Edward M. Erdelac

Ever wonder what happened to Professor Abraham Van Helsing after he and his colleagues killed Dracula? Wonder no longer because Edward M. Erdelac (what a terrific name for a horror author!) has the answer. Before reading, I was a little skeptical of TEROVOLAS – after all, DRACULA is a classic work of literature as well as one of my favorite horror novels – but after reading TEROVOLAS, I was reassured. If the idea of Van Helsing traveling to the Wild West and tangling with a werewolf show more instead of a vampire doesn't inspire you to pick up the book, then it just isn't for you.

Mild plot spoilers follow.

As you’ll recall from DRACULA – and if you haven’t yet read it, you’re missing out on a classic – the valiant Texan Quincey P. Morris fell in the battles between Dracula and the vampire hunters. The conceit of TERVOLAS is that Van Helsing, a man of his word, promised to return Quincey’s ashes to his family in Texas. On the long train voyage, Van Helsing meets a beautiful Greek woman who is a kind of mail-order bride for a wealthy Norwegian who has purchased a ranch near the Morris family homestead. Van Helsing soon discovers that all is not well in Texas: the rich Norwegian and his ranch hands have been causing any number of problems; a mountain lion (or something else) has been killing and mutilating livestock; and Quincey’s brother Coleman is a sour fellow who doesn't even seem to want his brother’s remains.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the nature of the supernatural threats that Van Helsing faces in TEROVOLAS, as there are several twists and turns and the eventual reveal is part of the fun. While interesting in their own right, the villains depicted here don’t quite live up to the stature of the iconic Dracula – how could they, after all – the villains of the piece are nevertheless well done. I will just say that while TEROVOLAS doesn't contain even a single vampire, it enlarges the supernatural elements of Van Helsing’s world in a satisfying way that manages to do no damage to Stoker’s DRACULA.

On reading TEROVOLAS, I was pleasantly reminded of the central conceit of George MacDonald Fraser’s FLASHMAN series: a contemporary author (Erdelac in this case) has “discovered” the personal papers of a fictional character and then presents these “false documents” piecemeal as memoir volumes. Here, instead of Flashman, we have the continuing adventures of Abraham Van Helsing. For example, in passing, Erdelac includes some brief references to Van Helsing’s involvement in the dark affairs in Natal as well as the tragic mental deterioration of his wife (due to unmentioned causes) and her subsequent confinement to an asylum. There also was a brief reference to “Hamish and the Great Detective,” so it’s clear that Erdelac has some Holmesian connections in mind as well. I should make clear that, just like DRACULA, TEROVOLAS is also an epistolary novel told through diary entries, letters, newspaper stories, and even a few telegrams. It’s a winning formula, and I hope that Erdelac continues detailing the remainder of Van Helsing’s life.

Strongly recommended for fans of DRACULA and others who just didn't get enough of Abraham Van Helsing the first time around. TEROVOLAS shares many of the strengths and weakness of DRACULA. It tends to have a mix of slow build and intense action, just as DRACULA itself did. The only weakness of TERVOLAS (and DRACULA) is that the epistolary format of the novel puts a certain amount of distance between the reader and the events depicted in the letters and diaries presented. Placing action and combat sequences at one more level of remove from the reader has a tendency to weaken their immediacy and power. But, having said that, I found TEROVOLAS to be an excellent follow-on to DRACULA, and I hope to see further adventures of Van Helsing.

Review copyright © 2013 J. Andrew Byers show less

Camp Sumter or Andersonville is already hell on Earth for the Union soldiers. Starvation, unsanitary conditions and fighting between the prisoners means that survivors are surrounded by constant death. For Barclay Lourdes, a black soldier, Andersonville provides even more struggles. Barclay’s first objective is to survive, but he is in Andersonville for another reason, too. Barclay is trying to figure out just why the conditions are so bad and if something supernatural is at play. Barclay show more starts to notice many strange things in the camp, lead and bone in the cornmeal and strange brands on the dead. When he finds out what is really going on, it is much worse than he imagined.

At first this book sucked me in as a piece of historical fiction. The descriptions of Andersonville, the treatment of the prisoners and some of the shady business that went on inside was written in a gruesomely detailed fashion and I had no problem imagining the emaciated men, the gross food and the array of characters that patrolled the camp from either side. Barclay Lourdes was also an incredibly intriguing character, a black Union soldier, but never a slave. He is hiding secrets from the very beginning, but those secrets are very surprising and layered. The introduction of the supernatural element was definitely a slow build, but worth it. This wasn't something I was fully expecting, or anything I had even heard of before. It was interesting to see how this element just intensified and fed off of all the atrocities that were already happening in Andersonville. Overall, a very well done historical fiction novel with a touch of supernatural horror that managed not to take away from what really happened at Camp Sumter.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

The Merkabah Rider - Jewish cowboy/exorcist/mystic - continues his adventures in this second installment. The plot continues its move towards Lovecraftian horror, and though I enjoyed the book, I find this aspect less entertaining than the cabbalistic ephemera that preceded it.

Rider is being worn down by Lilith's minions, at the same time as he's forced to confront more terrifying abominations before. His nemesis is hot on his trail too, and Rider is now at breaking point, will he make it show more through?

Again, I was entertained by The Mensch with no name, as I was with its predecessor. I am a bit of a sucker for weird west settings, and Erdelac's flirtatiously fruity prose also makes a nice contrast from the workmanlike-at-best writing that tends to dominate the niche-fantasy ebook world.

The formatting of the book, at least on my kindle, sadly conforms to the lacklustre median. Chapter breaks are practically non-existent, and so are page breaks. Though the book was cheap, it's not hard to get the formatting right. It gives the whole novel a slapdash feel.

Whilst the progression to Lovecraftian horrors continues in this installment - something that doesn't really resonate with me (I feel it's a bit modish, and less original) - Erdelac makes a good effort at giving a sense of progression throughout the short stories. A sense of impending climax is inescapable.

The Mensch With No Name wasn't as good as the previous entry in the series, but I still enjoyed it a lot, and something so original is worth being generous with. show less

5 of 5 Stars Review copy

Edward M. Erdelac is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the author of six novels (including the weird western series Merkbah Rider) and several short stories. He is also an independent filmmaker, an award winning screenwriter, and sometimes Star Wars contributor. Born in Indiana, educated in Chicago, he resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife,children, and cats.

In Andersonville, Erdelac has taken the story of the Civil War's most infamous prison camp show more and added a supernatural storyline that threatens to change the course of the war.

In the beginning, the writer plays it pretty straight, telling the tale of the horrors of the camp where more than 25,000 union soldiers, both white and black, are are treated so badly there are more than 200 deaths a day.

Andersonville is rich with a number of fully developed characters and presents the reader with quite an imaginative story. In less capable hands, things could have easily gone off the rails during the transition from the horrors of the rebel prison to a full-blown supernatural story, but Erdelac shows he is more than up to the task as he deftly weaves the two tales into one cohesive story.

The result is a completely entertaining experience for those who can stomach the horror of war with their dose of the supernatural.

Highly recommended. show less