Rating: 
Summary: The inigma and the man
Review: I found "Dracula: Prince of Many Faces" to be a fastinating and accurate portrayal of the man behind the vampire ledgend. The noted historians who wrote this book frequently quoted original sources, which I as a historian see as a very solid foundation. They were very good about pointing out Dracula's qualities - excellent military leader, devotion to strenthening his nation - along with his violent excesses. They also tell us that his crimes against humanity were not considered uncommon in his day. The uncommon part was found in the huge number of exections rather than in their cruelty. He was both a charasmatic leader and a vicious tyrant - truly a complex figure of early Renaissance history. I found it very instrumental in the research I did for my own book, "Vlad, a novel" and would strongly recommend it for historians and non-historians alike.
"Vlad, a novel" is available at Amazon.com
Rating:
Summary: The inigma and the man
Review: I found "Dracula: Prince of Many Faces" to be a fastinating and accurate portrayal of the man behind the vampire ledgend. The noted historians who wrote this book frequently quoted original sources, which I as a historian see as a very solid foundation. They were very good about pointing out Dracula's qualities - excellent military leader, devotion to strenthening his nation - along with his violent excesses. They also tell us that his crimes against humanity were not considered uncommon in his day. The uncommon part was found in the huge number of exections rather than in their cruelty. He was both a charasmatic leader and a vicious tyrant - truly a complex figure of early Renaissance history. I found it very instrumental in the research I did for my own book, "Vlad, a novel" and would strongly recommend it for historians and non-historians alike.
"Vlad, a novel" is available at Amazon.com
Rating:
Summary: its a good book
Review: i think this is one of the better books about Dracula because its the true story.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I'm a college professor in History and next semester I'll be offering a special course titled Dracula and his Contemporaries. I have chosen Prince of Many Faces as one of the required readings after reading most of what is available on Vlad in English. Florescu's biography is impossible to put down. It is written for the general public and is scholarly at the same time. The title tells us exactly what we will find in the book. But it also provides a selection of translated contemporary sources which allows us to savor the contemporaty attitudes towards the Impaler.
Rating: 
Summary: Real Life Vlad Scarier than Bram Stoker's Character
Review: I, like many readers and movie fans, was pretty familiar with Bram Stoker's "Dracula" as a character. And as a history student, I was always intrigued by the settings and history alluded to by the books and films. This book by co-authors Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally fills in the gaps on Vlad the Impaler's upbringing, his history, his family, and his place in the world of Eastern Europe and the Carpathian mountains. The narrative is clear and well written, and it is not too academic in tone. It can be used strictly as a background source on Eastern European 15th century history, but I found it very entertaining to read simply on its own. This book is eerie and macabre without trying too hard...these are rare traits for any type of history book. If you love history and horror, then you can't go wrong with Dracula: Prince of Many Faces.
Rating:
Summary: Real Life Vlad Scarier than Bram Stoker's Character
Review: I, like many readers and movie fans, was pretty familiar with Bram Stoker's "Dracula" as a character. And as a history student, I was always intrigued by the settings and history alluded to by the books and films. This book by co-authors Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally fills in the gaps on Vlad the Impaler's upbringing, his history, his family, and his place in the world of Eastern Europe and the Carpathian mountains. The narrative is clear and well written, and it is not too academic in tone. It can be used strictly as a background source on Eastern European 15th century history, but I found it very entertaining to read simply on its own. This book is eerie and macabre without trying too hard...these are rare traits for any type of history book. If you love history and horror, then you can't go wrong with Dracula: Prince of Many Faces.
Rating:
Summary: THE Definitive Book on the Man Behind the Myth
Review: In an earlier review I wrote regarding Dr. McNally's work on Robert Louis Stevenson, I noted that I had been a student of his in college. In reviewing this book, rather than discuss the meat of what lies within, I thought I would relate a couple of stories related to me by Professor McNally.The first is that the opening of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula film was inspired directly by the writings in McNally and Florescu's two Dracula books, although there was a bit of tiff over the fact no credit was given. The second tidbit came later in that semester, when I caught an "In Search Of..." episode on A&E which detailed the search for Dracula's castle and featured some rube gumming happily to the camera over his discovery. Well, the next day I tracked down the Professor and mentioned it to him. Befitting his status as the "Dracula professor", he let out this deep, rumbling and, well...evil, laugh. He was well acquainted with the special, and the simple fact was the castle in the special was the wrong one! In fact, as Prof. McNally evidenced in class soon after with a nifty little highlight video from the late 70's/early '80's, he and Radu Florescu had gained their noteriety by being the ones to find and prove which castle belonged to the historical Vlad. These two stories evidenced for me, and ought to evidence for the prospective buyer, that Ray McNally and his longtime associate Radu Florescu are the definitive academics on the historical Vlad and the legend of Dracula. If you are interested in the man and the myth, then you need go no further than "Dracula: Prince of Many Faces" and "In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires".
Rating:
Summary: Bloodthirsty By Any Definition
Review: It is a truism to say that Vlad the Impaler, the fifteenth century, is a distinct character from the vampire "Dracula" of Bram Stoker's novel. But, as this fascinating study shows, there is a common essence to both stories: that of a a relentlessly cruel, bloodthirsty force mercilessly consuming all before it. Vlad spent part of his early life in a Turkish prison and it was through the Ottomans that he apparently developed a fondness for impalement. When later he fled to his native Wallachia to assume his late father's throne, he initiated a veritable explosion of state terror, especially against the nobility. Later, he was to prove his acumen as a great general, fighting off the Sultan's troops and impaling an entire division of Turkish janissaries. One detail spotted by Florescu and McNally is evident on the front-cover: Look at Vlad's face (click on the cover image to expand) and it seems Vlad had some sort of condition that caused a protruding lower lip. As the authors point out, this (and possible impotence) may have contributed to, or compounded, the insecurities which fueled Dracula's many cruelties. Aside from this sort of rich bigraphical detail, the authors also give an illuminating portrait of Eastern Europe on the cusp of the renaissance.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of Romanian history during Tepes reign
Review: More a study of the region than of the prince who inspired the Dracula tales, this book offers a rich picture of the circumstances of Vlad Dracul's era.
Thick in geographical data, this book only falls short if you're looking for a book that focuses on Vlad Dracul himself. This is more of a study of the people and circumstances that spawned him than a deep look at the man himself. While battles are detailed, this is not an account full of gory details or one that gives much emotional impact. Even while describing the Prince's work ethic, religious beliefs and family history, you don't get much of a feeling for Vlad the man, who he cared for, why he hated the people he did and why he was rumored to be so bloodthirsty.
This is a superb look at roughly 50 years of Romanian history in the mid to late 1400s, but there are better books out there if you're looking for a more graphic and personal view of Vlad the Impaler.
Rating:
Summary: A great question mark
Review: Most Romanians still think of the real Dracula (or Vlad Tepes as we call him) as a national hero who battled against the Turks and put the burgeouise and gypsies in their proper place (ie on stakes). So reading this book was even more interesting for me. Every country seems to have had its own perspective on Dracula's life. In any case, whether he was one of the greatest serial murdering tyrant or a determined ruler or a bloodthirsty sadist he makes for one hell of an interesting read. THIS REVIEW IS CANCELLED For more Romanian insight see Tarnish: Bridge over Clouds and 11 Year Old Refugee...
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