Long before the film there was the written word. Long before we settled down in
front of video or now DVD players for our fright-fests, we would read tales of 
terror by candlelight.
For most, this has been lost, however there are still those that prefer the pages
to celluloid or even both and why not?
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stories worth your time to read. If you're an avid reader of horror novels then
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- Dracula - Prince Of Many Faces - His Life And Times. -
- Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally -

Both writers have deep and genuine roots to the topic of this book, traced
through their forebears. Radu is the descendant of an old Romanian noble family 
whose ancestory can be followed back over 500 years to the times of the real 
Dracula. Raymonds paternal ancestor's came from County Mayo in the West of 
Ireland, very close to County Sligo, where the mother of Bram Stoker, the writer
of the novel Dracula, was born.
So there is a little bit of information for you that you probably didn't know.
The real Dracula ruled the territories that are now part of Romania. He was born 
in 1431, the year that Joan of Arc was burned as a witch at the stake in Rouen, 
France. 
During Dracula's period, the Black Death (or bubonic plague), had hit hard and 
reduced to a third the population of Europe. Dracula became a crusader because 
his country was, the one most threatened by the Turks.
Dracula came from a native ruling family the first known ancestor which was 
Basarb the Great, he was a dark ruler of Wallachia of whom little is known but
his name and various legends in the memory of the Romanian people.
Vlad was very unhappy with the drudgery, the petty rivalries and intrigues, 
unhealthy climate and the Germanic surroundings of the emperor's court.
In Febuary 8, 1431 Vlad was inducted in the "Order of the Dragon". They would
wear two cape's, different colors to suit the different occasions, one green, 
the dragon's hue, which was worn over a red garment representing the blood of 
the martyrs, one black, to be worn only on Fridays or during the commemoration 
of Christ's Passion.
Each member of the order was given a golden necklace or collar on which appeared
the insignia of the dragon in a medallion designed by a master craftsman from 
Nuremberg. The dragon was represented with two wings and four paws outstretched,
jaws half open, its tail curled around its head and it's back cleft in two hanging
prostrate on a double cross.
Vlad was called Dracul by the boyars who knew of his honor because he was a Draconist,
a member of the Order of the Dragon, dedicated to fighting Turks and heretics.
People not familiar with his the detail of his order, seeing a dragon on his 
shield, called him Dracul with the meaning of the devil. The word "drac" can 
mean both devil and dragon in the Romanian language. 
In addition to his wife, Vlad had a number of mistresses.
He had many illegitimate offspring.
At a young age Vlad had a morbid curiosity in watching from his first floor 
bedroom, criminal's being led from the small jail in the Council men's Square
to the Jewelers' Donjon, the usual place of excecution by hanging. Which could
explain his future reputation for impaling.
Vlad's main goal, from the moment he set foot on Translyvanian soil, was to 
regain what he thought was his legitimate throne, promised to him by the emperor 
at Nuremberg as a reward in his act of vassalage.
Vlad had a love of inner spiritual peace, solitude and tranquility. He was also
determined to crush the power of the nobility, centralize the administration of
the state and create a military force, loyal only to himself.
With proof of the boyar's deceit and treacherous intents, Dracula decided it 
was time to inflict upon them an exemplary punishment. Thats where impaling came 
into play.
Dracula's innermost religious convictions and his practice's are not really 
known. What is possibly known is his faith was not deep.
To see for himself how things were going, he would roam across the countryside 
in disguise as a self-styled inquisitor, mainly at night. He wanted to see how 
the peasants lived, how they worked and what they thought about. For the one's
who did not respest his tough code, he instituted people's court's in the village's
and would impose a punishment.
Well, before I ruin the whole story behind the complex life of Dracula I shall
leave you to wonder for yourself, what else happened?
The author's did a wonderful job on this book. There is so much to this man I 
didn't know. It is quite imformative. You won't want to put this book down.
A definite must for all you people interested in Dracula. It makes for great 
reading and a great addition to your vampire collection.

Reviewed By Daemon.

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