Dark (novel)
Dark is a 1999 first published horror - novel by German author Wolfgang Hohlbein , in which he the theme of the Vampire used, which he later also in other works such as his chronicle of the immortals treated.
action
The photographer Jan Feller suffers a heart attack in the toilet of the Cinedom cinema in Cologne . Due to an irrational fear of a mysterious shadow (which his father had already told him about), he leaves the hospital prematurely and henceforth moves from one dangerous situation to the next. He is saved from an approaching tram by Vera, who was previously unknown to him. Soon afterwards she moves in with him and his girlfriend Katrin. Little by little, the attractive drifter has more and more influence on his life, making friends with Katrin, among others.
Jan distrusts Vera, he is not sure whether she is responsible for the death of some people in contact with him - including his own brother. Nevertheless, after some confusion between himself and Vera, a sexual encounter occurs. Jan realizes too late that Vera is a vampire and that the sexual act has made him one. But he needs the new powers that come with this change for the fight against his opponent who appears as a shadow. He turns out to be Vera's former companion Vladimir Ţepeş , better known as Dracula .
Jan can finally defeat and kill Dracula after he kidnapped Katrin in the catacombs below the city. The joy of his victory does not last long, however; Vera steps on the scene and reveals that she arranged the duel to test his potential as a new companion. She casually kills Katrin and lures Jan, who is initially helplessly seeking revenge, into her arms with her sexual attractions. While they are still uniting, part of him is already making plans to take revenge for the death of his loved one at a later point in his now immortal existence.
background
Like many Hohlbein novels, this one does not have a happy ending and leaves the central figure in a new, frightening and seemingly hopeless situation. Special parallels to 1997 appeared Wolfsherz be seen in which a similar action on the basis of werewolf developed myth.
The entire plot of the novel takes place in Hohlbein's adopted home of Neuss .
continuation
For Dunkel , a sequel called Orkus , which would continue the storyline about Jan Feller, was planned, for which a cover draft even already existed. Hohlbein rejected this plan, however, for the time being and developed from the already written the novel material Anubis , who in 2005 appeared.
The vampires
With Vlad Tepes, known as Dracula, Hohlbein used one of the great cult figures of the 20th century . Like the other vampires, this one appears in a modern version. Sunlight and garlic are no longer fatal to him. Silver, on the other hand, is able to inflict wounds on these vampires. They feed on the life force of the people. They rob them by seizing the bodies of the people as shadows. This also puts an end to the classic image of the vampire sucking blood from the victim's throat .
Vlad Tepes also appears in the Chronicle of the Immortals . However, there are two different characters that only have the origin in the legend of the brutal Count Vlad Drăculea in common.
expenditure
- Hohlbein, Wolfgang: Dunkel Weltbild, May 1999, ISBN 3-8289-6848-1
- Hohlbein, Wolfgang: Dunkel Lübbe, February 2001, ISBN 3-404-14478-3 (5th edition)
