I have a killer commute and I don't care. What's my secret? Here it is: whenever I'm stuck in traffic (which is a regular occurence) I pop in a KCLS audiobook (i.e., Book-On-Tape) and enjoy the drive, rather than descend into gridlock-induced frustration. Let's face it: you can only listen to so much classic rock, whereas there is a nearly limitless supply of KCLS audiobooks to make the time go by in a flash.
Case in point: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This elegant debut novel, over 10 years in the making, is a multi-generational 20th-century search for Vlad the Impaler, the sadistic medieval ruler of Wallachia (today a province in Romania) who was the inspiration of the Dracula legend and that, in this book, still walks the earth today with his undead minions, looking for blood. There are three main threads within this lengthy work. In the early 1970s, Paul, an American diplomat in Amsterdam, recounts to his teenage daughter the 20-year-old story of the mysterious disappearance of and his desperate search for his beloved mentor, Professor Rossi, guided by a bundle of ominous and seemingly fantastic letters written by Rossi twenty years before that, in the 1930s. These letters describe the sudden appearance of a book, blank except for an ornate woodcut on the cover, depicting a dragon. Unlocking the secret of this book ultimately leads first Rossi, then Paul (along with his partner, Rossi's estranged daughter Helen), and finally Paul's own daughter in search of the resurgent "Drakulya." Their quest to solve the riddle of the book and the disappearance of several characters leads the protagonists not only across time but also across the European continent, from Oxford to Istanbul with stops in Amsterdam, the French Pyrenees, Budapest, Bulgaria and (of course) Romania.
What made this book especially appealing to me was that, instead of reading it, I listened to it. Audiobooks have the capacity to really bring to life a good book and this one is especially successful. The narrators are Justine Eyre and Paul Michael, each of whom spoke with numerous distinct voices to match the abundance of characters. Justine Eyre is very believable as the narrator, Paul's daughter, though a bit less so with her cockney-sounding portrayal of her traveling companion, Barley. Paul Michael is especially effective in his portrayal of Paul, Professor Rossi, Helen (who is credibly feminine) and finally Vlad himself, who by the way bore no audible resemblance to Bela Lugosi. There were no sound effects or musical passages...just the voices from these two gifted narrators. And that was more than enough.
Part horror tale, part historical fiction, part travelogue and part Da Vinci Code-esque mystery, Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian is a unique blend of genres that succeeds on every level. Give it a listen.
I read this book and have to admit it was difficult to get into. Especially if you're expecting a true "horror" book. But the more I read, the more attached I became to the characters. Lot's of development and an extremely good read. Just be patient