Robert E. Lory – Dracula’s Gold

Robert E. Lory – Dracula’s Gold (New English Library, 1974)

Blurb:

Castle Dracula. The Vampire’s original rocky fortress in Transylvania. A place of the dead – and of the undead.

In the mist and eerie moonlight, a ghostlike form lies waiting and two young lovers die in the menacing shadows. Their throats were horribly slashed. The suspect – DRACULA. But the aristocratic Count claims innocence… this time…

The key to the perpetrator of the foul deed lies in the wolf-haunted tunnels of Dracula Mountain. Will Dracula reveal the hidden secret behind his hoard of gold – his only key to inmocence?

Resurrected by the mysterious Dr. Harmon, Dracula haunts the pages of this tale of horror, the fourth in the series of THE RETURN OF DRACULA.

Thanks to Andreas Decker for the cover scan.

Harry Ludlam – A Biography Of Bram Stoker

Harry Ludlam – A Biography Of Bram Stoker: Creator Of Dracula (New English Library, 1977)

Blurb:

DRACULA … the most terrifying and macabre character ever to be fictionalised in the field of the supernatural,has been the subject of innumerable books, plays and films and even now, nearly a century after Bram Stoker wrote his book Dracula, the legend continues to horrify and frighten people: the world over.

BUT what of Bram Stoker, the author of this sinister masterpiece? Had he never written his tale, his name would still be remembered as a newspaper editor, scholar, theatre critic and close associate of the actor, Henry Irving. A man of enormous physical stature, he was also a man of enormous and powerful imagination. In this book, Harry Ludlam has with painstaking research and dedication drawn a fascinating picture of Stoker – a man whose name is almost as legendary as Dracula himself.

Robert Lory – The Witching Of Dracula

Robert Lory – The Witching Of Dracula (New English Library, 1977)

When the blood countess returns, even Dracula is filled with horror!

Blurb:

One afternoon a fine, strong young man named Janos strayed too far into the solemn hills above his tiny Hungarian village. Suddenly he came upon an ancient castle, a dark, mysterious place where, according to legend, a young woman had been murdered many years before.

Venturing down into the cavernous dungeons, Janos discovered the legendary bed chamber. If the stories were true… this was the place! The place where Elizabeth Bathory had been walled up to die!

Then he saw it. A small skeleton crumpled before a massive iron gateway. Was it Elizabeth Bathory? Fighting a desire to turn and run, Janos crept past the bleached bones to the inner chamber. There, in the center of the room, was a huge, dust-covered glass box.

Trembling, he wiped the dust away. His eyes widened with horror. Inside was the body of a beautiful naked woman!

The fifth of nine novels in the original Pinnacle series (NEL only reprinted six) sees Dracula reunited with his old sparring partner, Elizabeth Bathory, the ex-Bloody Countess who has since reinvented herself as a psychic sponge and is out to destroy the old count!

Who did the NEL covers for the Dracula Returns series? This, the first and Drums look to have something of the Bruce Pennington about them …

McNally & Florescu – In Search Of Dracula

Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu – In Search Of Dracula: A True History Of Dracula And Vampire Legends (Nel-Mentor, 1975)

illustrated Back cover blurb ” — there are such things as vampires; some of us have evidence that they exist.” So wrote Bram Stoker in his now famous horror novel Dracula. This was the first work of fiction to pick up on the centuries-old legends of vampires and transform that incarnate Prince of Evil, Count Dracula, into a ‘hero’ of novels, plays and particularly, films. The two researchers, McNally and Florescu, have delved through the layers of legend and myth to the origins of the legend, to Vlad Dracul, a 15th century nobleman of Wallachia, nicknamed ‘the Impaler because of his delight in impaling his enemies, alive, on wooden stakes. The authors trace the intertwined reality and myth to the twentieth century cult, revealing much that is fascinating, much that is truly horrific. The source for many horror novels (notably Peter Tremayne’s Dracula Unborn), this is a well regarded study of Vlad the Impaler, the ‘real’ Dracula, which includes translations of several 15th Century documents and purports to tell the story of Vlad the Impaler. Also includes a 16 page photo spread and handy checklist of Countess Bathory, Stoker and Dracula in film and literature.

Robert Lory – The Drums Of Dracula

Robert Lory – The Drums Of Dracula (NEL, Feb. 1976)

Robert Lory - The Drums Of Dracula

Blurb:

Jenny Harmon, Professor Harmon’s young niece, is staying in Jamaica to study the mysterious and infamous cult of voodoo. But her investigations anger the hostile followers of the forbidden religion. She is kidnapped — and a ransom note is delivered to her uncle demanding $500,000 or she will die screaming!

Only a power of greater evil than those of the voodoo witchdoctors and their terrible zombie slaves can save young Jenny. Dr Harmon is forced once again to turn to Count Dracula for aid — the most dreaded creature of the night, the greatest vampire of all, whom Dr Harmon has resurrected through his great knowledge.

A violent battle for supremacy is played out against the throbbing of voodoo drums and the dark Caribbean night.

Review by Franklin Marsh:

We’re off to Jamaica for some voodoo in this one. Sound ridiculous? It is but Lory somehow keeps it compelling. Just like the Hammer Draculas you wish the Count had more …er…page time. Lory is on top form whenever the Lord of the Vampires is around. He’s used sparingly though but to very good effect. Our heroine Jenny arrives on the island, upsets the locals within minutes, changes into a skimpy bathing costume, is caught by the voodooists and chained up naked. You can’t ask for much more than this. Lory deflects accusations of sexism by having Cam captured and chained up naked too. At last – equality in exploitation! Tops for atmosphere and zips along faster than you can query any plot holes. Dracula may be on the side of the good guys but he still exudes evil given a chance.