Seance for Vampire

In Séance for a Vampire, Sherlock Holmes and Count Dracula join together to solve a 120-year-old mystery. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, and someone who takes a special interest in Sherlock Holmes and Dracula crossovers, Fred Saberhagen’s version was a fun read though his Dracula was stronger than Holmes. Saberhagen started off strong in his story, but as it went on characterization and composition became less polished. Saberhagen’s Sherlock Holmes and John Watson started off true to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original, but by the end of the book, I found the great detective lacking his usual thoughtful self and the “big reveal” somewhat rushed and expected. John Watson was closer to the original but missing his characteristic war veteran flair. The first part of the book was beautifully written, but the second half feels like it missed a round of editing. During the first half, Saberhagen made clear who was telling the tale between Watson and Dracula, however by the second half it became ambiguous who was talking, and contextual clues were needed to determine the narrator. The story was lacking the mystery component by the end of the book, which made for a lack-luster reveal. Unfortunately, the book starts out being a 4 star and ends as a 2.5 or 3 star read. Overall, I had a fun time reading this book. Compared to Loren D. Estleman’s Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, I found this book to be more serious and less campy. I loved Saberhagen’s Dracula and liked the dynamic between him and Watson. The first and middle part of the book read like a good mystery, all the side characters were well developed, and there were questions to mull over. I do plan on reading The Holmes-Dracula File, as I feel Saberhagen is capable of a great Sherlock Holmes tale, even though this one fell a bit flat. *This review has been crossed posted with my good reads*

Fred Saberhagen is a master storyteller. His Dracula series is as impressive as his Berserker and Swords series. Definitely a must-read....but so are all Fred's books.

Not the greatest book in the series. Liked later ones much better.

I bought this book because I was blown away by his alternative telling of 'Frankenstein' (which appears, tragically, to be out of print.) It didn't live up to my first taste of Saberhagen, and so disappointed me.... but as a representative of the vampire and Holmesian genres, it's an original entry and a pleasant light read.

I think that this book was well written and has alot of detail. This author has a very vivid imagination and has used it well. I think that it is material that could be made into movie. I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who like mysteries. The book does move a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up soon enough.