Here's the synopsis:

Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor'. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history. In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright - a hunt for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the Dracula myth. Deciphering obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions, and evading terrifying adversaries, one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions - a captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable.

I really enjoyed the story but the problem was it was way too slow in parts and sometimes felt like a bit of a lecture. Could have done with being 100 pages shorter in my opinion. It picked up a lot towards the end though.

Turning this one into a bookray, here's the list:

LaPitchoune (Finland, post pref Europe)
lunacia (Norway, post Int)
Falmouth (Germany, post Int)
soleille (Germany, post Int)
tootshelling (Germany, post Int)
bookworm76 (Australia, post Int)
carelaisa (Canada, post pref US/Canada)
Arwen-Galadriel (Canada, post Int)
turnpages (UK, post Europe)


It seems that this was lost in the post between lunacia and Falmouth (see journal entry below).

Yorkshire-lass has donated her copy to complete the ray, here's a link

The book arrived today. Thanks! I started reading immediately and it seems like a good catch!

EDIT June 23
I have less than a third yet to read but I thought I'd write a few words about my reading experience so far. I took this book with me on two separate summer holiday trips. Despite its size, I find The Historian an excellent travel companion. Where I went the weather was mostly grim, the air heavy with rain and thunder, so you can imagine how well the atmosphere suited the story. I have most liked the supposed facts about Vlad, the biological warfare, the watchtower and all such things that are just amazing in their true creepiness.

The author is doing quite well in juggling between history, travelling and vampire horror. The vampire plot is not going over the top, even though some events do seem a bit outrageous. Some details, like the spiderweb omen, are just neat. In addition, the reader gets a chance to visit at least Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul, Romania and France.

The fluency with which the characters survive in Europe make me smile, because I recently read an article in which an American musician described the huge cultural gap between America and Europe, and how un-American Europe is. But what makes the characters interesting is that they are not just citizens of a single country. The author has made everyone a mixture of a little something more (take the Scottish gypsy for instance). An easy trick, but it works for me. I find the characters a lot more credible, amusing and deeper in significance.

EDIT June 25

I am so exhausted! My eyes are tired of reading and I`m glad it`s over. This has been the longest book I`ve read in a while. There was a point in the story (or rather not a point but a part entirely) which was almost intolerably boring. That was around the chapters between 46 and fifty/sixty-something, consisting of letters concerning some insignificant side characters. Also, the ending was ok but I had expected a little something more. What troubled me was that in the end, Vlad was hardly better than a wimp.

I thought about giving the book an 8, but settled for 7 instead. You can imagine a + there if you like.

All in all, I liked the details best, and having traveled in some of the places myself, I smiled at the mention of `palinka`. Another thing to make me smile was the title `evil librarian`. Hilarious!

I`m going to hunt down Lunacia`s address now and once I`ve got it, I`ll send this to Norway (this week, if possible), hoping the other members of the ring will receive and appreciate this book as best they can. Bon voyage!

Got this in the mail Friday 27 June. This is a book I've been wanting to read for ages, so I'm very much looking forward to read it!

I started reading this today. I haven't gotten very far yet (I'm a slow reader), but I'm very much enjoying it so far. It might keep me awake tonight... ;)

EDIT 24 July 2008:

I'm sorry that 's taking so long for me to read this. I have a bit of problems focusing after the car accident (frontal with another car) I was involved in in the beginning of July, so it's taking much more time to read for me these days. I wasn't badly injured, but still have pain and have images popping up in my head... I hope to be done with it in not too long though.

I managed to fall asleep three or four times while reading the last page last night, because I was so tired. But I was determined to finish this book, and very stubborn, so I refused to put it away. *laughs*

It has been a quite good read, but there were some parts I think she could have cut out. At times it felt a bit long, but most of the time it was ejoyable. I liked it, but it's not "up there" among my favourites.

I will try to send this to the next participant on the list next week, when the post office is open again (it's not on Sundays).

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'm posting this to Falmouth today or tomorrow.

Thanks for letting me read it!

Unfortunately it looks like this one got lost in the post, here's the story from Falmouth

'Some weeks ago Lunacia asked me for my address to send me the book. Last week I received a package from Norway with no senders name and no other comments regarding to what was inside the envelope. But since I don't know anybody else in Norway, and Lunacia is Norwegian I supposed that the envelope held the book. Unfortunately the envelope has had an adventurous trip to me, as it has been ripped open and resealed with plastic tape over and over. Only: the one who opened it managed to put the wrong items back into the
envelope. Instead of the book I received 2 potholders and a notebook together with a note to somebody named "Sharon" written by somebody named "Barbara". I neither know a Sharon nor a Barbara. I have discussed this all with Lunacia who told me that she definetely didn't send such a parcel. However, I took a photo of the envelope and mailed it to her and she recognized her handwriting. I complained about it at the postoffice, but they told me that there is no way to find out when or where the envelope was opened and what happened to the book. I can only hope that the one who got it loves reading and doesn't throw it into the bin right away.'

Hopefully it'll turn up again one day.