Florescue and McNally have written a a biography about Vlad the Impaler that is interesting, rich in detail, even-handed and circumspect. The book does a wonderful job of weaving together Dracula's personal life and ambitions with the cultural, social, political and military realities of the time. The authors also manage to separate fact from speculation without ruining the flow of the narrative. They were also at pains to separate the myth from the man. The book also examines Bram Stoker's Dracula novel in light of the real Dracula and his country. Dracula: Prince of Many Faces examines who Dracula was to various people - his family, his countrymen, the neighbouring states and his Ottoman enemies. Overall, this is one of the better biographies I have enjoyed. ( )

This is a well-written biography of Prince Dracula. It provides a good background as well as a detailed narrative of the political, military and social circumstances which he found himself in. The author's writing style is smooth,free-flowing and very easy to read. Surely you won't get bored at reading this beautiful book. ( )

Without Dracula's fame, the number of people interested in learning about an obscure 15th century short-time Wallachian dictator would be limited. Florescu and McNally's biography is directed at an unsophisticated audience eager to learn more about the man and his time. At this level, the book succeeds fully. It is an entertaining and informative read.

It fails as a history book. There are numerous sloppy errors in the book. Dracula leaves Transylvania with fifty not seven boxes of earth. Condottieri are military entrepreneurs not autocrats. The Hunyadi coat of arms displays a raven not a crow. The latter mistake might be deliberate as the book is tainted by Florescu's heavy Romanian bias. Hardly a good word about Hungarians and Germans escape his mouth. The sometimes witty bias, however, is pernicious given his target audience. His unsophisticated readers will not be aware of the widely different points of view.

In contrast to a true historian, Florescu fails to fully question his sources and especially the numbers given Hans Delbrück-style, e.g. Vlad the Impaler could not impale 10.000 at Kronstadt, because that number surpasses the number of inhabitants. Instead, this is the medieval narrator's convention of saying "a large number". Only in the conclusion does Florescu note that the number given are implausible, mainly to downplay Vlad's murderous regime.

Florescu's basic apology of Vlad is weak. His argument that it was a violent age is true for all of human history. Vlad's sadistic actions shocked the conscience of his contemporaries and resulted in his quick removal from power. Claiming Vlad as a crusader works only partially as much if not most of his cruelty was directed against his allies.

Finally, the choice of limiting the bibliography to English titles and primary sources to books available in US and English libraries prevents more serious readers from expanding their reading. ( )

Hilarious. There is an odd sense of humour weaved into Florescu's writing. Morbid and educated. It goes not only into the depth of the life of Vlad Ţepeş, but also into the background of his ancestor's wars and fights. This is, of course, key to studying history. Not only that, but Florescu gives us not only a Romanian view but also Hungarian, German and Turkish views of the man. This is a great book for enjoyement and studying purposes. Unlike most non-fiction, this a a book I would read over and over. ( )