The Drums of Dracula

Dracula Horror Series #5

by Robert Lory

Genres: Horror

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Lory is the son of Edward and Dorothy Lory. He studied history and social sciences at Harpur College, Binghamton, where he graduated in 1961 with a bachelor's degree. In 1964 he completed a Famous Writers Course and in 1973 a course of the Washington School of Art . After completing his studies, he was a temporary folk singer , industrial photographer , advertising and public relations officer for an electricity and gas utility, sales promotion for a supplier and supervised publications of the Reynolds Metals Company . From 1967 he worked for the Exxon Corporation , first as editor of the Esso Manhattan , Exxon Manhattan and Esso Eastern Review magazines, then as a PR consultant for Esso Eastern Inc. Since 1968, Lory is married to Barbara Banner, with whom he has four children. Since 1971 he is a freelance writer.

1963 Lory published his first SF short story Rundown Worlds of If, more stories followed, which appeared in 1970 collected in A Harvest of Hoodwinks . In 1969 appeared a first fantasy novel, The Eyes of Bolsk, followed in 1970 by the sequel Master of the Etrax.

The nine-volume series Return of Dracula is a mixture of action thriller and horror novels tells the adventures of rich Professor Damien Harmon, telekinetic and paralyzed as a victim of a crime, now in the manner of a vigilante a vendetta against the crime, where he is the help served by the immortal Count Dracula , whom he forces to cooperate with an implanted wooden stake. Supported by Cameron Sanchez, an expert in martial arts , and shapeshifter Ktara, several super villains are being routed and their infernal plans thwarted.

Another romance cycle is Horrorscope , in which an overpowering being - demon or embodied fate - brings the zodiac signs to life and brings horrific unhappiness and death over innocent people.

Both series are according to the lexicon of horror literature , "pure Pulphorror for the mass market." Lorry's science fiction is described by John Clute as "mainly light, fantasy-driven adventure stories, unassuming but neat."

Under the publishing pseudonym Paul Edwards Lory wrote several volumes of the novel series John Eagle, Expeditor, a series of secret agent thrillers.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good Dracula adaption.

[Tony-Paul Vissage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not wild about zombies so I started reading this with reluctance. Only the word "Dracula" in the title drew me to it in the first place. Nevertheless, as the 5th entry in the series, it's a good one. Jenny Harmon, Damien's headstrong niece, is the damsel in distress this time around when she gets herself into hot water while taking a semester from school to go to Jamaica and visit her uncle's friend Atwood Garth. Soon she's angered the local voodoo priest and gotten herself kidnapped. Enter Cam Sanchez to check out things before her uncle appears on the scene.

While these are written a little simplistically with very little sex and the violence more poetically than graphically described, Cam does have his moments with one of the priest's followers who apparent likes her men tall and muscular. There's also another reminder by Ktara to Cam that Jenny's in love with him and this time he listens to it.

It's a good bit of escapist entertainment and won't keep you awake at night. So far, each entry in the series seems to take on a different genre...a mystery...voodoo...a trek through the jungle to a lost city...all while filling in the gaps of Dracula's existence through flashbacks and Ktara's explanations.


This novel was a gift to the reviewer and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 in the series finds Dracula, Damien Harmon, and Cam Sanchez fighting zombies in Jamaica as they try to rescue Damien's headstrong niece Jenny. Visiting Damien's old friend, Atwood Garth, Jenny takes a semester off from college to amass information on voodoo, and runs afoul of the local voodoo priest, Daddy Bones, who kidnaps her for a five hundred thousand dollar ransom. Cam Sanchez gets into the act and is promptly targeted by one of Daddy Bones' followers because he's a "good looking man."

There's a mention of sex but nothing remotely overt. Cam's dalliance with the woman is interrupted before it can begin and he's taken captive. Though he's already been warned by Ktara, Dracula's catwoman servant that Jenny loves him, and he and Jenny spend a portion of the story chained naked to an altar, they're both too involved with staying alive to notice.

Dracula is his usual confident, bloodthirsty self and of course the bad guys get his justice in the end with a surprise villain. It's good escapism reading and won't give you nightmares after you finish.



This novel is owned by the reviewer and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been re-reading some of the Dracula series of late. This one is action-packed and seventies-tinged. Professor Damien Harmon, the man who resurrected Dracula earlier in the series, must travel to Jamaica after his niece is kidnapped by a dangerous hougan who has zombies and other forces at his disposal. When Harmon's assistant, tough-guy Cameron Sanchez, is captured by voodoo troops, Dracula's help is required. It never comes without a price.

[Alucard]

Wow. Sexy. I want to do a "personal" cover of "The Savage Sands" the way I would have drawn it, and I love the depiction of the zombie carrying the heroine, sans clothing. Will work on this next year, need to get some decorations for the wall, my style.

[F · Rating 2 out of 5]

The action was good but the attempt at adding "adult material" was unnecessary and over the top.