Two More Mash-Ups Coming: Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, Elvis Presley and Frankenstein
Debi Moore
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While we dig the concept of mashing up classic fiction and/or historical events with zombies and vampires, the trend is starting to become a little like 3D – it’s anywhere and everywhere with no end in sight! But we have to admit we’re intrigued by the two latest such projects we’ve heard about: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire and Frankenstein Has Left the Building.
Since it’ll be hitting store shelves first (on June 22nd to be exact), let’s start with The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire. Written by Fred Saberhagen (best known for his Berserker series of science fiction stories), Seance for a Vampire is described as follows:
When two suspect psychics offer Ambrose Altamont and his wife the opportunity to contact their recently deceased daughter, the wealthy British aristocrat wastes no time in hiring Sherlock Holmes to expose their hoax. He arranges for the celebrated detective and Dr. Watson to attend the family’s next seance, confident in Holmes’ rationalist outlook on the situation. But what starts as cruel mockery becomes deadly reality when young, beautiful Louisa Altamont appears to her parents in the flesh as one of the nosferatu–a vampire! The resulting chaos leaves one of the fraudulent spiritualists dead, Sherlock Holmes missing, and Dr. Watson alone and mystified. With time running out, Watson has no choice but to summon the only one who might be able to help–Holmes’ vampire cousin, Prince Dracula. Alternately narrated by Watson and the charismatic Dracula himself, Seance for a Vampire demonstrates that heroes are sometimes found in the most unlikely places. Saberhagen has recast Bram Stoker’s paragon of evil into a noble, witty, and chillingly powerful character.
Next up is Frankenstein Has Left the Building, Alan Goldsher’s proposed follow-up to Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion in which the fictional tale of Frankenstein’s monster and the true-life tale of Elvis Presley collide. MTV recently spoke with Goldsher, who describes the project as follows:
“Basically, instead of doing what I did with ‘Paul is Undead’ — taking the Beatles myth and applying zombie mythology on top of that — I am taking ‘Frankenstein’ the book and rewriting it with Elvis [Presley] as the creature,” he explained. “The book takes place in the 1960s. It’s still the same format as the original ‘Frankenstein,’ which is Dr. Frankenstein is relating the story to the ostensible narrator of the book.”
“It’s going to be very close in terms of story arc,” he continued. “All of the same characters are going to be there, but it’s going to be written in a whole new voice. Our Frankenstein character, he’s from the South, just like [the real] Elvis…Of course it’s going to be funny. It’s not going to be one-liner after one-liner like ‘Paul Is Undead,’ but there’s definitely a light side to it.”
Pre-order your copy of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire from the EvilShop below, and keep it here for more on Frankenstein Has Left the Building as it comes.
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Wonder what combo they’ll think of next in the Dread Central forums!
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