'Drachenfels' by Kim Newman

Drachenfels by Kim Newman - also known by his pseudonym Jack Yeovil - is a Warhammer Fantasy novel written in 1989 and is now published under, and considered part of, the Warhammer Horror genre. 

The story follows a group of adventurers, led by Crown Prince Oswald and the intriguing vampire, Genevieve, as they travel to the home of the sinister Drachenfels in a quest to defeat him. This novel has a wide range of fully developed characters with an intricate narrative and clear French-Germanic influences. 

What I liked about Drachenfels

Although the characters in this novel started out as borderline adventure quest character stereotypes, they soon grew into 3D and interesting individuals. Even the secondary and tertiary characters became well rounded, which made for more immersive reading.

Consistently vivid descriptions and details really brought the story alive and had me reacting in all the right ways at the right times.

Throughout Drachenfels, every detail and every event had a purpose. By the end of the story, every reason was realised, and I was left with no unanswered questions. A satisfaction readers will know well.

For me, Drachenfels heralded back to the heroic adventure/quest fantasy novels I loved as a child. Yet, the ideology and mythology of vampires in this novel felt like a refreshing twist on the traditional take. I often found myself surprised by the different twists and turns in the narrative.

What I liked best about this novel though is that, although it is a Warhammer Fantasy/Horror story, you do not need to be a Warhammer fan or even know anything at all about the world this tale takes place in to understand and enjoy the narrative. The universality of this book is, to me, a clear sign of fantastic writing on the author’s behalf.

What I didn’t like about Drachenfels

The amount of characters involved in the story made the narrative difficult to completely follow in terms of what was happening, but this wasn’t a constant issue.

What I liked the least about this novel was the fact that there were moments when the writing became too convoluted or used a phrase that interrupted the readability. I would then have to re-read the passage several times to figure out what the author had been trying to say, which broke the immersion of the story. 

My biggest example of this was when, during an intimate moment between the lead vampire, Genevieve, and another character, the author referred to blood as ‘warm and salty’. This was confusing, as I had never heard, or read, of blood being described as salty before. Usually blood is compared to copper in taste. It seemed as the author chose the odd phrase simply to allude to the sexuality that is often associated with vampires when feeding.

Would I recommend this book? My final thoughts on Drachenfels

Yes, I do recommend this novel as it was, overall, a really enjoyable read and a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. There are two more books from this author that focus on the character of Genevieve that I will purchase and read in the future.

Have read this book before? Or plan to do so following this review? Please comment below. I would love to hear what you thought of the book!