This is book two of Anno Dracula, a series of historical fantasy in which real and fictional characters of the time co-exist, and also there's vampires. (Much like Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.) I checked it out because ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
philomytha and blackbentley tipped me off that it's bonkers and also Biggles appears.
Despite the utterly batshit content, the author's style is incredibly boring. IIRC I attempted to read Kim Newman once before and had the same problem. In fact it might have even been the first book of this series. But here's what I got in the first 20% or so:
- It's WWI and there's an incredible number of vampires. They are publicly known and accepted. Many pilots are vampires, including Biggles and his pals (which include Ginger and Bertie) and also basically every famous RL ace like the von Richthofen and Alfred Ball.
There are a huge number of pilots, there's no attempt at reminding readers of who they are, and they're mostly indistinguishable in terms of characterization. To be fair to Newman, I might have had an easier time if I wasn't jumping in at book two, but I don't think any of the pilots were in book one.
- Long, extremely boring explanation of how vampires caused WWI and everyone is vampires. All famous people, fictional or nonfictional, from vaguely this period are vampires. Winston Churchill is a vampire who sucks on a Madeira-spiked rabbit during a meeting. Mycroft Holmes is a vampire. Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a vampire. Etc.
- Von Stalhein (here called Stalhein) is an ace pilot in von Richthofen's squadron. They're all vampires. Some vampires can shapeshift which is apparently big in Richthofen's circus. One pilot has antlers even in human form because this is trendy. (????) (Is this practical for flying a triplane???)
Von Richthofen produces a small live wild boar to hunt INSIDE THE BUILDING and the vampires go nuts. He skewers it on his arm lengthwise because he has grown claws and waves it around like it's an opera glove he's wearing. I'm not sure how that even works as that suggests it's the size of a small dog, but that's pretty pathetic for the Red Baron to dramatically murder a piglet so it's presumably at least the size of a German Shepherd in which case it seems difficult to wave at the end of your arm. Probably I'm thinking this through more than Kim Newman did. Anyway, he throws it to the vampire pilots who rip it to shreds. Stalhein lurks in a corner and gnaws an ear.
I gave up at that point but apparently later Stalhein transforms into a moon-powered triplane.
philomytha and blackbentley tipped me off that it's bonkers and also Biggles appears. Despite the utterly batshit content, the author's style is incredibly boring. IIRC I attempted to read Kim Newman once before and had the same problem. In fact it might have even been the first book of this series. But here's what I got in the first 20% or so:
- It's WWI and there's an incredible number of vampires. They are publicly known and accepted. Many pilots are vampires, including Biggles and his pals (which include Ginger and Bertie) and also basically every famous RL ace like the von Richthofen and Alfred Ball.
There are a huge number of pilots, there's no attempt at reminding readers of who they are, and they're mostly indistinguishable in terms of characterization. To be fair to Newman, I might have had an easier time if I wasn't jumping in at book two, but I don't think any of the pilots were in book one.
- Long, extremely boring explanation of how vampires caused WWI and everyone is vampires. All famous people, fictional or nonfictional, from vaguely this period are vampires. Winston Churchill is a vampire who sucks on a Madeira-spiked rabbit during a meeting. Mycroft Holmes is a vampire. Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a vampire. Etc.
- Von Stalhein (here called Stalhein) is an ace pilot in von Richthofen's squadron. They're all vampires. Some vampires can shapeshift which is apparently big in Richthofen's circus. One pilot has antlers even in human form because this is trendy. (????) (Is this practical for flying a triplane???)
Von Richthofen produces a small live wild boar to hunt INSIDE THE BUILDING and the vampires go nuts. He skewers it on his arm lengthwise because he has grown claws and waves it around like it's an opera glove he's wearing. I'm not sure how that even works as that suggests it's the size of a small dog, but that's pretty pathetic for the Red Baron to dramatically murder a piglet so it's presumably at least the size of a German Shepherd in which case it seems difficult to wave at the end of your arm. Probably I'm thinking this through more than Kim Newman did. Anyway, he throws it to the vampire pilots who rip it to shreds. Stalhein lurks in a corner and gnaws an ear.
I gave up at that point but apparently later Stalhein transforms into a moon-powered triplane.
