The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood

The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood - Volume 1 by Shane O'Neill is a magnificent achievement. Shane has expertly combined the classic vampire myth with medieval history in such a way as to entertain with gallons, no lakes of blood. Immediately, from page 1, the reader is dragged through a battle scene that I can only describe as brutal in the extreme, but tempered by fleshed out character descriptions. During this battle with the Turks, Vlad III Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia is mortally wounded by devious assassins. Close to death, he seeks the comfort of a chapel where Lucifer comes to him and offers the deal of the lifetime. Dracula takes the offer and from there on suffers the loneliness of a vampire demon, only to come to life when feeding from the living. But there is a price to pay - Dracula must do one thing for Lucifer, just one small thing - destroy the Catholic Church and pave the way for his return as the dominant force on earth and in heaven. Dracula travels far and wide to Italy, London and Germany where he alters history to Lucifer's benefit. Shane deftly uses real life famous historical people to involve Dracula's devious plan and it works wondrously. So if you fancy an intelligent read of historical fantasy then I highly recommend this FIVE STAR novel to all Dracula fans.

Historically, this was an excellent read. Readers are immersed into a wonderful collage of the sixteenth century and the political plays occurring in the Vatican. Excellent material. I don’t see how the sex scenes added to the work. Killing a woman and a man with a massive erection was way over the top. How did this enhance the story? If you’re looking for an different take on Vlad the Impaler and his introduction to the dark side, this is the book for you.

I really liked this book, a lot. I've got say I'm glad I watch The Borgias, knowing the names of the members of the house of Borgia made for easier reading! We all know that the original Dracula was loosely based on Vlad the Impaler. This author has cleverly weaved his own tale through these parts of history, adding a new take on Dracula! With well known historic figures throughout, it made one hell of an interesting read. The whispers of corruption, the power play, murder, greed and sex, it's all in here. Vlad a truly terrifying man, is even more vile when he is turned Vampire. Now under Lucifer's 'wings' who he has made a pact with, agrees to help bring down the catholic church. Blood, sex and violence go hand in hand when it comes to Vampires, I think It's an essential part. And this author had the right balance. Its a bloody gory read, which shows the true disturbing side of evil. And love, even foul creatures feel and want love. There has to be a balance and Andrei, Vlad's brother is determined to rid the world of him and all that are evil. This is an in-depth story and one that I highly recommend. I'm looking forward to reading part 2. Good verses Evil. A Fang Bloody-tastic horror.

The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood - Vol 1 Shane KP O'Neill I can't honestly say that I did not like this rather curious novel, I did... but it is far from a conventional vampire/horror yarn. Yes, a lot of the required vampire elements are there but mixed in with a whole new concept of the origins of the vampire, as special agents on earth for Satan. To me the storyline seems to be a case of "Dracula meets the 'God'-father", as the famed Vlad the Impaler of historical note is recruited by a Jack Nicholson-ish Satan to ferment discord within the Catholic Church in the 16th Century. To this ends the great Voivode puts together of 'hit squad' of vampires from his dysfunctional sex obsessed family, wife, sons, in-laws who embark on a whistle stop tour of all the major social cataclysmic events of the era, influencing such notables as the Borgias,Catherine of Aragon, Machiavelli and Martin Luther, who would have remained non-entities without our hero's input. The tale is bound within a framework of manufactured Christian mythology in which God, Satan, Jesus and the various choirs of angels are physical entities interacting with each other in a great soap opera in the sky as the dieties pursue the race to gather the higher number of human souls. Plenty of gore and erotic sex and even inter-vampire romance, plus a lot of soul searching by the main anti-heroes. Great fun but I am not sure that I would want to embark upon a multi volume excursion. The Kindle edition needs a bit of editing, several historical bloopers, and quite a few homophonic errors. I enjoyed it as a refreshing change from the serious horror novels which form part of my normal reading diet. My curiosity has been stirred up and i may try the sequel to see how the 'V'-Team, murder, debauch and blackmail their way through the Catholic/Protestant Wars that they have stirred up.

If Goth horror is your thing you will love this.It is the tale of Dracula from birth as human through his life as a warrior fighting for his country and throne to when he agreed to do the devils bidding and on.It is so well written you'd think it was all based on fact.The research alone that has gone into it must have been huge and thanks to Shane's attention to detail has made the book what it is, something that I'd enjoyed as much as Bram Stoker's original.Fantastic!

This is a very cleverly written dark, gothic horror, clearly the author has spent a considerable amount of time on research. The historical and religious facts throughout the book lend an air of realism to the story. Dracula is portrayed as an evil character but glimpses of humanity mean that at times you question your own beliefs. I am looking forward to reading more and have already downloaded vol.2. Brilliant! Keep up the good work Shane.

Disappointing. After having read books of a similar genre it felt that something was lacking from this novel, too little detail in some areas whilst a gratuitous amount in others.

Love the way this book incorperates real people from history. Book focuses on the battle of good and evil over the years with not to much lovey dubby stuff. Very good read if you like gothic horror.

Bound By Blood is by far the most historically rich and detail oriented vampire novel I have ever read. I appreciate the lengths the author went to in his research, and commend him for a truly unique and extraordinary vampire read. The story he creates of Dracula's beginning and his rise to infamy is intoxicating and steeped in true historical events that will have history and vampire buffs alike begging for more. And as an added plus, the author weaves in incredibly touching bits of erotic romance, thrilling tales of political and religious corruption, and a cast of characters that retain individual voices and a believable complexity. This is the mark of a truly gifted storyteller. I must admit that this book is very violent at times, but readers who enjoy true, uncensored vampire lore will love the horror themes. If you are squeamish or sensitive to violence and gore, then this book may be too much for you. O'Neill's debut vampire novel is one that should be marked as a TRUE vampire novel. It's not pretty, it's not fluffy, and it most definitely isn't Twilight. This is a REAL vampire doing some pretty awful things, as evil vampires should. As long as you're okay with the violence, then you will easily add this vampire book to your stack of favorite horror novels.

I downloaded this book as a promotional gift from the author. In depth insight to the life of Dracula, from his origin throughout. Well researched you learned more about the time periods as seen by Vlad Dracula and his two companions. Well written the plot unfolds, at times in gruesome horror but yet kept your attention. The cruelty and bloodshed a clear footprint of their path across Europe. Darkness and light at odds with one another in this spellbound book. The scenes well described, colorful that created just enough tension and questions to keep your attention. The supporting characters making the story almost believable as your imagination is stirred. A Good book I can recommend to all readers for the love of Dracula, a good thriller with a good plot.

So, while I take a quick break from writing, I'd like to drop a review on Bound By Blood, Shane O'Neill's adaptation of Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure that Dracula is based off of. Vlad is a servant of the Catholic Church, fighting the Crusades against the Ottoman Turks and the spread of Islam. He's the ruler of the Wallachian throne and the strongest warrior in his army. After a victorious battle, he and his forces are set upon by Turkish assassins, who manage to fatally wound him with arrow attacks. Knowing the end is near, Vlad requests to be taken to a chapel so he may die in peace on sacred ground. Surprisingly, it doesn't keep the last individual that Dracula expected to come for him out: Lucifer, who reveals to Dracula that the Crusades were his work and not that of God, who had abandoned his most faithful servant to eternal damnation since birth. The Prince of Darkness informs Dracula that he had always watched over him since the beginning. To get to the point, Lucifer offers Dracula a deal: the Impaler's services in exchange for eternal life. Dracula takes the deal, but as with all things when dealing with Lucifer, there's always a drawback; he must continuously sustain himself through the consumption of human blood or die. Through Lucifer's bite and consuming Lucifer's blood, he becomes a vampire bound to the dark prince. Lucifer's endgame: use Martin Luther, who will be the one to cause a split in the Catholic Church, to bring Christianity to its knees. The act will give the original vampire 500 years to gather the power needed to strike back at the Church. It is through the tasks that Lucifer has given Dracula that he hopes to win his game with the Almighty and rule heaven and earth. I'd rather not ruin the book for people, but trust me, there were no sparkling faux-vampires in the making of it. It's a good read if you're interested in the history of religion, a theologist, or you just like fantasy. I don't have anything bad to say about the book, though I could've done without the religion, even though it's been a big thing in vampire culture- crosses, holy water, rosaries, etc. Then again, it seems that it's more historical than anything, given the dates and places. Overall, great book and a read I totally recommend for history lovers and fantasy fans!

The premise is interesting; Lucifer creates an agent in Vlad Dracula to strike out against the Church. By the halfway point of the first volume, the author almost completely deviated from that theme and apparently explored a fetish for sexual sadism. I was about done with it. Scenes in this book are vile, disgusting, and hardly add to the story. I was about to stop reading it altogether. I put it down for a few days but came back and finished the first volume. Fortunately, over the second half of the first volume the author refrained from additional depravity and got back to the story. I am hesitant to read the second volume, but the overall story is a good one. One can hope the author can actually complete his tale without obscuring it in filth. Purchase at your own risk.