The Castle in Transylvania by Jules Verne

First published in France in 1892.  First published in English in 1894.  Published by Melville House on July 6, 2010.

Someone (or something) appears to be living in Transylvania's Castle of the Carpathians. It isn't Count Dracula -- Bram Stoker's novel didn't make an appearance until 1897, while The Castle in Transylvania was first published in 1892. Like the family name "Dracul," however, vampire stories existed in Romania for centuries before Stoker wrote his novel. Jules Verne relied on the superstitions that are rooted in the history of Transylvania -- a land, Verne tells us, that lends itself "to all psychagogic evocations" -- when he penned this tale of an eerie castle. But is this a tale of the supernatural? Verne does a masterful job of keeping the reader guessing until the novel's end. Readers should be warned, however, that the phrase "the original zombie story" on the cover of the Melville House edition is a tad misleading.

Verne's story begins with the shepherd Frick, who takes his first look through a telescope when he meets a peddler offering one for sale. Gazing at the Castle of the Carpathians nestled in the distant mountains, Frick spies smoke rising from the keep. This disturbs Frick because the castle has been abandoned since the disappearance of its owner, Baron Rudolf of Gortz, many years earlier. The castle is never visited by the superstitious villagers for they are certain it is haunted, filled with ghosts and vampires and werewolves, surrounded by dragons and mischievous fairies.

Word of the smoke spreads rapidly throughout the village. The villagers readily accept Frick's explanation: a fire in the keep has been set by the Chort -- that is, by the devil. The village leaders meet to discuss what becomes one of the novel's most interesting themes: the adverse economic impact the village will suffer if travelers, fearful of the supernatural, decide not to tarry in the village shops and inn (not to mention what the Chort might do to their property values!). The leaders draft Dr. Patak to investigate since he has often derided their superstitious beliefs. Patak isn't happy to be chosen and agrees only after forester Nicolas Deck volunteers to accompany him. A voice then fills the inn, warning Deck that if he goes to the castle, misfortune will befall him. This foreshadows a terrifying adventure for Deck and the doc, and the events that follow certainly terrify Patak.

Is the castle infested with evil spirits or are the villagers falling prey to their own superstitions? It falls to Count Franz of Tellec -- who travels through the village by chance -- to answer that question. Count Franz and Baron Rudolf happen to have a dark history involving a beautiful opera singer. Is the opera singer alive or dead? Or is she undead? The genius of this story is the mystery that Verne creates. The reader doesn't learn until the final chapters whether supernatural beings inhabit the creepy castle. Unfortunately, Verne resolves part of the mystery in a clumsy narrative that slows the novel's momentum. Still, the story gets back on track before it ends.

Verne devotes a fair amount of this novel to the creation of atmosphere. The book is replete with information about Transylvanian history and customs. Readers who crave nonstop action might be put off by Verne's digressions, but I thought they added interest and authenticity to the story. Besides, reading Verne is a pleasure; even at his least exciting moments, his prose is never dull. The pace quickens considerably in the last third of the novel. The conclusion (like an earlier chapter involving the opera singer) is melodramatic but that's hardly a surprising feature of a nineteenth century story. This might be lesser Verne but it's still a story that fans of horror fiction, mysteries, and Victorian literature should enjoy.

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