The Historian
By Elizabeth Kostova
Rating: 10 out of 10 (1st of the year!)

My dear and unfortunate successor…

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is probably the best book that I have read in the last 5 years. Part Dan Brown, part Bram Stoker, Kostova weaves a tale of history and family that spans from the 1930s up to present day.

The narrarator, an 18-year-old daughter of a European diplomat, tells the story through a series of letters from her father (who also tells his story with other letters from other characters…but that’s confusing). The story centers around her father, who in his younger days was a scholarly historian who discovers a strange, old book that contains nothing in it except for the middle spread, which contains an woodcut image of a dragon with the word “Drakyula”. With the sudden disappearance of his mentor and adviser, he goes on a journey that leads him behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War into the historic mountains of Transylvania and Wallachia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Istanbul.

I will admit that I was really skeptical upon being recommended this initially by Amazon.com because of my interest in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. You see, when I was a kid, I had a terrible series of recurring nightmares that involved vampires…so much so that I actually had to see a family friend who was a therapist briefly. I don’t tend to put myself into those types of situations often, but this story was far too intriguing for me to ignore.

After speaking with a few people who had read it, I decided that I really wanted to as well so I put it on My Amazon.com Wish List and I was lucky enough to get it for Christmas this year (thanks, Tom and Carol!).

After reading my first three books, I was ready for something a little heftier and I certainly got it in this book. For anyone looking for Dan Brown’s fast-paced style, you will be somewhat disappointed. I, on the other hand, was not. I loved the way that Kostova weaved a story out of this, pushing the plot along deliberately, but not pushing it too hard, allowing for time to appreciate the beauty that she was describing (old, war-torn cities, eastern European capitals, beautiful churches and monasteries) and to feel strongly for the characters that she develops over the course of the novel. While hers have depth and back story, Brown only provides enough so that screenwriters can adapt his books into characters to be played by famous actors.

The Historian is a perfect example of a book that could be very easily ruined by a transformation by Hollywood. Now, don’t get me wrong…I think it would be a FANTASTIC movie…IF (and that’s a BIG if) it were done right (do you hear me, RON HOWARD? DON’T SCREW UP DA VINCI CODE BY CASTING TOM HANKS IN A ROLE THAT WAS CLEARLY WRITTEN FOR GEORGE CLOONEY!!!). I almost would be sad to see it made into a movie, particularly if they did as awful a job with it as they did with The Firm.

Sorry, got a little off topic there. Back to the book…

I was enthralled by it. It was interesting, exciting, and completely enjoyable. And it wasn’t too scary. No nightmares for me this time…I don’t know if I would recommend it to everyone, BUT…if you’re like me and enjoyed the historical part of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, but you think that Dan Brown could be a better writer*, read Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian. My other recommendation is another book that I read last year by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, The Rule of Four. The Historian and The Rule of Four are excellent, character-driven novels that paint pictures while still telling stories.

I’ve noticed that I haven’t really told a lot about the book here, which is good. All I really want to do is recommend it based on what I’ve said above. I don’t want to give anything away…it’s just THAT GOOD.

So there it is, my lengthy review. Next, I’m really going to try and finish Ogilvy on Advertising. I know I keep saying that, but I’m serious this time. No, really. I am. Seriously.

*I don’t want it to be misconstrued here…I LOVED the Dan Brown books. HOWEVER, after reading excellent novels like The Rule of Four and The Historian I have to say that Dan Brown’s books would be seriously lacking if he didn’t do such ridiculous research. His ability to describe scenery or to develop a character is lacking compared to Caldwell/Thomason and Kostova (see last line of Angels & Demons…I rest my case).

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