| The Many Faces of Van Helsing |
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| I am offering a limited number of free copies of my anthology, The Many Faces of Van Helsing, to members of the Horror Writers Association. I believe the anthology is filled with many wonderful stories that deserve attention by the horror community. If you'd like a copy, please contact me. |
| The Many Faces of Van Helsing |
| Ace Books (Penguin Putnam Inc.); NYC; April, 2004; 400 pp.; trade paperback; $14.95 U.S. $22.50 Can. ISBN 0-441-01170-5 |
| Back Cover: |
| Fanatic. Avenger. Genius. Puritan. Hero. Madman. First introduced in Bram Stoker's immortal Dracula, Abraham Van Helsing became the ultimate adversary for the vampire--asenigmatic and complex as the fiend he so relentlessly pursued. Now, in this unique anthology of stories, masters of horror andfantasy each give the original vampire hunter his due as they reimagine the history and reinvent the adventures of a fascinating,mysterious, and unforgettable character who was the greatest foe of the most evil icon in literary history. Featuring:
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| Reviews: |
| "Abraham Van Helsing, the archetypal vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's Dracula, is 'arguably one of the most well-known yet least explored characters in literature,' according to Jeanne Cavelos, editor of this brilliant anthology featuring stories about the iconic vampire slayer. From the wilderness of 19th-century China to the back alleys of 1965 England, with stories that depict Van Helsing from an introspective young boy to an undead monstrosity, the strength of this anthology is in its incredible diversity. The authors vary as much as the story lines; from world-renowned writers like Tanith Lee, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Kathe Koja, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch to bevy of talented newcomers, The Many Faces of Van Helsing is arguably the strongest collection of supernatural stories to be released in years. Notable selections include J. A. Konrath's 'The Screaming,' a blood-curdling tale about two drug-addicted thieves who decide to rob a haunted mansion. When they enter the house, they hear tortured screams coming from the root cellar and, hoping for someone to victimize, investigate. 'Venus and Mars' by Christopher Golden pits a hard-nosed vampire hunter against a nest of underage prostitute vampires and their pedophile hosts in Los Angeles. In Thomas Tessier's 'The Infestation at Ralls,' Van Helsing must save a private girls' school from a demon unleashed. Fans of contemporary bloodsucker novels like Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake saga should make it a point (no pun intended) to read this excellent anthology. Wooden stake and crucifix not included."
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| "Forget this year's Van Helsing flick (even if you love sexy Hugh Jackman or the outlandishly wonderful special effects). Thatmovie character and the venerable vampire hunter Van Helsing wouldn't know each other if they shared a bunk together inDracula's castle. The Many Faces of Van Helsing, on the other hand, tries to fill in some of the blanks in his life andimaginatively brings that character or his inheritors into the present. The premise here is that the authors each tell a tale thatilluminates some aspect of Van Helsing's life, character, mission, motivation, or potential. The stories gathered here do awonderful job of it. . . . Most of the tales are right on target and all of them are well written . . . with a great deal of creativityand ingenuity. . . . Tanith Lee's tale is, of course, a standout. Van Helsing, as she sees it, was an abandoned child foundand raised, not as a tasty snack, by a family of vampires. He grows to love them, learns their ways and their thoughts, andfinally, desires to become one of them. Needless to say, this does not happen--but the how and why and the consequencesof his decision are wonderfuly handled. This is a terrific collection. . . . Vampire fans will be greatly interested."
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| Van Helsing is the legendary slayer of vampires who was first given life in Bram Stoker's Dracula. The past life of this enigmaticand complex man is somewhat mysterious, and readers are never really sure what drives him to rid the world of vampires withsuch zeal. . . . One might think that basing a collection of stories around a minor character in a book written many years agomight result in watered-down stories. Instead, this collection is compellingly readable. In these stories, Van Helsing takes onmythic proportions. Authors such as Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Tanith Lee, and Christoper Golden pose a number of questions: Was he raised by vampires? Is there a dark secret underlying his need to kill? Does his knight-in-golden-armor act cover aless than admirable history? The authors imagine a number of possibilities that are at times disturbing and surprising. Thisbook will find its readers among the many . . . fans of vampire lore."
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| "I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories in this intriguing book. What a pleasant surprise it should be to many readers to findan anthology like this these days, one that is NOT a shared world series based on a game or TV/Movie media tie-in. . . . Thisis just the kind of anthology a great many readers should relish, presenting stories as it does with a variety of viewpoints from avariety of writers, each with a different take on the character created by Bram Stoker in Dracula over one hundred years ago,Professor Abraham Van Helsing. For example, about all Stoker told us of Van Helsing's private life was that his wife wasinsane and his son dead. . . . I highly recommend this anthology. After all, the editor, Jeanne Cavelos, created and editedthe excellent Abyss horror line at Dell Books a few years back, and anyone who read any of the Abyss novels should have ahigh regard for anything to which the Cavelos name is connected. . . . Standout stories include Thomas Tessier's 'Infestationat Ralls,' Christopher Golden's disturbing 'Venus and Mars,' Rita Oakes's 'Poison in the Darkness,' and the sci-fi themed'Origin of Species' by A. M. Dellamonica. Sometimes lyrical, sometimes visceral, thsi is a damn good anthology. Vampirefans, and all fans of dark, gothic, and horror fiction, will find something to like." |
| "[Of] the 21 stories in The Many Faces of Van Helsing . . . some explain his background, some his inspiration and some theterrible sadness and loss of reputation that came with his quest. . . . Superior efforts in horror fiction [include] ThomasTessier's 'The Infestation at Ralls,' in which Van Helsing must quell another demon menace; J. A. Konrath's 'The Screaming,'in which the vampire hunter has become a vampire himself; 'The Black Wallpaper,' Kim Antieau's obvious homage to CharlottePerkins Gilman's classic horror tale, 'The Yellow Wallpaper'; and Denver authors Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem's 'EmptyMorning,' where Van Helsing plays host at a bizarre tea party."
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| "Let's face it: The movie Van Helsing was less than a box-office success. . . . But Van Helsing remains Bram Stoker's mostenigmatic character, and hints about his past are scattered throughout Dracula. In The Many Faces of Van Helsing, prominentfantasy and horror authors present tales of this original vampire hunter. The stories fall into three distinct categories: thosethat explore Van Helsing's family (an insane wife and a dead son); those that draw directly from the Dracula storyline; andthose that touch on his past, in some cases revealing a prior history with the undead. The tales of Van Helsing's family aretragically poignant stories. . . . Rita Oakes' 'Poison in the Darkness' shows Van Helsing's obsession with vampires stemmingfrom a random vampire attack on his family, and his inability to protect them. Lois Tilton's 'My Dead Madame Mina' draws onStoker's original novel. It posits that Mina, Dracula's chosen bride, wasn't released from his curse when he died. Van Helsingflees with her, hoping to cleanse her of the blood taint. The author slowly weaves in the vampire hunter's obsessive need toatone for those he couldn't save, while showing the lengths to which he'll go to 'save' Mina. Several stories delve into areas ofVan Helsing's personal history that don't involve his wife and child. Of these, Tanith Lee's 'Remember Me' is a standout. Readers watch a young Van Helsing grow up among vampires, coveting the power they possess and wishing to be one ofthem. . . . The narrative turns Stoker's mythos on its ear in intriguing ways. No matter how you imagine Van Helsing'scharacter was shaped, this volume supplies some fascinating ideas as to who he might have been. Skip the movie and pickup this book instead."
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