The Many Faces of Van Helsing

By Jeanne Cavelos

Book Overview

First introduced in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Van Helsing was the ultimate adversary for the vampire--as complex as the fiend he relentlessly pursued. In this anthology, masters of horror and fantasy give Van Helsing his due as they reimagine the history and adventures of the original vampire hunter--the greatest foe of the most evil icon in literary history. Featuring C. Dean Anderson - Kim Antieau - William D. Carl - Adam-Troy Castro - A.M. Dellamonica - Kris Dikeman - Christopher Golden - Joe Hill - Brian Hodge - Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Sarah Kelderman - Kathe Koja - J.A. Konrath - Tanith Lee - Thomas E. Monteleone - Rita Oakes - Chris Roberson - Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Steve Resnic Tem & Melanie Tem - Thomas Tessier - Lois Tilton

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441011705
• ISBN13: 9780441011704
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A wide variety of takes on one mysterious man

When purchasing this book, I was interested to see so many different author's takes on one of the most elusive and interesting characters in vampire fiction. There is a wide range of takes on the character, with a great many centering around one of two women: either his insane wife (the vast majority) or Mina Harker (two or three). This son is also the focal point of quite a few, but by far my favorite story in the entire...

A Clever Concept . . . well exceuted

ALmost all of the stories fell within the theme of the book. Very few were just standard vampire hunters, and some like Chris Golden's and Joe Hill's were very much outside the box. While more traditional than some of the others, the Monteleone story very much captured the turn of the century sense of wonder and other-worldly aspect of Van Helsing's mission--and had a GREAT twist at the end.This is a fun book. Get it.

Excellent concept, and what an anthology ought to be!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories in this intriguing book. What a pleasant surprise it should be to many readers to find an anthology like this these days, one that is NOT a shared world series based on a game or TV/Movie media tie-in. As such, this more "traditional" anthology might at first glance confuse some readers who are not used to having stories in an anthology sometimes contradict one another. But this...

Great anthology

Standout stories include Thomas Tessier's "Infestation at Ralls" Christopher Golden's disturbing "Venus and Mars", Rita Oaks's "Poison in the Darkness" and the sci-fi themed "Origin of the Species" by A.M. Dellamonica.Sometimes lyrical, sometimes visceral, this is a damn good anthology. Vampire fans, and all fans of dark, gothic, and horror fiction, will find something to like.

J.A. Konrath makes this book as scary as it is!

J.A. Konrath wrote the first story and it sure did creep me out! I highly recommend getting this book of stories just for that one alone. Plus this Konrath has a book coming out in May or June which I'll be picking up as soon as its available! I'd consider this a must read!