"'Vlad ' is a must for any fan of historical fiction, or those who want another view on the legend of Dracula." — Midwest Book Review BuddyHollywood.com Booklist Vlad : The Last Confession" he ultimately succeeded in humanizing one of history’s darkest rulers of all time: Vlad the Impaler...this novel really appeals to a different side of Vlad I never knew existed." — Historically Obsessed The Biblio Blogazine Game Vortex Suite 101 World Literature Vlad to life. Readers have a lot of preconceived notions where Dracula is concerned and Humphreys pretty much throws all that out and starts over. I loved the way he was able to show Vlad as something more than the monster readers are familiar with." — Debbie’s Book Bag Vlad : The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys is part history, part epic adventure — an engrossing novel that will surely have you reconsidering other "villains" of the past." — Savvy Verse & Wit Vlad was. This is done through highly researched prose, full of great characters but also through further appendices which provide even more information on Vlad Tepes. " — Read All Over Reviews Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell BookPleasures Broken Teepee Vlad ’s brutal acts might have inspired the name of Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire, the historical man has nothing to do with that classic novel. His real story is engrossing. " — Library Journal Vlad and his younger brother Radu: The Handsome." — Paranormal & Romantic Suspense Reviews Vlad the Impaler...though he’s still very naughty." — Kirkus Reviews Author Magazine Vlad : The Last Confession was an interesting and engaging look at the life of Vlad Dracula and how history is shaped by political needs. " — Devourer of Books Vlad The Impaler" imagines the man’s life through a dialogue-rich narrative that involves Crusaders, castles, Turks and love. The Vlad in Humphreys narrative is very human and shaped by the political climate of his time. And this book never once mentions vampires." — Delaware County News Network Vlad : The Last Confession" he ultimately succeeded in humanizing one of history’s darkest rulers of all time: Vlad the Impaler....My empathy for Vlad was surprisingly high." — Historically Obsessed
Vlad : The Last Confession was an interesting and engaging look at the life of Vlad Dracula and how history is shaped by political needs.
C.C. Humphreys does a fantastic job of bringing Vlad to life. Readers have a lot of preconceived notions where Dracula is concerned and Humphreys pretty much throws all that out and starts over. I loved the way he was able to show Vlad as something more than the monster readers are familiar with.
Hard to put down and impossible to forget...It is a book you can emotionally lose yourself in and let yourself roam deep into the words of the story.
Suite 101 World Literature
An incredible story has been woven around the true facts that exist about the frightening but enigmatic leader of Wallachia and the climactic ending is superb.
A rollicking, bloody, surprising novel of the fifteenth century which, in effect, reinvents Dracula as himself: a driven, vengeful, God-fearing human being.
The novel moves at a rapid pace, alternating between swashbuckling episodes, poignant relationships, savage encounters, and sins and redemption for them. The final chapters contain more surprises than any reader, even a Cardinal, should ever expect from historical fiction.
It was a fascinating tale about who the real Dracula was. Rich in historical drama and bloody madness.
Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
It makes you think harder about what it good, what is evil, and what happens when the two collide and combine within the soul. I love this book. One of the best historical fiction novels I've read. It gets my highest rating and a strong recommendation.
An unapologetic tale about a man who endured great losses and was driven by intense passion for his country and religion...the novel is aimed much more at readers interested in the historical origins of the Dracula stories than at those looking for another vampire story. As such, it succeeds admirably.
In bringing to life the brutal era of 15th-century Ottoman-dominated eastern Europe, historical novelist Humphreys (Jack Absolute) focuses on the reign of Wallachian prince Vlad Dracula (1431–76), known throughout the ages as the Impaler. The story begins with Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, as hostages of the Sultan. All goes well for them until their father betrays his word. Radu is made a slave of the Sultan's son, and Vlad is sent to the infamous Turkish prison of Tokat. During his captivity, he is educated in the brutal art of torture, including the horrifying technique of impaling. He learns his lessons well. When eventually freed, he returns to Wallachia and makes war on his enemies, combining his fervent Christian beliefs with a brutality that shocks even the most jaded. VERDICT While Vlad's brutal acts might have inspired the name of Bram Stoker's fictional vampire, the historical man has nothing to do with that classic novel. His real story is engrossing and heavy, with a darkness some readers may find very disturbing.—Patricia Altner, Columbia, MD
A novel that sets out to humanize and demythologize Vlad the Impaler...though he's still very naughty.
The chief rivalry here is between Turks and Christians in the 15th century. Those sides are represented by Sultan Murad Han—and later by Mehmet, his son—and by Vlad Dracula. We first meet Vlad as a janissary, a 17-year-old Christian slave in the Turkish court, and find he's a finepupil, speaker of numerous languages and even reluctant scholar of the Koran. What begins as competition and gamesmanship between Vlad and Mehmet escalates into hatred, especially given the fact that Mehmet's father, the sultan, has had Vlad's father beheaded and Vlad's older brother Mircea tortured and buried alive. Mehmet is pushed over the edge when Vlad kidnaps the young sultan's new concubine, Ilona, and spirits her away to Wallachia, the small kingdom where Vlad has his castle. For six months, Vlad endures the tortures (literally) of the prison at Tokat, mercilessly flayed (and worse) by a dwarf and his able, sadistic assistant. At Tokat, Vlad not only learns but internalizes the prison motto: "You torture others so they cannot torture you." And indeed, Humphreys' narrative is filled with stomach-wrenching scenes of violence. (We find out, for example, that Mehmet has had the stomachs of seven servants slit open because one of them had stolen a cucumber, and he wanted to find the thief.) Vlad eventually embarks on a quest to free Constantinople from Muslim rule, an impossibility given the odds against him, but he does have the satisfaction of exacting revenge on some of his previous enemies.
While we learn much about falconry and medieval warfare, we learn rather too much about inflicting pain.
