Saturday, April 3, 2021

Review of Vlad the Impaler: Son of Dracul by Alan C. Baird

This review was written by Eugene Kernes

Book can be found in:
Genre = Novel, History

Watch the Review


Review 

A story about a ruler of Wallachia.  Vlad’s story is mired in transgressions.  From seeing the betrayal of the Boyars against his father to common crimes.  After gaining his power, any transgression was used as an excuse for the transgressor to be impaled.  A slow and painful death in which the person impaled lived for a short time after being impaled.  Vlad went far to trick people into minor transgressions for which they were impaled for.  By not responding in a way that Vlad had wanted, an individual was likely to be impaled.  The extreme measure fostered a society which had no crimes, but also fostered resentment.  A cautionary tale of fear.  That fear can be a powerful weapon, but cannot be the sole tool in leadership.

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book
•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?
•How did Vlad the Impaler become the Impaler?
•For what reasons can an individual be impaled? 
•What were some political themes in the book?
•How do people react seeing other impaled?

Book Details
Edition ISBN:  2940152426786
Pages to read:   44
Publication:     2015
1st Edition:      2015
Format:           eBook

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          2
Overall           3