Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron
Mr. Kim Newman may be a new favorite author of mine. I’m not quite sure yet, but maybe. Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron
The Bloody Red Baron features Charles Beauregard and Kate Reed from Anno Dracula, and introduces some new main characters. Voices from various parts of the conflict are heard, from the lowly lieutenant Winthrop, Diogenes’ latest subaltern, to Erich von Stalhein, one of Richthofen’s Circus. Edgar Poe, who has discarded his stepfather’s name as well as his nationality, is found in Prague, from whence he embarks on an interesting mission. The eponymous ace, Manfred, Baron von Richthofen, is an emotionless hunter, impassioned only by conquest in the sky. Vampire Romance brings Genevieve Dieudonne back to London from California, where she spent her war.
Fans of Harry Turtledove, S.M. Stirling’s Nantucket-based Change novels, Eric Flint’s Circle of Fire, and Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series may enjoy Mr. Newman’s works. They are brightened by glimpses of well-known contemporary literary and film characters, and cameos by historical figures. Other historical figures play themselves on a darker, bloodier stage, but we don’t meet them personally. Kaiser Wilhelm healed his palsied arm by turning vampire, and then followed his father-in-darkness, “Graf von” Dracula, in grasping power and influence, to the detriment of the Continent. Archduke Franz Ferdinand died for being a vampire usurping the rule of a nation of Muslims and Slavs, but his death still sparked the war.
I enjoyed this novel very much. It appealed to me as a student of history and as a fan of vampires and horror. I smirked whenever I spotted a new cameo, and I chuckled when I noticed a new twist on an old historical theme. I have not read the first book, and will definitely do so now, but in my opinion, a reader who is more into the World War I era than the Victorian would have no problem starting on this book first. The backstory does not intrude.
If you care to scroll down, you may peruse a completely spoilery list of literary and other personages that I’ve spotted. Feel free to comment if I’ve missed anyone.
Mycroft Holmes
Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft’s brother
Lord Peter Wimsey, the Duke of Denver’s second son
Bertie, Algy, and Ginger, of the Drones Club
Cary Lockwood, latterly known as Grant
Dr. Moreau
Mata Hari
Bertie & Algy’s Aunt Agatha Gregson, appearing more centrally in Vampire Romance
Sarah Bernhardt
Herbert West
Dr. Mabuse
Dr. Caligari
Hanns Heinz Ewers
Jakob ten Brinken (wiki the connection between this and the above entry, for giggles)
Daniel Dravot
Baron Meinster
Orlok
Bela Lugosi
Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff
