Dracula the Undead: A Chilling Sequel to Dracula

“Dracula the Undead is a rich sequel, the best out there... capturing the romantic and gothic spirit of the Victorian era... with great pacing and a creative plot.” – Darkcornerbooks .com
A chilling sequel to DRACULA by Bram Stoker that recaptures that atmospheric mystery and horror of the original. Winner of the Dracula Society's BEST GOTHIC NOVEL Award. In 1997, to celebrate 100 years since the first publication of DRACULA by Bram Stoker, Penguin Books asked Freda Warrington - on the strength of her "A Taste of Blood Wine" vampire series - to write a sequel in celebration of the original Dracula.
"Seven years ago we all went through the flames... In the summer of this year we made a journey to Transylvania, and went over the old ground which was, and is, to us so full of vivid memories... The castle stood as before, reared high above a waste of desolation." - from Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula the Undead takes up the story where Bram Stoker left off - with the return of Mina, Jonathan, Dr van Helsing and their friends to the setting of their horrific final encounter with Count Dracula. There they meet the scholar Professor Kovacs and his niece Elena. But their visit causes something Undead to stir. Deep beneath the earth, Dracula's fierce soul lies in limbo, disembodied and desperate to regain his lifeblood. Elena begins to be haunted by a mysterious wolf... and thus the vampire Count's devilish plan is set in motion, with some shocking twists along the way.
“Dracula the Undead by Freda Warrington is a true rarity – a sequel to a literary classic that doesn’t pale in comparison... She does Stoker proud in her deft handing of horror and suspense.” – Setisays .blogspot
**From Publishers Weekly
Warrington's so-so sequel to Bram Stoker's classic has the misfortune to follow on the heels of a superior sequel with a nearly identical title, Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt's Dracula: The Un-Dead (Reviews, Aug. 24). Seven years after Van Helsing and the rest of the vampire hunters ended Dracula's existence, the survivors return to Transylvania to perform a Christian cleansing ritual and to reassure themselves the evil is truly destroyed. No one will be surprised when their journey ends up triggering the monster's resurrection. Once again, the count threatens the body and soul of Mina Harker, whom he pursued in Stoker's Dracula. Amid less than compelling variations on the original plot, Warrington (Elfland) throws in a subplot about the search undertaken by a professor friend of Van Helsing's for an academy run by the devil, whose students included Dracula, but its resolution will satisfy few. (Dec.)
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Review
Originally published (as a mass-market title) in the UK in 1997, this is a direct sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel. It's set seven years after the end of Dracula. The vampire is dead, supposedly, and Jonathan and Mina Harker are still haunted by the memories of that terrible time. Although it seems a bit improbable, the Harkers, along with the vampire hunter Van Helsing, decide that the best way to unclutter their minds is to go back to Transylvania; they join up with Emil and Elena Kovacs, bound for Transylvania to paint landscapes. Skipping to the meat of the story, it turns out Dracula isn't dead after all (there's a reason they call vampires the "undead," after all), and soon he's terrorizing Jonathan, Mina, and Van Helsing. The author sticks closely to Stoker's original format, telling the story through letters and journal entries, and the prose, while a bit purple at times, evokes the creeping dread of Stoker's own style. A worthy sequel to Dracula, though not destined to become a classic in its own right. --Booklist, 15th October 2009