There are many novels out there, but there is so little time. When I hurt my back and found myself glued to my bed, here is what I read, Vlad, The Last Confession, by C.C. Humphreys and here is my review.

Vlad, The Last Confession – The Official Summary

A superb gothic novel about the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler – one of history’s greatest psychopaths or a hero of the West? Perhaps both…

‘A chilling masterpiece that weaves fact and fable. Bedtime reading? Only if you don’t need much sleep…’ 

BEST DRACULA. A name of horror, depravity and the darkest sensuality.

Yet the real Dracula was just as alluring, just as terrifying, his story not of a monster but of a man – and a contradiction. The one they called ‘The Devil’s Son’ was both tyrant and lawgiver, crusader and mass slaughterer, torturer and hero, lover and murderer.

His tale is told by those who knew him best. The only woman he ever loved, who he must sacrifice. His closest comrade and traitor. And his priest, betraying the secrets of the confessional to reveal the mind of the man history would forever remember as Tepes – ‘The Impaler.’

But Vlad’s actions defy such labels. His extraordinary life burns with passion, taking him from his years as hostage to the Turk, through torture, battle, triumph and betrayal, ultimately to a last crusade – there perhaps, beneath the twin banners of the Dragon and the Cross, to find redemption for his innumerable sins.

The Retelling Of A Romanian Hero’s Life

Vlad the Impaler is my hero, and if you ask people around me, the love of my life. My obsession with Vlad III goes back to my teenage years. I consider myself a medievalist enthusiast, for I desire to read and learn, but not the education necessary to call myself such.

My passion for medieval history dragged me into its tales, legends and folklore at a young age, but when I discovered Vlad and Romania, it all became clear: I’m Gothic. Haha. But really, I found a man who had no vanity, no greed, only a desire to defend the borders of his land against those he was raised to push back, the Turks. 

Because Vlad III Tepes became synonymous with horror and worse, we know him to be a villain because Hollywood tends to amplify everything. Again, he is a horrifying villain. Because an Irish author named Bram Stoker loosely based his vampire on a tale he heard, Dracula forever became Dracula. I’m not sure if he would be proud or confused.

The bottom line is that writing about a man who became a legend while living is hard. Reality and fiction coexisted while Vlad breathed, making it harder to separate the man from the legend. However, authors are willing to spend endless hours to find the closest truth possible. C.C. Humphreys is one of them and succeeded with Vlad, The Last Confession. Let’s look at his work!

The Making Of A Hero Begins With Animals

* The website is for movies, but I can confirm no animal cruelty.
** A beloved horse’s death is in the book – she dies quickly and as a hero.

Vlad wasn’t a torturer of animals but one who enjoyed their company as long as they belonged to good people or weren’t rats. So, no worries, there is no depiction of violence against animals in C.C. Humphreys’ book! He passes the test of: *www.doesthedogdie.com 

Other triggers may include gore, violence, depiction of medieval torture, historical fights, battles, death, miscarriage, sexual assault, dungeons, religion, drug use, and a pinch of coarse language.

Although it is the perfect recipe for my taste, I realize it might not be for everyone. However, going into a novel named Vlad might be a giveaway of what to expect. Also, believe me, most of those triggers aren’t surprisingly what you’d expect!

Each trigger has its place, for it was part of Vlad the Impaler’s life and, therefore, story. Living in the Middle Ages, high or low on the timeline, became a synonym for betrayal, treason, wars, and death. Vlad faced his mortality many times in his life, and it followed him everywhere, so go in prepared.

My Thoughts On The Writing & Rhythm

C.C. Humphreys did his homework and worked very hard to find the pieces of the most complicated puzzle. Writing about the Middle Ages is challenging, but picking a subject as obscure as Vlad the Impaler is an obstacle of its own.

Vlad the Impaler’s life is not as documented as one would believe it to be. While many scripts and bits of history can retell the tales of legends, Vlad’s life wasn’t lucky. Much of his time on Earth was archived by his enemies, rarely his allies, but some did write about him. 

The novel tells a possible outcome of Vlad the Impaler’s life from his years as a late teenager alongside his younger brother Radu and right-hand man, Ion, to the ‘last day’ of his life. We hear a little about his father, Vlad II. The pace is steady, and the rhythm just as quickly followed. The writing isn’t pretentious, yet we can clearly believe we are in medieval times.

Because Vlad III’s life is a puzzle, C.C. Humphreys did a marvellous job connecting historical events and filling the gaps with high probabilities. Enough is known about Vlad’s life to create a living person out of him if one reads enough and does the necessary research about him. You need a little obsession and determination, two characteristics Humphreys proved he has.

The Reality vs. The Legend vs. The Man

The story revolves around Vlad’s life through the eyes of people incredibly close to him. We hear from his right-hand man, Ion, his only true love, Ilona, and a priest who served as his personal confessor. 

Gathered in Vlad’s fortress, now known as the Poenari Castle in Romania, they each find their place in a confessional to reveal their place in the prince’s life. They each tell the part they played, recreating the life of Vlad Dracula, the man, the prince, the monster.

Those who listen and write about it are those we believe organized the reunion. A count and fellow dragon from the Order, Vlad was a part of his whole life. There is a Cardinal sent by the pope to judge if Vlad’s actions were justified and worthy of forgiveness to restore the Dragon banner as a true force. Then we have a Wallachian Spatar who welcomes everyone within the castle to hear of the prince who became a beast.

I believe Ilona’s character was created from the real royal mistress Vlad had. She desired to have him to herself alone. To achieve it, she lied about carrying his child. Vlad believed her until she had no other choice than to say she wasn’t pregnant.

“Let the world see where I have been.”

Vlad the Impaler

Vlad despised lies, besides the Turks, more than anything else in his life. It is a constant in his personality that he abhorred liars. So, to maintain his reputation and grip, he flayed his mistress and gutted her like a fish. She was placed in the middle of the town with his words written beside her corpse.

As for Ilona’s character, she seems to carry a lot of the mistress mentioned in her arc. As well as portraying Katharina Siegel, a German Saxon woman who became his royal mistress. She stole Vlad’s heart for over twenty years. She was his one true love, but he could never marry her.

The Historical Life Of The Son Of The Dragon

Many historical events depicted in the book are natural to the story. By that, I mean it is written effortlessly as if it belongs in the novel simply because it does. The feel of the story is organic and believable. 

Quickly, you find yourself engrossed in each portion of Vlad Dracula’s life. It’s easy to separate fiction from reality as the novel is written as a possible and plausible life for the prince of Wallachia.

As a fan of Assassin’s Creed for its accuracy in history, I also read the novels based on the franchise by Oliver Bowden. When reading Vlad The Last Confession, I felt like it was an AC novel. The pace, the events, the structure and the syntax reminded me of a good action read with a solid historical outline.

For Vlad Dracula! Prince Of Wallachia!

Those who know Vlad Dracula’s story know how it all ends. But the fascination with his life is about his journey, not as much the destination or where it stops. The novel has a strong foundation and depicts the important moments of his life. I often found myself smiling, “Hey! That guy!” or “I remember the nails and turbans!”

All the stories we heard or read about are within Vlad, The Last Confession. I highly recommend the book to those who don’t know the hero that Vlad Dracula is as much as I recommend it to those who know him. It is a wonderful story worth a read. The thickness of the book is a good length. I won’t lie. I devoured it in two sittings. I didn’t want to put it down.

OCD Vampire