put the book down, I liked the gothic, romantic, action of the story.
I have since visited Newstead Abbey - Byron's home in the UK - and was equally met with the whole gothic darkness that Holland c...more
I have since visited Newstead Abbey - Byron's home in the UK - and was equally met with the whole gothic darkness that Holland c...more
What a bizarre book! I had it marked as horror while on my tbr shelf. After reading it, I unclicked the horror box and selected gothic. It's truly a gothic story, very similar I'm sure to Anne Rices work. The entire book is a narrative of a past life and history. While this can grow annoying, at least the life led was interesting.
I was bitterly disappointed and aggrieved by something that happened when Bryon was made Vampire, but was happy the author resolved this a bit in the end with a surpri...more
I was bitterly disappointed and aggrieved by something that happened when Bryon was made Vampire, but was happy the author resolved this a bit in the end with a surpri...more
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The most boring book about vampires or alternative history I've ever read. In theory the tale of how Lord Byron became a vampire is right up my alley, but Holland fails to capture any of the period, and his attempts to portray Byron's sense of romanticism are simply him saying "Ooh, wandering around Greece, that's Romantic innit?". Nothing thrilling really happens and even my own sparse knowledge of Byron and Shelley's relationship could come up with something more readable than a dry admiration...more
I read this book several years ago, but it has stayed with me for a long time. The premise of this book is that the famous poet/revolutionary George Gordon, Lord Byron was "turned" as a vampire during his days in Greece. It's quite well done, and written well enough that the premise is quite believable. I was rather dissatisfied with the ending, as it seems somewhat ambiguous. On the whole, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Just awful. Anyone who has read some of Byrons comments knows that the portrayal of him in this novel is shallow and unrealistic. In regards to the writing itself you end up racing through the prose with no sense of environment or characterisation. Uninteresting and not worth reading, a conclusion I didnt expect to come to since I love anything about Byron.
This is truly my favorite book. I really enjoyed Holland's take on the vampire and the romaticisms he used. I could picture the story in my mind pretty vividly....taking the mountain passes, the fountain of blood, the looks of the different characters. Its how I also came about using ruthven78 as my online moniker.
This book is excellant! It is a MUST have book to read/buy if you are a fan of vampires, or the poet Lord Byron. It tells the tale of, Lord Bryon as a vampire. He explains to the main character how he bacame a vampire; what it felt like etc.. I have only read it once, but I look forward to reading it again..
Aug 07, 2011
Fay
added it
I'm sure a lot of serious Byron fans would hate this novel, but I quite enjoyed it - a fun, slightly silly new perspective on well-known historical characters. As long as you're prepared to suspend disbelief it's a great story.
This was my very first vampire book and on Lord Byron. I found it in a second hand book store and I fell in love with it immediately. Always feel great after reading it
It was an alright read, but it seemed too much like a rip off of Interview with a Vampire, especially with the blonde haired, egotistical vampire that "lead" the main character through his own discovery.
My favourite vampire book EVER - Lord Byron, a vampire? YES! Very well researched and incredibly well written, this is a certain must-read - read it lots of times!!!
Not good...but strangely appealing...
Both me and my friend read this book and could not get over how bad it was, but how much we wanted to keep reading it.
Both me and my friend read this book and could not get over how bad it was, but how much we wanted to keep reading it.
Starts well, but drags somewhat, and the end was a little predictable as a result. However, the subject is fascinating, and Byron becomes sympathetic on occasion.
The Idea of this book was great. The pace was rather slow, the narration was in a weird form, and the ending was very anticlimactic.
Meh. Not terrible but slow. I wouldn't have finished it except I wanted to find out how the vampire went back to being young again.
I shouldnt really review as i read this many years ago when i was only 15/16, it was called the vampyre then i think
I believe I tried to read this before and got just about this far -- p. 86. Gory, and lurid -- but not much else.
Mar 27, 2010
Lisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jade
Recommended to Lisa by:
Tom
Shelves:
2010
Well realised blend of fact and fiction that reimagines Lord Byron as a vampire, done in a way that doesn't take too many liberties with what we already knew about Byron and instead builds upon it.
With lots of cheeky nods to other horror classics, this could have been stuck as being nothing more than an homage but Holland remembers to give us a bloody good story at the same time, and a vampire character to rival that of Lestat (who already owed him quite a debt, being something of a Byronic char...more
With lots of cheeky nods to other horror classics, this could have been stuck as being nothing more than an homage but Holland remembers to give us a bloody good story at the same time, and a vampire character to rival that of Lestat (who already owed him quite a debt, being something of a Byronic char...more
Very good vampire novel with shades of Anne Rice. Tom Holland has crafted a tale that spans centuries and is filled with mystery, beautiful imagery, and a cast of literary characters. If you are a fan of vampires that don't sparkle you should check this book out.
Jul 30, 2010
Rebekkila
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossing,
i-m-over-it
At a different time I would have loved this book. It is about Lord Byron and how he became a vampire.
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An acclaimed British author. He has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, on many subjects from vampires to history.
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before i...more
More about Tom Holland...
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before i...more
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“I thought, gazing at the beauty of the landscape again, it is as though the fiend has prevailed against the angels, and fixed his throne in a heaven, to rule it as though it were Hell.”
—
2 people liked it
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Dec 22, 2011 01:19am
Dec 22, 2011 05:58am