Transcribe
Translate
Vampire, whole no. 8, December 1946
Page 14
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
Tigrina Reviews a Vampire Tome HA MEALTIME! DREADFUL HOLLOW by Irina Karlova - - - Dell Publishing Company 25[[cent symbol]] (Pocket book edition) Do you like vampire stories? Then by all means read Dreadful Hollow, which is not, as one might think, a treatise of F(r)an Laney's ribald laughter, but an eerie tale of vampirism in a sleepy little English village. An ill-assorted household from far-off Transylvania, transplanted in a creaking manor house on a wooded estate, a young and innocent maiden on her first position as companion to the lady of that household, and the youthful village doctor, furnish the mystery and romance of this vampiric yarn. Told in alternating third person and first person, combining straight story-telling with excerpts from the young doctor's journal, the manner in which the eerie tale unfolds gives the reader variety. All sorts of weird characters abound in this book. Besides the lady of the estate, the frail Transylvanian countess, Ana Czerner, and her dour, jealousy inclined housekeeper, Sari, one encounters in these pages the blubber-mouthed giant gardener, who is the village idiot; the brilliant but eccentric scientist, Dr. Vostok, who affects shoulder-length hair, seems to exercise a hypnotic control over others, and who is notorious for his unorthodox scientific experiments; the voluptuous, sultry Countess Vera, who is introduced as the niece of the aged Countess Czerner; and bluff, gruff Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard, who enters the scene when a chubby, tender five-year-old boy inexplicably disappears during his journey home from school. Although coincidence is stretched a little too far as regards the young doctor's grandfather having had experience with the same Transylvanian family years ago while sojourning in their native land, and though anyone with average intelligence should be able to surmise the outcome of this tale long before it is concluded, I think that most fans will find it definitely worth reading. Dreadful Hollow is a purely fantastic yarn, and despite having a distinct detective story flavor, does not disappoint fantasy enthusiasts by explaining away supernatural events by plausible and scientific exposes.
Saving...
prev
next
Tigrina Reviews a Vampire Tome HA MEALTIME! DREADFUL HOLLOW by Irina Karlova - - - Dell Publishing Company 25[[cent symbol]] (Pocket book edition) Do you like vampire stories? Then by all means read Dreadful Hollow, which is not, as one might think, a treatise of F(r)an Laney's ribald laughter, but an eerie tale of vampirism in a sleepy little English village. An ill-assorted household from far-off Transylvania, transplanted in a creaking manor house on a wooded estate, a young and innocent maiden on her first position as companion to the lady of that household, and the youthful village doctor, furnish the mystery and romance of this vampiric yarn. Told in alternating third person and first person, combining straight story-telling with excerpts from the young doctor's journal, the manner in which the eerie tale unfolds gives the reader variety. All sorts of weird characters abound in this book. Besides the lady of the estate, the frail Transylvanian countess, Ana Czerner, and her dour, jealousy inclined housekeeper, Sari, one encounters in these pages the blubber-mouthed giant gardener, who is the village idiot; the brilliant but eccentric scientist, Dr. Vostok, who affects shoulder-length hair, seems to exercise a hypnotic control over others, and who is notorious for his unorthodox scientific experiments; the voluptuous, sultry Countess Vera, who is introduced as the niece of the aged Countess Czerner; and bluff, gruff Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard, who enters the scene when a chubby, tender five-year-old boy inexplicably disappears during his journey home from school. Although coincidence is stretched a little too far as regards the young doctor's grandfather having had experience with the same Transylvanian family years ago while sojourning in their native land, and though anyone with average intelligence should be able to surmise the outcome of this tale long before it is concluded, I think that most fans will find it definitely worth reading. Dreadful Hollow is a purely fantastic yarn, and despite having a distinct detective story flavor, does not disappoint fantasy enthusiasts by explaining away supernatural events by plausible and scientific exposes.
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
