The Real Dracula. Son of the Dragon, Vengeful Madman and Other Faces of Vlad Tepes

Enemies branded him as a mad psychopath and a “flesh butcher,” supporters—as a cruel but fair politician, and subjects revered him as a great lord and hero who stood against the Ottoman Turks.

When the co-authors of this book first read Bram Stoker's novel “Dracula,” they doubted that the plot about a blood-thirsty vampire was merely a tribute to the traditions of the gothic horror novel. Studying the life story of the real Dracula, they confirmed their suspicions: contemporaries and historians simultaneously called the real Vlad Tepes, the prototype of the famous vampire count, both a “bloodsucker” and “the most interesting personality in history.” His complex, contradictory character was a product of his time, when feudal ideas and the power of the church had not yet been entirely eradicated, and the value of human life was pitifully low.

After reading this thrilling historical research, you will agree that compared to the real Dracula, the fictional vampire count looks rather pale!