Author: Fred Saberhagen
Title: A Sharpness on the Neck
Series: Dracula 9
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Dracula
Pages: 352
Rate: 2/5 | Goodreads
Ugh. Finished “A Sharpness on the Neck” by Fred Saberhagen, ninth, and almost the last book in author’s Dracula or Dracula Tape series. While I absolutely love authors writing more about Dracula’s life before and after Bram Stoker, these are not for me.
About the Book: Radciffe family have earned the wrath of an old and powerful vampire, Dracula himself, just… not THAT one, as Vlad Dracula keeps trying to prove them, having kidnapped the family to save them from his brother Radu Dracula. But the will to protect people is not enough when they don’t understand your actions, their importance, or even reasons behind them. And to attempt and explain them, well, who would believe in vampires, right?
My Opinion: Current Radcliffe family puts themselves in danger via this long and dull back-and-forth of “we’re vampires – there’s no such thing as vampires“. Much like late Anne Rice’s works, this here is a tale of a tale, where people sit down just to hear a tale from long ago, with all it’s sleep-inducing nuances, notes from long ago, additional notes made now, and notes in retrospect of things currently. It’s classically okay, but just not good. The writing is poor, the tale itself is poorer, side characters are of no more importance than furniture, and the main-sides, aka Radcliffes, lack any characteristics to make them real people, or notable characters. With all the emphasis on brotherly rivalry, it was more a mockery that we were expected to admire.
Can’t give this more than 2 out of 5.