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A Wicked History
Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula
Reexamines the life of Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula, the fifteenth-century Romanian prince who served as a model for Bram Stoker's infamous vampire, in terms of the violent times in which he lived.
128 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2007
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424 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 16, 2020
This short book was packed with interesting information about Vlad Dracula, the real man who inspired Bram Stoker's vampire novel.
Reading about the life of this real Dracula, if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the vampire over this real life tyrant.
Vlad Dracula was the son of Vlad Dracul senior and was "Dracula" which means "little dragon" or more appropriately, "little devil", except there was nothing little about the monstrosities Vlad Dracula committed against friend and foe alike. Who was friend or foe depended on who Dracula believed would help him attain and keep power. These would switch back and forth fairly rapidly.
He came by this philosophy honestly. When his father was in power, the area that later became known as Romania in Transylvania was wedged between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. As a last ditch effort to stay in power, Vlad Senior sent Vlad Jr. and his brother Rudi to the Sultan of the Ottomans as prisoners in exchange for his help to fight the Western Europeans.
Vlad and Rudi spent several years in prison with the Ottomans. After Vlad's release he returned home under the promise he would help the Sultan's cause in bringing Transylvania under Ottoman rule. Vlad did not keep his promise. This was a habit with him.
After the death of his father, Vlad Dracula took over, at times fighting the Ottomans, which included his brother who chose to stay with the Ottomans, killing other brothers and former friends. Other times he fought with the Ottomans against the soldiers of western Europe. It all depended on who would help him stay in power.
He was also vengeful. The ruling class in Transylvania, the Boyers, were responsible for killing his father. He invited them to a feast after which he had them all impaled and their bodies left to rot on stakes. This was called The Forest of the Impaled. There is a wooden engraving showing Vlad eating a meal among this horrible forest.
As for the older men, the women and children, he forced them to climb a mountain and build a castle, called Castle Dracula, which can still be seen today and has probably been used in horror movies. These builders were literally worked to death and the trail to the mountain top where the castle resides is paved with the skeletons of the builders.
Furthermore he created a severe police state where even minor infractions were punished by death. Whole villages were murdered in Vlad's determination to maintain control. His subjects feared him more than they feared the Turks.
Vlad seemed not only to be capable of heartless, violent pragmatism, he was also sadistic. It was not enough to make his victims die. He enjoyed watching them suffer as they died slowly.
Some historians say Vlad Dracula killed as many people as the Bubonic plague which also ravished Europe around the same time. While that may be an exaggeration, it is estimated that his death toll may have approached a hundred thousand or more.
And his reign only lasted seven years. Eventually, Dracula was overpowered by soldiers of the Roman Empire, killed and beheaded. His truncated body is buried beneath the floor of the Comana Monastery, surrounded by swampland in Romania.
While this book can seem gruesome, it provides and interesting an informative account of life in middle Europe during the 15th century. While life during these unsettling times was violent and cruel by any account, still Vlad took it to a whole other level that turned him into a nefarious legend and, an inspiration for many vampire legends.
Reading about the life of this real Dracula, if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the vampire over this real life tyrant.
Vlad Dracula was the son of Vlad Dracul senior and was "Dracula" which means "little dragon" or more appropriately, "little devil", except there was nothing little about the monstrosities Vlad Dracula committed against friend and foe alike. Who was friend or foe depended on who Dracula believed would help him attain and keep power. These would switch back and forth fairly rapidly.
He came by this philosophy honestly. When his father was in power, the area that later became known as Romania in Transylvania was wedged between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. As a last ditch effort to stay in power, Vlad Senior sent Vlad Jr. and his brother Rudi to the Sultan of the Ottomans as prisoners in exchange for his help to fight the Western Europeans.
Vlad and Rudi spent several years in prison with the Ottomans. After Vlad's release he returned home under the promise he would help the Sultan's cause in bringing Transylvania under Ottoman rule. Vlad did not keep his promise. This was a habit with him.
After the death of his father, Vlad Dracula took over, at times fighting the Ottomans, which included his brother who chose to stay with the Ottomans, killing other brothers and former friends. Other times he fought with the Ottomans against the soldiers of western Europe. It all depended on who would help him stay in power.
He was also vengeful. The ruling class in Transylvania, the Boyers, were responsible for killing his father. He invited them to a feast after which he had them all impaled and their bodies left to rot on stakes. This was called The Forest of the Impaled. There is a wooden engraving showing Vlad eating a meal among this horrible forest.
As for the older men, the women and children, he forced them to climb a mountain and build a castle, called Castle Dracula, which can still be seen today and has probably been used in horror movies. These builders were literally worked to death and the trail to the mountain top where the castle resides is paved with the skeletons of the builders.
Furthermore he created a severe police state where even minor infractions were punished by death. Whole villages were murdered in Vlad's determination to maintain control. His subjects feared him more than they feared the Turks.
Vlad seemed not only to be capable of heartless, violent pragmatism, he was also sadistic. It was not enough to make his victims die. He enjoyed watching them suffer as they died slowly.
Some historians say Vlad Dracula killed as many people as the Bubonic plague which also ravished Europe around the same time. While that may be an exaggeration, it is estimated that his death toll may have approached a hundred thousand or more.
And his reign only lasted seven years. Eventually, Dracula was overpowered by soldiers of the Roman Empire, killed and beheaded. His truncated body is buried beneath the floor of the Comana Monastery, surrounded by swampland in Romania.
While this book can seem gruesome, it provides and interesting an informative account of life in middle Europe during the 15th century. While life during these unsettling times was violent and cruel by any account, still Vlad took it to a whole other level that turned him into a nefarious legend and, an inspiration for many vampire legends.
December 15, 2011
Why do we like reading books about bad guys, even totally evil guys? My guess is that there have been more books written and read about Hitler than almost anybody. Vlad Dracula, the subject of this book, was almost as bad, if only on a smaller scale only because he did not conquer as much territory. Truly evil people, yet fascinating to read about. Maybe it's because after you close a book about these evil men and slip back into your own existence, the people you know, and the life you lead, is SO much better by comparison. In any case, this an interesting little book that traces the life and misdeeds of another famous devil to history. (Vlad was also, apparently, the inspiration for Bram Stoker to write one of my favorite scary novels ever - Dracula.) I also found it interesting to travel back to the 1400s, when Vlad lived. And I learned that the places that back then were called Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania were eventually combined into the country we know today as Romania. I also learned why Constantinople is one of the most famous and important cities in all of history, especially religious and geopolitical history. (I love how I ALWAYS learn cool things when I read books!)
May 1, 2010
While it was a nice outline of Vlad's life, it left a lot out, and found it to be extremely biased towards Vlad being the most evil person ever to live. Even though at the end they did the whole pretend debate as to whether or not he was pure evil. As far as how factual the book is, I really don't know. There were no foot notes, end notes, bibliography list, or even a blurb on who the authors were and why we should believe them. While a work of non-fiction, there was a lot of conjecturing, and not a lot of fact listing. And a huge emphasis on Vlad being super cruel and evil. Which he was, but there were good things about him and his deeds too. As they kind of sort of pointed out in a paragraph at the very end.
February 22, 2016
This biography taught me about the life of Vlad The Impaler, or Vlad Dracula. Vlad father was a man who was part of the dragon knights, a group of soldiers who pledged their trust to help the Holy Roman Empire against the Ottoman Empire. When Vlad's father was captured by the Turks, Ottoman Empire, the only way he would get freedom was by giving his 2 sons and gold to the Turks. The 2 sons, Vlad Dracula and Radu, grew up learning to fight, and learnt how to speak many languages and got a good education. When the Holy Roman Empire accused the father of helping the Turks, they killed him. Vlad then was allowed to rule the fortress that his father was the ruler of, Wallachia. Vlad was still furious about his fathers death and wanted revenge, so he called all the boyars and leaders of he town for a feast. When the guests were starting to leave, the guards locked the doors and took everyone in the room hostage. Vlad had them all impaled with large sticks, and most of them didn't die right away. Vlad was known for his cruelty and was chased from being prince many times. He was prince 3 times until a turkish assassin killed. A trait is determination because he kept coming back to the throne.
May 26, 2016
Preview:
Have you ever wondered if the tale of Count Dracula has some truth to it? As it turns out, there was a real Count Dracula of sorts, his name was Vlad Dracula. Vlad, also known as Vlad the Implaer, was a ruthless leader whose desire for power led him to take thousands of lives. He claimed power of a city called Wallachia in modern-day Romania. He reigned for only a short time, but the atrocities he committed are still remembered even today.
Response:
This was an interesting read. I am a fan of history, so to me I find this genre very interesting. That being said, the tales of Vlad the Impaler are quite disturbing. I think the age range for this book is 14 and older. I think this book would definitely appeal more to teenage boys that to girls.
Content Warning:
-Genre: Nonfiction
-Violence: 6/10 A lot of Vlad's violent acts are described, some more so than others. It talks about his burnings, stabbings, and other atrocities that he committed.
Have you ever wondered if the tale of Count Dracula has some truth to it? As it turns out, there was a real Count Dracula of sorts, his name was Vlad Dracula. Vlad, also known as Vlad the Implaer, was a ruthless leader whose desire for power led him to take thousands of lives. He claimed power of a city called Wallachia in modern-day Romania. He reigned for only a short time, but the atrocities he committed are still remembered even today.
Response:
This was an interesting read. I am a fan of history, so to me I find this genre very interesting. That being said, the tales of Vlad the Impaler are quite disturbing. I think the age range for this book is 14 and older. I think this book would definitely appeal more to teenage boys that to girls.
Content Warning:
-Genre: Nonfiction
-Violence: 6/10 A lot of Vlad's violent acts are described, some more so than others. It talks about his burnings, stabbings, and other atrocities that he committed.
September 7, 2011
I am always on the look out for books that will appeal to the "reluctant" boy reader...and when I came across this series of books at a Scholastic warehouse sale they immediately caught my attention with their "shelf" appeal...the title and topic alone were intriguing. But WOW...this book was way too intense for my taste. It is a biography about the real Count Dracula and while it is written on a middle school reading level, the subject matter is way too graphic and gruesome for me! I'm not sure I would recommend this book to ANYBODY...much less a hormonal, preteen boy...no matter how reluctant a reader he is. Gruesome stuff.
May 24, 2017
A Wicked History series provides a quick yet nice overview of the featured leader, in this case Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula whose ruthless massacring of his enemy's made his name legendary. These books are perfect for any middle/high school classroom or library and are guaranteed to make history exciting for students
*Additional note: out of the books in this series I felt this one was the least memorable when it came to the material. The author tried to cover to much and the names and countries allied with or opposing the evil Prince of Wallachia became nearly impossible to follow.
*Additional note: out of the books in this series I felt this one was the least memorable when it came to the material. The author tried to cover to much and the names and countries allied with or opposing the evil Prince of Wallachia became nearly impossible to follow.
December 19, 2014
Laith El-Tayyeb 12/18/14
ELA DiDonato GoodReads Review Green
Vlad The Impaler, by Enid A. Goldberg and Norman Itzkowtiz is an interesting nonfiction novel, that narrates Vlad Dracula and his life in Transylvania. Vlad and his family tree was mostly around Turkey. Vlad could read and write perfect Turkish. Vlad was sold into slavery after birth by his father Dracul. His father sold Vlad and his brother into slavery to regain his power. Dracul would gain back prince of Wallachia in exchange for Vlad spending life in prison. But at age sixteen his father signed another treaty and Vlad got his freedom. After Dracul died, Vlad was given his Draculs sword and medal from when he became a dragon knight. Vlad was given another chance because the prince saw Vlad as a strong person. Vlad swore to avenge his fathers death.
Vlad then went on to be known as Vlad The Impaler. He gained a lot of power and was a ruthless person. He killed many people, and Impaled them on sticks. Vlad raised a powerful army, but had to deal with conflict between people who were tired of his killings and wanted his power. Things I liked about this book were its facts and pictures to help understand what’s going on. Interesting things about this book were they way it described things in detail. It was also interesting to learn about Vlad and his legacy. One thing I would change about this book is the way it jumps from scene to scene in a weird way. Some things would seem out of order. I recommend this book to history lovers and people who enjoy learning about famous leaders throughout history. I would not recommend this book to people who find history boring.
ELA DiDonato GoodReads Review Green
Vlad The Impaler, by Enid A. Goldberg and Norman Itzkowtiz is an interesting nonfiction novel, that narrates Vlad Dracula and his life in Transylvania. Vlad and his family tree was mostly around Turkey. Vlad could read and write perfect Turkish. Vlad was sold into slavery after birth by his father Dracul. His father sold Vlad and his brother into slavery to regain his power. Dracul would gain back prince of Wallachia in exchange for Vlad spending life in prison. But at age sixteen his father signed another treaty and Vlad got his freedom. After Dracul died, Vlad was given his Draculs sword and medal from when he became a dragon knight. Vlad was given another chance because the prince saw Vlad as a strong person. Vlad swore to avenge his fathers death.
Vlad then went on to be known as Vlad The Impaler. He gained a lot of power and was a ruthless person. He killed many people, and Impaled them on sticks. Vlad raised a powerful army, but had to deal with conflict between people who were tired of his killings and wanted his power. Things I liked about this book were its facts and pictures to help understand what’s going on. Interesting things about this book were they way it described things in detail. It was also interesting to learn about Vlad and his legacy. One thing I would change about this book is the way it jumps from scene to scene in a weird way. Some things would seem out of order. I recommend this book to history lovers and people who enjoy learning about famous leaders throughout history. I would not recommend this book to people who find history boring.
January 30, 2020
The Biography “ Vlad the impaler” by Enid Goldberg is about a romanian ruler named Vlad . Vlad is a notorious ruler who wanted full power of the country , and would stop anyone or thing that got in his way . His exact date of birth is not stated , but he was born in 1431. He was the second son of Vlad Dracul who became ruler of Wallachia in 1436 . In 1448 , with the support of the Turks , Vlad declares himself as prince of Wallachia . This was the beginning of his very evil doings .
In 1450 , Vlad went to Moldova , and later to Hungary . Later on relations between Vlad went downhill. In 1456 Vlad invaded Wallachia to gain full control with the help of the Hungarians . Vladislav ( King ) died fighting against him . Vlad began a purge against Wallachian Boyars to strengthen his position of power even more . Vlad plundered Saxon villages all over , capturing people and torturing them in various different ways . In 1457 , vlad begins to attack various German cities . During the Easter Massacre he goes back to slaughtering more boyars of Wallachia . During all this , he gains much more power and is beginning to conquer the whole Romania and some other neighboring countries . In 1462 Vlad fights the Turks again “ Vlad fights the Turks again and the sultan retreats to Adrianople “ .
During the years Vlad hurt many different people in order to get the one thing he loved . Power . He ended up dying in December of 1456 by an Ambush by the Ottoman patrol . I believe if he was not killed he would have went on and on with his killings and borderline genocides . I would recommend this book to kids who are a little older since it includes various gruesome ways that Vlad killed people .
In 1450 , Vlad went to Moldova , and later to Hungary . Later on relations between Vlad went downhill. In 1456 Vlad invaded Wallachia to gain full control with the help of the Hungarians . Vladislav ( King ) died fighting against him . Vlad began a purge against Wallachian Boyars to strengthen his position of power even more . Vlad plundered Saxon villages all over , capturing people and torturing them in various different ways . In 1457 , vlad begins to attack various German cities . During the Easter Massacre he goes back to slaughtering more boyars of Wallachia . During all this , he gains much more power and is beginning to conquer the whole Romania and some other neighboring countries . In 1462 Vlad fights the Turks again “ Vlad fights the Turks again and the sultan retreats to Adrianople “ .
During the years Vlad hurt many different people in order to get the one thing he loved . Power . He ended up dying in December of 1456 by an Ambush by the Ottoman patrol . I believe if he was not killed he would have went on and on with his killings and borderline genocides . I would recommend this book to kids who are a little older since it includes various gruesome ways that Vlad killed people .
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May 29, 2017I read a different biography of Vlad Dracula (Dracula's Wars: Vlad the Impaler and His Rivals by James Waterson), and wanted a little more about his youth. I didn’t want to read an entire second biography, so I searched for Vlad the impaler in my local library’s catalog and requested everything they had on him (other than fiction), with the plan that I’d just read a few chapters and plug that gap in my knowledge. I probably should have paid more attention to what I was requesting. I ended up with this book, written for young readers, and a graphic novel. Lesson learned—next time I’ll dig in a little further to see what I’m getting.
Having said that, this is a good book for the intended audience. Based on my other reading, it seemed accurate (other than saying Constantinople had 20,000 defenders when Mehmet II laid siege to it. I’ve read in multiple places that it was under 7,000, even adding in the Venetians). I liked the writing style and the book was short, so I went ahead and read the whole thing. I won’t rate it because I only read it on accident, but it’s probably a good choice for older elementary or middle school kids wanting to know more about the real Vlad Dracula.
Having said that, this is a good book for the intended audience. Based on my other reading, it seemed accurate (other than saying Constantinople had 20,000 defenders when Mehmet II laid siege to it. I’ve read in multiple places that it was under 7,000, even adding in the Venetians). I liked the writing style and the book was short, so I went ahead and read the whole thing. I won’t rate it because I only read it on accident, but it’s probably a good choice for older elementary or middle school kids wanting to know more about the real Vlad Dracula.
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May 6, 2025DNF
When I searched for books at my library, this was the first one that popped up so I decided to check it out. This book is full of mistranslations, misinterpretations, and even a couple outright lies. I had done some cursory research on Vlad prior to seeing this book, this book distorts every bit of what I had found out already, some of which was from academic journals.
Apparently this book was meant to be for children and maybe was attempting to be a scary story from history? Maybe that’s why they took so many liberties. Regardless this would’ve been better served being labeled as fiction rather than nonfiction.
When I searched for books at my library, this was the first one that popped up so I decided to check it out. This book is full of mistranslations, misinterpretations, and even a couple outright lies. I had done some cursory research on Vlad prior to seeing this book, this book distorts every bit of what I had found out already, some of which was from academic journals.
Apparently this book was meant to be for children and maybe was attempting to be a scary story from history? Maybe that’s why they took so many liberties. Regardless this would’ve been better served being labeled as fiction rather than nonfiction.
August 23, 2009
This book is a quick read if you are looking to learn something about this guy but not read too deep. Great for younger people. I marked it scary because these people were real! And that is truly scary.
October 25, 2021
This book has so much info jam packed into it for how few pages it has. Picked it up at a thrift store and now can't wait to get the rest of the collection! 100% more educated about the crusades now than I was during the curriculum in 9th grade.
July 27, 2023
Short, sweet, informative, and did not leave out any of the gruesome details. Also had great pictures and a cool timeline to remind you of all the events that took place! Perfect for younger kids or those who want a quick read on the go!
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November 14, 2018i think this book is really cool if you like researching about people like Vlad and I think you will enjoy this I f you like wicked history
November 19, 2018
Good. But super gory.
November 8, 2021
I really thought that the book was. very good, not only did it tell the full and true story of Vlad the impaler, but it didn't favor any religious fighters in the book so that it wouldn't look bad for some characters.
Some work on this book could have been better, some parts weren't thoroughly explained and
started repeating things he already mentioned before in the book, though overall, the. the book itself wasa good read.
Some work on this book could have been better, some parts weren't thoroughly explained and
started repeating things he already mentioned before in the book, though overall, the. the book itself wasa good read.
April 5, 2016
Vlad, a prince in Wallachia, was sent to the Ottoman Empire by his father in exchange for his fathers release. He was raised and taught all the Turks ways. Ultimately he claims the Wallachian throne and backstabs the Christians and the Ottomans based on who he thinks will win each war. After going back and forth he supports he Christians and attacks the Ottomans. When the Ottomans respond he has no allies, no one is willing to support him because of the cruelty he has shown as a ruler. He was chased out and imprisoned. When he tried to retake it he was finally killed.
I really enjoyed this history. It was really basic for a book but really fun to learn about. I was able to read it very quickly. The quick read that it was added to the enjoyment of the history as well. It wasn't bogged down in details but a nice recap of what he did and what caused him to be known as the Vlad the Impaler.
Content Warnings: Violence described in how he tortured his victims.
I really enjoyed this history. It was really basic for a book but really fun to learn about. I was able to read it very quickly. The quick read that it was added to the enjoyment of the history as well. It wasn't bogged down in details but a nice recap of what he did and what caused him to be known as the Vlad the Impaler.
Content Warnings: Violence described in how he tortured his victims.
January 26, 2015
My child needed to do a book report and wanted it to be different from the others. We found Scholastic's - A Wicked History series and we figured that no one else would think to pick someone like Vlad the Impaler. Is everything 100% accurate? Probably not, considering he was alive in the 1400's and not everything was recorded or recorded accurately. Let's be honest and admit that even things reported nowadays are not always 100% accurate. Is this an interesting story for teens who want to read and learn something different about someone from the past? Yes, it is, but just know that things might be skewed a bit. I do think that this book is for teens and those who are not easily freaked out by Vlad's cruelty. It's the right size for a book report without it being too overwhelming and it gives just the right amount of information.
2015 Book Challenge - A Nonfiction Book
2015 Book Challenge - A Nonfiction Book
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July 29, 2012
Pretty good, lots of information. This is definitely something I would give to a juvenile interested in learning more about the real Vlad the Impaler.
January 17, 2020
Holy shit Vlad the Impaler was SADISTIC. The literal definition of psychopath as well.
I got this book from the school at which I teach, so I was well-aware that it was meant for children, but honestly, this book is great for anyone (as long as they can stomach the gore and psychopathic shit)- it's so thoroughly (and terrifyingly) informative without dragging on. It's written in an interesting way.
Apparently, here's just a long list of the cruel things Vlad the Impaler did, mostly for my reference: well, for one, he impaled tons of people for petty reasons, he worked boyars to death and starvation on his castle, he wanted to lure people to a trapdoor and then open it and let them fall onto countless spikes below, he locked people in houses and then set them on fire, he skinned people alive for petty things, he forced an enemy of his to dig his own grave and then chopped the dude’s head off and let him fall into the grave, he boiled 600 people alive with only their heads above the water to watch their reactions, he nailed Turkish visitors’ turbans to their heads when they said it was custom to keep them on.... When he was imprisoned for 12 years, he tortured birds and rats in his prison building for fun.
To think - he was fighting for Christianity, ha.
Vlad's death wasn’t really a good tale of poetic justice though - he was decapitated in war and then his head was put on a stake after. He deserved a lot worse.
Anyway, now I'm rambling a lot about the book's contents. Read it yourself and be shocked, lads.
I got this book from the school at which I teach, so I was well-aware that it was meant for children, but honestly, this book is great for anyone (as long as they can stomach the gore and psychopathic shit)- it's so thoroughly (and terrifyingly) informative without dragging on. It's written in an interesting way.
Apparently, here's just a long list of the cruel things Vlad the Impaler did, mostly for my reference: well, for one, he impaled tons of people for petty reasons, he worked boyars to death and starvation on his castle, he wanted to lure people to a trapdoor and then open it and let them fall onto countless spikes below, he locked people in houses and then set them on fire, he skinned people alive for petty things, he forced an enemy of his to dig his own grave and then chopped the dude’s head off and let him fall into the grave, he boiled 600 people alive with only their heads above the water to watch their reactions, he nailed Turkish visitors’ turbans to their heads when they said it was custom to keep them on.... When he was imprisoned for 12 years, he tortured birds and rats in his prison building for fun.
To think - he was fighting for Christianity, ha.
Vlad's death wasn’t really a good tale of poetic justice though - he was decapitated in war and then his head was put on a stake after. He deserved a lot worse.
Anyway, now I'm rambling a lot about the book's contents. Read it yourself and be shocked, lads.
September 8, 2018
This series is more advanced than the Who Was series, making it a good choice for middle grade kids who are required to read a biography. I wouldn't say this is the best of the series, mainly because Vlad lived during the 1400s in eastern Europe and that's not a region or time period that most kids know much about. I'm an adult and I know virtually nothing about the history of eastern Europe. Vlad lived in the region that is Romania today.
The draw of this series is that all of the historical figures were wicked. Vlad's last name was Dracula and he was born in Transylvania, but he was not a vampire. He was however bloodthirsty in a metaphorical sense. He was famous for killing thousands of people by impaling them and putting their dead, impaled bodies on display. He is a historical figure in Romania and there are stone statues commemorating him today.
His history is the same as all rulers from the past. Conquest and defend. He was constantly captured, then freed. He made alliances, then broke them. Friends became foes. Foes became friends. The throne was captured. The throne was lost. He spent his entire life caught between two enemy empires. The Roman empire to the west and the Ottoman empire to the east. They were always wheeling and dealing, promising to help Vlad get back on the throne. Just a bunch of mean, self-interested warmongers.
I recommend this series, but this one probably won't hold kid's interest. This one's for the history buffs. The one that all kids will get into is the one about Hitler.
The draw of this series is that all of the historical figures were wicked. Vlad's last name was Dracula and he was born in Transylvania, but he was not a vampire. He was however bloodthirsty in a metaphorical sense. He was famous for killing thousands of people by impaling them and putting their dead, impaled bodies on display. He is a historical figure in Romania and there are stone statues commemorating him today.
His history is the same as all rulers from the past. Conquest and defend. He was constantly captured, then freed. He made alliances, then broke them. Friends became foes. Foes became friends. The throne was captured. The throne was lost. He spent his entire life caught between two enemy empires. The Roman empire to the west and the Ottoman empire to the east. They were always wheeling and dealing, promising to help Vlad get back on the throne. Just a bunch of mean, self-interested warmongers.
I recommend this series, but this one probably won't hold kid's interest. This one's for the history buffs. The one that all kids will get into is the one about Hitler.
January 14, 2022
Franklin Watts / Scholastic. "A Wicked History" series. 128 pages. Grades 5 - 8?
Table of Contents, Timeline, Glossary, Bibliography etc.
**website are presumably worthwhile for CJL to explore**
Well done.
Thorough.
A GREAT map on p. 4-5 (before the text begins).
A thorough, readable, juvenile biography.
Some b & w illustrations sprinkled throughout. (The illustrations are re-used in some places).
Makes the period politics easy-to-understand.
Some editorializing conjecture e.g. p. 31 "Vlad was 12 or 13 at the time. What did he think when he learned that his father had traded him away in a political deal. Was he angry? Was he terrified? Maybe he understood that princes had to pay a high price in exchange for power." etc.
Conjucture, but it serves to make Vlad understandable.
Legends versus historical fact are clearly indicated with words like "supposedly" "according to a German account" etc.
-----
Tale of the visiting Italian merchant on p. 85-86
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p. 120-121 (last 2 pages of text): "Which is the real Vlad Dracula? It's certainly true that Vlad used terror to reach his goals . . . . Many Romanians still see Vlad as a patriotic hero. But to most people, he will always be a symbol of terror."
Table of Contents, Timeline, Glossary, Bibliography etc.
**website are presumably worthwhile for CJL to explore**
Well done.
Thorough.
A GREAT map on p. 4-5 (before the text begins).
A thorough, readable, juvenile biography.
Some b & w illustrations sprinkled throughout. (The illustrations are re-used in some places).
Makes the period politics easy-to-understand.
Some editorializing conjecture e.g. p. 31 "Vlad was 12 or 13 at the time. What did he think when he learned that his father had traded him away in a political deal. Was he angry? Was he terrified? Maybe he understood that princes had to pay a high price in exchange for power." etc.
Conjucture, but it serves to make Vlad understandable.
Legends versus historical fact are clearly indicated with words like "supposedly" "according to a German account" etc.
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Tale of the visiting Italian merchant on p. 85-86
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p. 120-121 (last 2 pages of text): "Which is the real Vlad Dracula? It's certainly true that Vlad used terror to reach his goals . . . . Many Romanians still see Vlad as a patriotic hero. But to most people, he will always be a symbol of terror."
April 4, 2018
This wickedly detailed history covers Vlad Dracula's life events and deeds from the time of his father, Vlad Dracul, up until past his death. There are pictures laced throughout to help set the scene for some of the gruesome details, and added drawings that further illustrate his life. You will learn perhaps why Vlad Dracula came to be known as one of the bloodiest rulers in history, and his possible connection with the timeless tale most of us are familiar with today, Count Dracula.
I actually really enjoyed this book. I love reading historical fiction and being able to study specific groups of people and rulers and their histories fascinates me. I love reading YA historical fiction because it really does play into the story-telling aspect of the historical accounts. It was pretty gruesome though, so I wouldn't recommend it for the faint hearted or even reading it right before going to bed (like I did). There are some haunting images and descriptions that can stick with you. It was fast and entertaining though. Definitely a good little bit of history and fun to learn about!
Content Warnings:
Graphic Images
Violence and gruesome acts are described
I actually really enjoyed this book. I love reading historical fiction and being able to study specific groups of people and rulers and their histories fascinates me. I love reading YA historical fiction because it really does play into the story-telling aspect of the historical accounts. It was pretty gruesome though, so I wouldn't recommend it for the faint hearted or even reading it right before going to bed (like I did). There are some haunting images and descriptions that can stick with you. It was fast and entertaining though. Definitely a good little bit of history and fun to learn about!
Content Warnings:
Graphic Images
Violence and gruesome acts are described
April 9, 2018
This is the telling of the story of Vlad the Impaler in the form of a graphic novel. This graphic novel gives the engaging history of of Vlad the Impaler as her stabs his friends and family in the back just to stay in power. He had a terrible blood thirst that made him the most famous vampire in history.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel because it was based on history and told the story of something that really happened. If it was just a graphic novel that was written for kicks and giggles like "The Shadow Hero," I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed it that much, but as it was, I really enjoyed it. Another thing that really helped me enjoy the novel was the fact that the pictures weren't just in there for fluff. The pictures were historically significant and not just an cartoon version of something real. I would recommend this to a young adult who doesn't necessarily like history or has a hard time reading the dry textbook versions of history.
Content Warnings:
~Gore
~Graphic Depictions of History
I really enjoyed this graphic novel because it was based on history and told the story of something that really happened. If it was just a graphic novel that was written for kicks and giggles like "The Shadow Hero," I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed it that much, but as it was, I really enjoyed it. Another thing that really helped me enjoy the novel was the fact that the pictures weren't just in there for fluff. The pictures were historically significant and not just an cartoon version of something real. I would recommend this to a young adult who doesn't necessarily like history or has a hard time reading the dry textbook versions of history.
Content Warnings:
~Gore
~Graphic Depictions of History
October 22, 2019
This book is about a young boy named Vlad who becomes one of the most wicked and mean people in the world. the book starts of by talking about what it was like before he was born and after he was born and his childhood. Towards the middle of the book it talks about him being a teen and all of the family issues he had and how Vlad lost his father and brother. And then near the end of the book it gets into all of the wicked things he did and how and why he killed so many people. Then it goes on about Vlad's death and what it is like without him.
I didn't really like this book that much I think it left out many small important details about his childhood and his early life. And the book seemed to be repeating the same events over and over again. I think people who are into wicked history and mid evil times would really like this book. Overall the book was pretty straight forward and just kept talking about how mean and wicked Vlad was. And was lacking important details. Overall i would give this book a 2 out of 5.
I didn't really like this book that much I think it left out many small important details about his childhood and his early life. And the book seemed to be repeating the same events over and over again. I think people who are into wicked history and mid evil times would really like this book. Overall the book was pretty straight forward and just kept talking about how mean and wicked Vlad was. And was lacking important details. Overall i would give this book a 2 out of 5.
October 9, 2019
Deep in the mountains of Transylvania, there was once an evil prince. His name was Vlad Dracula, he ruled with an iron stake, and a thirst for blood. Loyalty meant nothing to him. He betrayed his friends, and befriended his enemies. Then, when his enemies were his friends, he would betray them too. He would sacrifice anything and everything to stay in power. Read this book if you dare.
I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of....gruesome, but amazing facts. It tells a lot about his dad, then his childhood, then him taking over. It puts a lot of emphasis on his dad because his dad was just like him, except, you know...less impaling. WARNING: If you don't like reading about torture, people being impaled, or blood, then don't try to read this book. I recommend this to anyone who likes Horrible Histories, or likes reading about murder books even.
I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of....gruesome, but amazing facts. It tells a lot about his dad, then his childhood, then him taking over. It puts a lot of emphasis on his dad because his dad was just like him, except, you know...less impaling. WARNING: If you don't like reading about torture, people being impaled, or blood, then don't try to read this book. I recommend this to anyone who likes Horrible Histories, or likes reading about murder books even.
July 18, 2019
Well if the title didn't give it off I'm not really sure what would. This is a book about Vlad the Impaler and his troubled history. A pretty comprehensive Biography of the man known for his violence and treachery. Of course some things are just legends but behind some legends there is a bit of truth.
Personal Reaction: Well I got what I expected. Vlad the Impaler was a man known for his violence, history can teach us a lot, and think Vlad was a product of his time period. When he was alive it was one of the most brutal and bloody time periods in human history so it's not surprising to learn about Vlad's rise to power and inevitable fall.
Content Warnings: Graphic Imagery, Violence.
Personal Reaction: Well I got what I expected. Vlad the Impaler was a man known for his violence, history can teach us a lot, and think Vlad was a product of his time period. When he was alive it was one of the most brutal and bloody time periods in human history so it's not surprising to learn about Vlad's rise to power and inevitable fall.
Content Warnings: Graphic Imagery, Violence.
October 21, 2019
This book was chasing the line of good but didn't quite catch it.
It was detailed and explained many things about Vlad, and how his life was as a prince, and how he was overthrown many times but still succeeded to do his evil deeds and thoughts.
This book was filled but it wasn't quite long enough because even though it had 130 pages, it stored little information on each page.
It kind of left you hanging on most bits or left out some things.
This book was good though and I liked the detail put into some bits of it.
I enjoyed reading this book.
I'd recommend it to people who like history.
It was detailed and explained many things about Vlad, and how his life was as a prince, and how he was overthrown many times but still succeeded to do his evil deeds and thoughts.
This book was filled but it wasn't quite long enough because even though it had 130 pages, it stored little information on each page.
It kind of left you hanging on most bits or left out some things.
This book was good though and I liked the detail put into some bits of it.
I enjoyed reading this book.
I'd recommend it to people who like history.
December 25, 2020
Really good book to read to start into the topic. There are end chapter sections that talk about what is going on in the greater world around Vlad that set up the historical context really well. For any age (it's set for middle school age, but I'm a middle school teacher), if you want to know anything about Vlad this is the book to start with.
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