Seance for A Vampire

Fred Saberhagen

Book 8 of Dracula Sequence

Language: English

Publisher: Tor Books

Published: Nov 1, 1997

Description:

A seance held in an aristocratic London home goes horribly awry when one of the undead nosferatu appear. The resulting chaos leaves one of the fraudulent spiritualists dead, Sherlock Holmes missing, and Dr. Watson alone and mystified. With time running out, Watson has no choice but to summon the only one who might be able to help--Holmes' vampire cousin, Prince Dracula.

From Publishers Weekly

In a confection featuring both Rumania's most famous legend and England's greatest detective, a stolid prose style could have been a virtue, an understated elegance. Yet the two voices of this novel--Prince Dracula's and Dr. Watson's, narrating events that befell Sherlock Holmes--are virtually indistinguishable and far too plodding to spice up a rather drab story. It is 1903, and Holmes has been engaged to investigate the drowning death of Louisa Altamont, fiancee of the young American journalist Martin Armstrong. During a seance conducted by the sister-brother team of Sarah and Abraham Kirkaldy, Louisa appears--and Holmes vanishes from sight. Meanwhile, Vladimir Kulakov, a pirate hanged in London 38 years earlier, has made a startling reappearance in St. Petersburg. Watson quickly enlists the aid of Prince Dracula, here Holmes's vampire cousin, to find Holmes and put matters to rights. Saberhagen (the Berserker series, The Holmes - Dracula Files ) intertwines his invented characters with existing literary personalities to an empty, if pleasant, effect: none of the made-up figures seems more than a caricature, although Sarah Kirkaldy's affair with Dracula does have its moments. Ardent Holmes and/or vampire fans may enjoy seeing their heroes in new situations, but others are advised to read the originals.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Sherlock Holmes disappears during an investigation involving a fraudulent spiritualist, Dr. Watson reluctantly summons the famous detective's distant cousin-Count Dracula-to save Holmes's life and solve a mystery centered around a legend of pirates and buried treasure. Fans of Saberhagen's "Dracula" series will applaud the return of the immortal count, while Victorian aficionados will appreciate this tidy mystery's fidelity to period detail. Recommended for most libraries.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.