Print Length: 98 pages
Publisher: Rare Bird Books (April 29, 2025)
From Goodreads.com: Wallachia, 15th century: Vlad the Impaler’s battle against the Ottoman Empire gives rise to a horror beyond imagination. The First Vampire reveals the shocking origin of vampirism, born from a blood plague that transforms the battlefield into a breeding ground for the undead. Through the eyes of Vlad’s eldest son, Andrea, the novella explores the clash between dark magic, loyalty, and an ancient curse that will haunt humanity for generations. This chilling reimagining of Dracula’s origins bridges historical fiction with gothic terror, redefining the boundaries of historical horror for a new generation.
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My Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Full disclaimer, I was expecting to hate this story for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost being that I HATE novellas as I feel they are never executed well enough that it feels like a full story without being rushed. I've also been burned by books in the past promising a "fresh" take on the Dracula story.
And yes, I do fully believe that this story could have (and definitely should have) been longer, but not in the 'it felt rushed' kind of way, but more in the holy hell, I haven't been this captivated by a book (novella or otherwise) in a LONG time. For me, this book was a nearly perfect balance between showing and telling. As I read, I could not only easily picture the landscape, but I could also hear & see the battles as they took place.
The First Vampire is definitely a new take on the legend of Dracula, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author decided to approach it. It seems as though everyone knows the story of Vlad the Impaler, so I appreciated the fact that this story was told mainly from the point-of-view of his son Andrea. I found Andrea's internal conflict to be not only interesting, but pivotal to the story itself. What would have happened if Vlad had left Andrea at home, doing what he did best (using magic with his mother to apparently help turn the tides in the favor of his father's conquering army) instead of insisting he come with him as part of that army?
It is that black and white, good vs evil conundrum that this novella later explores, which was something else that I didn't expect. The way that they dealt with those who couldn't control themselves, but then purposely turned others was something that I wish had been explored more. I also loved the way that the author included Romanian spellings for certain words, and had the incantations spoken by Andrea and his mother Isabella also be in the native tongue of the man who sparked the legend.
But the one thing that stuck out to me (I like history what can I say), is the fact that Vlad didn't have a son named Andrea in real life. And before anyone comes for me about this being a work of fiction; which trust me I KNOW; but if the author is going to go to the trouble of naming Mihnea cel Rău who was the ACTUAL eldest son of Vlad, then they could have also made Andrea the youngest son since that one disappeared from all records after 1495.
A disappearing son would have worked wonders to purpurate the whole vampire thing, just saying.
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