Fangland
Encyclopedia
Fangland is a 2007
novel
written by John Marks, a former producer for 60 Minutes
. It is a reimagined story for the Dracula
tale by Bram Stoker
, setting in a post 9/11 New York
. Like its predecessor, Fangland is written in parts as a epistolary novel
through e-mails, diary entries and letters. It received a World Fantasy Award nomination.
, she worries about it. However, she accepts anyway.
Arriving at Romania, she meets a young companion named Clementine Spence. Together, they travel to a disclosed location. There, Evangeline disappears after meeting with Torgu. She is then infected with vamparism; she then kills Clemmie by slicing her throat and drinking her blood; she disappears. The staff at The Hour is filled with guilt and dismay. Mysterious tapes appear, infecting the entire audio system with a weird noise.
Two months later, Evangeline is found. Her memories are scrubbed, but slowly return. However, their terror only drives her insane. She is forced to attack anyone. Robert, meanwhile gets attacked by Torgu. However, Evangeline defeats Torgu in the final battle.
attached to the project. Mark Wheaton penned the first draft of the adaptation before the Writers Guild of America strike, as well as before the global economic crisis. Sriram Das and Jason Blum produced the film for Blumhouse Prods. However, Swank is not involved. It was recently announced that Wes Craven
has been hired to direct the adaptation, replacing Carpenter.
2007 in literature
The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by John Marks, a former producer for 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. It is a reimagined story for the Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
tale by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
, setting in a post 9/11 New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Like its predecessor, Fangland is written in parts as a epistolary novel
Epistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
through e-mails, diary entries and letters. It received a World Fantasy Award nomination.
Plot summary
The story begins with Evangeline Harker, an associate producer of the television news program, The Hour, and the daughter of a rich Texan magnate, is engaged to her boyfriend Robert, looking forward to their honeymoon. When she is given an assignment to investigate the Eastern European crime lord Ion Torgu in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, she worries about it. However, she accepts anyway.
Arriving at Romania, she meets a young companion named Clementine Spence. Together, they travel to a disclosed location. There, Evangeline disappears after meeting with Torgu. She is then infected with vamparism; she then kills Clemmie by slicing her throat and drinking her blood; she disappears. The staff at The Hour is filled with guilt and dismay. Mysterious tapes appear, infecting the entire audio system with a weird noise.
Two months later, Evangeline is found. Her memories are scrubbed, but slowly return. However, their terror only drives her insane. She is forced to attack anyone. Robert, meanwhile gets attacked by Torgu. However, Evangeline defeats Torgu in the final battle.
Characters
- Evangeline Harker: daughter of a Texan oil magnate, who works as an associate producer on the acclaimed The Hour and who is sent to Transylvania to scout a possible story on Ion Torgu. Her sanity slowly degrades as she's held hostage by Torgu and finally manages to escape from his estate. She's saved by Clemmie Spence, whom she travels with for some time and ends up becoming her lesbian lover and eventually murdering her. Meanwhile, she discovers various symbols appearing all over her body as she's slowly becoming a vampire. She eventually is found by the officials in a Transylvanian monastery, with her memories partially suppressed. She returns to New York only to face Torgu again. The character is based on both Jonathan HarkerJonathan HarkerJonathan Harker is one of the main protagonists in the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. His journey to Transylvania and encounter with Count Dracula and the Brides of Dracula at Castle Dracula constitutes the dramatic opening scenes in the novel and most of the film adaptations.-In the...
and Mina MurrayMina HarkerWilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 horror novel Dracula.- In the novel :She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young school mistress who is engaged to Jonathan Harker, and best friends with Lucy Westenra...
. - Ion Torgu: The antagonist of the novel. While apparently a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, Torgu differs greatly from the classical vampire image, mainly not having fangs and being unafraid of sunlight. His main gift is communicating with the dead through drinking human blood, which he apparently wishes to share with the whole world. He speaks enigmatically of his past and seems to be petrified by human sexualityHuman sexualityHuman sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. Based on Count DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
. - Clementine "Clemmie" Spence: A young, blond, fellow American missionary with a troubled past. She rescues Evangeline after her first encounter with Torgu, and reveals to be an agent for an apparently witch-hunting organization called World Ministries Central, which is investigating Yon Torgu. Clemmie's partially based on both Van HelsingVan HelsingVan Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale...
and Lucy WestenraLucy WestenraLucy Westenra is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. She is the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family. Her father is not mentioned in the novel and her elderly mother is simply stated as being Mrs. Westenra. Lucy is introduced as Mina Murray's best friend. In the 1931...
. - Austen Trotta: One of the head businessmen at The Hour serving as long-time correspondent. He is at first oblivious to what is going on around him in the newsroom, although he is greatly concerned about the safety of his associate producer. Also based on Van HelsingVan HelsingVan Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale...
. - Julia Barnes: A competent and clear-headed woman who is an ex-rebel turned editor at The Hour. She teams up with Trotta and Sally Benchborn against Torgu's overtaking of the offices.
- Stimson Beevers: A young, geeky, production associate who's secretly in love with Evangeline. After her disappearance he tries desperately to reach her through the e-mail, only to be answered by Torgu impersonating her. Slowly driven crazy by Torgu's influence, he ends up trying to murder Evangeline's fiance. Based on RenfieldRenfieldR. M. Renfield is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.-In the novel:A description of Renfield from the novel:R. M. Renfield, aetat 59. Sanguine temperament, great physical strength, morbidly excitable,...
. - Sally Benchborn: Producer and Civil War re-enactor.
- Ian: Evangeline's coworker and friend who dies shortly after her departure and communicates with her as a ghost later in the novel.
- Robert: Evangeline Harker's fiance. Attacked and nearly killed by Torgu.
- Mr. Harker: Evangeline's father, a wealthy Texan oil magnate.
- James O'Malley: while absent from the novel's plot, O'Malley is the creator of the report which basically is the novel, as well as the author of certain parts of it. He's Evangeline's former boss and is mentioned to have had a short-lived affair with her. The prologue indicates that the report also serves as a suicide note for him, while the epilogue implies that he's been visited by Evangeline.
Film adaptation
A film adaptation was announced in 2007, with Hilary SwankHilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
attached to the project. Mark Wheaton penned the first draft of the adaptation before the Writers Guild of America strike, as well as before the global economic crisis. Sriram Das and Jason Blum produced the film for Blumhouse Prods. However, Swank is not involved. It was recently announced that Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
has been hired to direct the adaptation, replacing Carpenter.