I was first introduced to the works of Kim Newman with the novel Anno Dracula, which envisions a world where Van Helsing, and his crew fail to defeat the undead count. As such Dracula rises to the position of Prince Consort, and Lord Protector of England by marrying Queen Victoria. Vampires become commonplace in the world and society becomes stratified between the warm and the undead. The Anno Dracula verse weaves together a narrative from many sources creating an alternate timeline where dozens of literary and historical characters meet. Taking place 1959 Rome, Dracula Cha Cha Cha serves as a fitting sequel to its predecessor however doesn’t match its charm.
Anyone who is anyone has flocked to Rome to witness as Dracula prepares to marry Princess Asa Vajda. The union of the two elder vampires is expected to create a political force capable of uniting all undead under a single banner. Many parties are interested in the union, British Intelligence, the Soviet KGB, movie producers, and reporters. Even the heroes of the First Anno Dracula novel, the elderly Charles Beauregard, and the vampire Geneviève Dieudonné are in attendance. The most dangerous of those in Rome is the enigmatic Mater Lachrymarum, (Aka the Mother of Tears). The immortal spirit of the city has no love for the undead.
The greatest strength of Dracula Cha Cha Cha is synthesizing many genres into a singular supernatural thriller. It captures the spirit of 1959 wonderfully, with fears of nuclear war, elements of the space race, countless references to the films of Federico Fellini. I enjoyed how the Mother of Tears used the Scarlet Executioner from the Bloody Pit of Horror as her pawn. A British agent named Bond even makes an appearance. This Commander “Hammish” Bond is decidedly not Ian Flemming’s character, though the homage is apparent nonetheless. I recommend reading Dracula Cha Cha Cha with wikipedia and IMDB readily available to guarantee no references are missed. There are even some meta textual examinations to the Anno Dracula series itself.
Reading about the characters from the first Anno Dracula book in a new context was like seeing old friends again. It was interesting to see Bond connected to Beauregard through British Intelligence. Despite his age of 105 Beauregard is still a force to be reckoned with. The most interesting was to see what became of Penelope Churchward after vowing to become a monster in the first novel.
However fun the various references and shout outs were, though it tries the novel had a difficult time finding its emotional center. Though the love between Charles and Genevieve is genuine and touchingly tragic, as Charles prepares for the end of his life, this subplot plays out too early in the novel. Charles and Genevieve’s romance were such an integral part of the first story the void left after that storyline concluded was considerable. Kate Reed’s existential crisis could have provided the emotional center the novel required. She worries if she is simply an undead automaton existing through some biological mechanical quirk? Is she a soulless demon or does she have an immortal spirit? These are all common themes for a vampire to deal with. Her encounter with an actual supernatural force provides her with faith in the spiritual beyond. Her whirlwind romance with Italian journalist Marcello could have explored her ability to feel emotion but it never amounted to much more that a blur of sex and blood. The elements were there but failed to coalesce into anything substantive.
I would recommend Dracula Cha Cha Cha to anyone with an interest in alternate history fiction, a fan of vampire stories, and of course anyone who has read the other novels in the Anno Dracula Series. Though not as good as the first book it’s still a fun read.
