Review of The Romance of Dracula

That I came of age watching vampire films should come as no surprise to my readers. I’ve been a vampire fan since I was a first-grader running home to watch the Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. It was with great pleasure that I read Charles Butler’s take on many of the films that I grew up with.




In his book, The Romance of Dracula, Butler explores his personal connection with the cinematic journey of Bram Stoker’s iconic count, from the silent era to the present day, in a conversational yet authoritative tone. The book begins with a thorough discussion of the novel and then moves on to explore the various screen treatments of Dracula from the Murnau silent classic, Nosferatu, to an examination of contemporary vampire films (with nary a mention of Twilight).



The author begins the chapters with a scene-by-scene synopsis of each Dracula film and then finishes with his no-holds-barred review of script adaptation, direction, cinematography and acting performance. I found his critical stance on the Coppola Dracula of the nineties to be on the money and agree wholeheartedly with his praise for the imaginative Shadow of the Vampire. Fans of Hammer horror (and actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing) won’t be disappointed at the in-depth look at these films.



Butler peppers his reviews with entertaining insights and anecdotes. The reader may be surprised to find that with all of the adaptations of Dracula, few are true to the source material in either story or portrayal of the count. A notable example pointed out by Butler is the Bela Lugosi version produced by Universal, which is based on the stage play. Even though I once worked for Universal, I didn’t know there is a Spanish language version of this film, starring a different cast that was produced for the European market.



This book will be enjoyed by film and vampire buffs alike. After reading Mr. Butler’s book, I’ve added to my list of must-see vampire films. It’s clear that The Romance of Dracula was written with someone who has a true passion for the genre. I appreciated the solid film history and research of the topic.

Elizabeth Loraine and The Royal Blood Chronicles

Please welcome Elizabeth Loraine to Immortyl Revolution!  She is currently on tour to promote her latest release in The Royal Blood Chronicles, Cain.  I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth at  A Day of Mystical Bloodlust this past October.  We will both be appearing there again this coming fall.  I'm very excited to have her as my guest today.  Please leave Elizabeth any comments or questions you may have.

Vampires; a discussion

By Elizabeth Loraine

My fascination with vampires goes way back, and at fifty four now, I mean way back.  I remember running all the way home from school to watch Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows. From that point on I was hooked. Why?  Was it the handsome, mysterious, yet intense gentleman?  How about the, bad boy, forbidden, man?


All of the above, plus the immortal prospect of it makes the genre one that will never fade. New generations have the same fascinations that I have with vampires.


Bringing vampires forward as a writer is much more difficult these days.  With all the teen vampire books, television shows and movies out there right now, it just seems so overdone.  It’s why I started my series in the first place. I mean, there had to more to them, right?  These are long-lived beings supposedly. They didn’t just show up at high school, or small town America one day, did they?  They have a past, a long historic past. That’s what got my juices flowing. That’s something I wanted to know about, and I was sure others did too.


My series Royal Blood Chronicles is that journey. It follows my vampires throughout their historical past. I wanted readers to know why they think the way they do, what shaped them by the time they got to modern times. Why they are evil, or not.


So the next time you are reading about a modern, teen, vampire or watching them on television or in a movie, think about his or her past; what do you want to know?

Information on Elizabeth's books:

Cain,The Quest

Cain, the Quest is book four in the vampire series Royal Blood Chronicles. Royal blooded vampires are fighting evil in both this world and the underworld kingdoms of Althar in order to protect all the peaceful races, including humans.

Book four follows Cain on his journey ot find himself and define his role in his hopes to become worthy enought to join those that are helping the Five Protectors in this fight. The sactuaries protecting the peaceful races are in grave danger! Join us.

Cain, the Quest is as exciting and intriguing as the first three books. Elizabeth Loraine has you turning pages as fast as you can to find out what lies ahead. If you like strong female lead characters, this is your series. Many series of this genre tire as they get to books three and four, however this series has you begging for more. Elizabeth Loraine brings you into the world of each book with her beautifully descriptive writing style.

Hang on, hold your breath, it's a nother fabulous ride!
 

Katrina

"As a vampire, being hunted was nothing new, finding out that I had to protect those hunting us was. Katrina is a young royal blooded vampire from a very old vampire family. She along with young members of each royal vampire family have been called to council. Why? No one knows, but Katrina feels the danger all around them and feels that she will the one called upon to save them all. This fast paced historical saga begins here with Katrina as she begins the journey that will change all their lives forever. It's full of romance, intrigue, danger and betrayal. To succeed the Five must become the many...Join us. John Daniels, author writes: "This is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure told by a gorgeous seventeen-year-old vampire on the verge of womanhood. Katrina and her companions are girls who love fancy clothes and romantic gossip; but when their race is threatened they become Women Warriors, using their paranormal talents, lightning speed, and razor-sharp blades to wreak deadly justice. By turns tense, funny and sad, this is a great read for fans of bloodlust."

You can follow Elizabeth or purchase her books at these links:

Blog tour on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132823000109330
website http://royalbloodchronicles.com/


Available on Kindle and in print on Amazon.