Dracula: the Undead ~ Final Verdict

I finally finished Dracula the Undead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. I promise to give a fair review of the book on my blog. This will be hard to do without spoiling it for readers who may choose to read the book later. Earlier, I stated that Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, was a character in the book. That is not the only real life person the authors brought in to be a part of the sequel as a character. The famous actor, John Barrymore, Drew Barrymore's great grandfather was also in the book. The authors incorporated many true events and people that are famous, like Jack the Ripper,(apparently Jack is really a lesbian vampire!?!) Henry Irving,a famous actor in theatre, real Scotland Yard detectives from the Ripper era, and many others. Frankly, it literally drove me crazy. The story did keep my interest, even though sometimes I was doing inner eye rolls. I dislike giving a bad review, (good thing I am not a real life editor!) but Stoker Jr. took some severe liberties with his great-grandfather's novel. He literally changed the theme of the original Dracula into a completely different entity. For example, in the sequel, the "true life" events of the story of Dracula was leaked by one of the heroic band of characters that took down Dracula in the first book. Apparently this person was drinking in a bar with Bram Stoker and spilled the beans about Lucy, Van Helsing, the Harkers, and how they all destroyed the evil vampire Dracula. So, Bram Stoker decides to write a novel about it. Dracula is angry (yes, he actually survived!) because the leaked story was all wrong(!?!) Dracula is really a good vampire, and he did not really kill Lucy. Van Helsing killed Lucy with a botched blood transfusion. Not only that, but Dracula did not kill all the sailors on the ship Exeter on his way to Carfax Abbey, it was the plague from rats that did them all in. In fact, Dracula does not drink blood from humans, and is working for God. Dracula knows of a TRULY evil vampire who must be destroyed or she (lesbian vampire AKA Jack the Ripper) will overtake and destroy the world with her girlfriends. I am truly not trying to make it sound silly, but that is what comes down the pike. I did not find affinity with any of the characters, in fact I was hoping Quincey Harker (Jonathan and Mina's son) would get bitten, he was so annoying. Then, not surprisingly, they pulled the "I AM YOUR FATHER" Star Wars line, which had me sighing with resignation. I was never so glad to close a book. Better luck next time, Stoker Jr.