Historian

Author: Elizabeth Costova (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: My Dear, Unfortunate Heir: No matter who you are, I am very sorry to think that you are reading the letter I am forced to leave behind. I am sorry for myself—if this letter reaches you, it must be that I am in trouble, perhaps dead, or worse. But I am also sorry for you, my unknown friend. Because once you read this letter, it must be that someone needs this evil information. If you are not my heir in other senses, you will soon become my heir—I am truly sad to pass on this incredible evil experience to you. How I inherited this evil, I don’t know, but I hope to finally find the truth—perhaps in the process of writing this letter to you, or in the course of future developments. Three generations of historians, tracking across thousands of miles, uncover the five hundred-year vampire legend—history, knowledge, and suspense, perfectly blended with terror! A million copies sold in the U.S. in just three months, a global bestseller in over thirty-five countries! One night, a fifteen-year-old American girl discovers an ancient book and a bag of letters in her father’s study. Each letter is addressed to "My Dear, Unfortunate Heir." These letters open a historical "labyrinth" that she never dreamed of, revealing secrets about her father’s past and the disappearance of her mother, connected to the evil forces hidden deep in history. For centuries, generations of historians have risked their reputations and safety to pursue the origins of the vampire’s creation—the whereabouts of the ruthless medieval ruler of Central Europe, "The Piercer" Vlad—aiming to eradicate the darkest force in human history. The girl’s parents began their terrifying journey to track down the vampire years ago. Determined to follow in her parents’ footsteps, the girl sets out on their unfinished quest. From the library of Oxford University to Istanbul, Budapest, and the rural mountains of Eastern Europe, father and daughter travel through cities, monasteries, and archives, gradually approaching the horrifying truth about "The Piercer" Vlad while uncovering clues and hidden texts, codes, and gradually learning about her extraordinary heritage. In 1972, I was sixteen. My father said I wasn’t old enough to travel with him—he was going on a diplomatic mission. He preferred that I focus on my studies at the International School in Amsterdam.