Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead: Paul Bibeau

As I was perusing publisher lists for books that would fit a nice Halloweenie theme, I ran across Sundays with Vlad and it caught my attention. The subtitle especially peaked my curiosity, "One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead". What I ended up with was one hell of an absolutely hilarious book that almost had me, well let's just say Paul Bibeau has a way with words.

The author has had a fascination with Dracula and vampire movies since early childhood. His interest only grew as he got older and influenced his new bride's decision to honeymoon in Romania. This ill-fated decision led to an adventure that actually prompted Mr. Bibeau to ask for a sworn statement from his lawyer-wife, attesting to the fact that the honeymoon in Romania was her idea so that the readers would not hold him to blame for the ensuing story of rabid packs of killer Romanian puppies and even more rabid Romanian beggars. The authors rampant paranoia about getting mugged and left for dead, by everyone from the flight attendants to the taxi drivers is enough to have you rolling by the end of the first chapter, as he and his wife stumble through the eastern European countryside, searching for the real Dracula's Castle. By the time they make their way back to the airport looking for a flight to anywhere out of the country the author is convinced his marriage is already over, though happily, he's wrong.

Through the rest of the book Bibeau explores everything from the roots of the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, to the creature that Bram Stoker created. He examines the being that has been cranked out of the Hollywood machine and franchised into everything from comic books and cartoons to costumes and cereal. He also takes a good, long look at the vampire underground that has emerged in the last 30-40 years, from the fetish and club scene to those who have embraced the life through Live Action Role-Playing Games. He also visits parades, museums, fang makers, and costume shops, and in one revealing and painful chapter, he stops at a fetish clothing boutique to try on (and purchase) vinyl pants.

Throughout the book the author takes an incredibly non-judgmental approach to everyone he interviews. Even though his commentary is laced with sarcastic humor, he keeps the reader informed and educated about the real versus the myths and fiction. It is apparent that he knows whereof he speaks and that this is a subject that he obviously cares about very much. If you're looking for something entertaining for Halloween this is a fabulous choice and it's so damn funny that you won't even realize that you learned something.
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Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (October 2, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0307352781
ISBN-13: 978-0307352781
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