From Publishers Weekly
Dracula lives! but more in name than spirit in 16 new period riffs on his legend. Going back to Bram Stoker's original novel, Elrod (Time of the Vampires) asked contributors to this anthology, "What ELSE was Dracula doing in London when he was not being chased by Van Helsing and company?" Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, in "Long-Term Investment," and Fred Saberhagen, in "Box Number Fifty," both have him duping ignorant human associates into elaborate schemes to conceal his coffins. Tanya Huff suggests he was drawn to social climbers and other predatory personalities in "To Each His Own Kind." In one of the book's most intriguing entries, Judith Proctor's "Dear Mr. Bernard Shaw," he is a theater patron who cannot understand how the deaths at the end of King Lear ennoble human suffering. Inevitably, Dracula rubs shoulders with a variety of Victorian-era celebrities, including Gilbert and Sullivan, Doctor Watson, Prince Edward, actress Ellen Terry and even a young Aleister Crowley. Inventive though they often are, few of these stories capture the subtle malignancy and terrifying misanthropy that has made Stoker's creation an indelible horror icon. Excepting Gene DeWeese's "An Essay on Containment" and Gary A. Braunbeck's "Curtain Call," which attempt to be more than mere outtakes from Stoker's tale, the majority are modern revisionist interpretations of Dracula as lover, dreamer, swashbuckler and bungler. For better or worse, they bear out the editor's professed fondness for any Dracula variation, "good and bad, sublime and silly." Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
This collection of 16 stories elaborates on the "life" and times of the world's most famous literary vampire. In Tanya Huff's "To Each His Own Kind," Dracula encounters the Prince of Wales, while Gary Braunbeck's macabre story, "Curtain Call," examines existence and the theater starring Bram Stoker and Charles Fort. Other contributors include veteran sf and fantasy authors such as Fred Saberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Nancy Kilpatrick, as well as first-timer Bill Zaget. This strong anthology should appeal to the large audience for vampire fiction and belongs in most fantasy or horror collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
This book offers stories centering on the most infamous vampire of all during the time in which Bram Stoker's novel was set. Dracula encounters Britain's crown prince in Tanya Huff's "To Each His Own Kind" and harbors sinister plans for him and his set. Nigel Bennett and P. N. Elrod's "Wolf and Hound" features an encounter between Dracula and Sabra, an ancient and good vampire last seen in their novel His Father's Son [BKL Ap 1 01]. In Gene DeWeese's "An Essay on Containment," vampire Radoslav Coulson tracks Dracula and, enraged by the Transylvanian's actions, decides to aid Seward and Van Helsing, of Stoker's story, in their fight against Dracula. Dracula fans who don't mind a little tampering with the myth will appreciate these tales. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Voya
Vampire fans...will sink their teeth into this collection.


Book Description
How did Dracula occupy his time in London when he wasn't stalking Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker? Today's top authors take the infamous nosferatu on a tour of 1890s London--in sixteen wonderfully inventive stories.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

How did Dracula occupy his time in London when he wasn't stalking Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker? Today's top authors take the infamous nosferatu on a tour of 1890s London—in sixteen wonderfully inventive stories.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Dracula lives! but more in name than spirit in 16 new period riffs on his legend. Going back to Bram Stoker's original novel, Elrod (Time of the Vampires) asked contributors to this anthology, "What ELSE was Dracula doing in London when he was not being chased by Van Helsing and company?" Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, in "Long-Term Investment," and Fred Saberhagen, in "Box Number Fifty," both have him duping ignorant human associates into elaborate schemes to conceal his coffins. Tanya Huff suggests he was drawn to social climbers and other predatory personalities in "To Each His Own Kind." In one of the book's most intriguing entries, Judith Proctor's "Dear Mr. Bernard Shaw," he is a theater patron who cannot understand how the deaths at the end of King Lear ennoble human suffering. Inevitably, Dracula rubs shoulders with a variety of Victorian-era celebrities, including Gilbert and Sullivan, Doctor Watson, Prince Edward, actress Ellen Terry and even a young Aleister Crowley. Inventive though they often are, few of these stories capture the subtle malignancy and terrifying misanthropy that has made Stoker's creation an indelible horror icon. Excepting Gene DeWeese's "An Essay on Containment" and Gary A. Braunbeck's "Curtain Call," which attempt to be more than mere outtakes from Stoker's tale, the majority are modern revisionist interpretations of Dracula as lover, dreamer, swashbuckler and bungler. For better or worse, they bear out the editor's professed fondness for any Dracula variation, "good and bad, sublime and silly." (Nov. 6) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA - Melissa Potter

Vampire fans and short story enthusiasts will sink their teeth into this collection of sixteen short stories by different authors. These tales seek to answer the question of what Dracula and his companions were doing during the hours not accounted for in Bram Stoker's original novel. Elaine Bergstrom's The Three Boxes has Dracula enchanted by a woman who is fighting to educate the public about reproductive choices. Nancy Kilpatrick's exciting tale, Berserker, gives insight into Dracula's animallike nature as he focuses on a caged wolf at the London Zoo. Bill Zaget's Renfield or Dining at the Bughouse is quite different from the other stories in the collection in that it delves into the trauma and abuse of Renfield's childhood, so that his mad screams take on a sort of meaning. The accounts range from tongue in cheek to scary, but readers who like a lot of gore will not find it here. Vampire fans will appreciate the way this collection rounds out Dracula's character by showing him as more than a predator￯﾿ﾽcapable also of fatherly affection and an appreciation for the theatre. The quality of the writing remains high throughout the book, making it a good introduction to the short story collection format. It could provide a great springboard for a classroom creative-writing project, especially Gary A. Braunbeck's Curtain Call, which features Bram Stoker as the writer who inadvertently brought Dracula into the world. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2001, Ace, 263p,

KLIATT

A collection of 16 tales purports to fill us in on what Dracula was doing in London while he was not seducing Mina, browbeating Harker, and being chased by Dr. van Helsing. Some heavy hitters contributed to this collection, including Fred Saberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Elrod, Huff, and others. The venerable vamp can be found cavorting with the likes of Bernard Shaw, Gilbert & Sullivan, Dr. Watson, Prince Edward, and social climbers of other sorts. Though it is a strong anthology with some good writing, there is little of the malevolence that is Dracula. Instead there is more Victorian stuffing that makes him seem less the fearsome figure and more the hale fellow well met. Maybe he was. Highly recommended for vampire fans. KLIATT Codes: SA￯﾿ﾽRecommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Berkley, Ace, 264p., DeMarco

Library Journal