This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
Vlad the Impaler: Blood Prince of Wallachia
Published by Avalanche Press
Written by Mike Benninghof and John R. Pythyon, Jr.
64 b&w pages; $16.95
With the Witching Season upon us and all thoughts at d20 Weekly on horror, what better book to review than that which introduces the granddaddy fiend of the genre, Dracula?
While Dracula was a work of fiction, a product of the mind of Victorian author Bram Stoker, there is some historical basis to the character and, at the very least, Stoker appears to have been heavily influenced by Eastern European legends. The "real" Dracula was a bloodthirsty and maniacal tyrant by the name of Vlad Tepes, ruler of medieval Transylvania for a short spell in the 15th century. Tepes was infamous for his passion for impaling people and his fanatical resistance to the Turks. He took the name Dracul for himself, meaning "Son of the Dragon," because his father had been made a member of the knightly Order of the Dragon. Ironically, Dracul also means "the Devil," an apt moniker for this monster.
This, then, is the focus of Avalanche Press' Vlad the Impaler, Blood Prince of Wallachia. At 64 pages, this book is larger than others of the historical adventure-sourcebook line published by Avalanche Press, but like the others it sports a gorgeous cover painting depicting scantily clad females. Layout is similar to its predecessors, with a two-column format, little wasted space, and legible text that doesn't pad the book by being overly large.
In what is a marked improvement . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: October 23, 2002
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