Review -- The Mysterious Legend of Vladimir
KC Bouma’s New Vampire Ebook Series on Smashworks
Apr 5, 2009
The Mysterious Legend of Vladimir, an Ebook written by KC Bouma, is the first book in a series of unknown installments that manages to interest the reader by the end of the first chapter (which consists of two short sections). The book centers on a young, Romanian man named Vladimir who is doomed from infancy; forced to pay for a betrayal committed by his mother. Set in and around the Transylvanian Alps, the story explores more than mere vampire lore by subtly commenting on social injustices that create false generalizations and stereotypes, resulting in nearly lost generations suffering for the crimes of their parents.
Vladimir as an Agent of Revenge
Cursed when he is only three days old, Vladimir’s future is thus: to become a creature neither man nor beast that will kill his beloved on their wedding night by draining her body of blood, effectively cementing his place amongst the damned immortal. The tale that unfolds thereafter is rather unlike the modern romantic notion associated with vampires that is evident in popular fiction series such as Marked or Twilight.
Instead, Bouma’s story focuses more on the darker aspects of the mythology surrounding legends of vampires. She keeps some of the more useful superstitious variants (such as sleeping during the daylight hours) in order to add suspense to the plot, yet discards the erudition established as far back as Dracula, that vampires require human blood to ensure survival.
Throughout twenty chapters, Bouma manages to elicit feelings of sadness, hope, joy, love, desperation and devastation with her characters. Vladimir’s journey to inculcate a new identity upon himself, struggling with unexpected feelings and issues, is in direct contrast to the person he has trained to become, the repercussions of which results in a highly enjoyable and interesting plot.
Although some of the language used during the scenes containing dialogue is anachronistic, it is easily over-looked in favor of praising the work as a whole. The ending is a bit unexpected, but after inspection the true beauty and cyclical nature of it takes precedence and allows the reader to reflect and understand, if nothing else, the decision from a creative standpoint.
Bouma’s Ability to Stretch the Imagination
Along with covering issues that range from the human realm of domestic abuse to abandonment, it also invests some time in attempting to define the nature of evil. Bouma adequately brings across the subjectivity of “evil” forces, whether established or merely perceived as such, and the reactions to those forces based on a person’s level of knowledge concerning its origin.
In all, this is an incredibly worthy read and at only $2.95 (available at Smashworks) it is affordable and accessible. This book was originally published on March 10, 2009. The second book has an anticipated publication date of April 21, 2009.
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