Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Lucy Undying by Kiersten White.Media offers many takes on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but Kiersten White’s September 2024 fantasy book is the one I never realized I needed. Lucy Undying is available in stores as of September 10, and the novel approaches the story of Dracula from a unique and compelling angle. It’s little wonder it’s one of the biggest fantasy books coming out this September, and it lives up to the excitement its synopsis elicits. Those on the fence about White’s latest release should run, not walk, to the bookstore to pick it up.
Lucy Undying is a retelling of Dracula that places one of the iconic vampire’s victims in the spotlight. Rather than focusing on Dracula himself, Lucy Undying unravels the story of Lucy Westenra, one of the vampire’s earliest victims who becomes a vampire herself. Lucy’s characterization in Stoker’s book isn’t great, and she’s a tragic figure more than a heroine. However, White’s take on her story turns her into a much more compelling figure. In this way, Lucy Undying finally gives her the narrative she deserves.
Lucy Undying Is The Sapphic, Feminist Dracula Story I Needed
Kiersten White’s New Fantasy Book Gives Lucy A Much Better Arc
Lucy is turned into a vampire and killed in Stoker’s 1897 novel, but White’s reimagining of Dracula gives her a more satisfying story. Stoker writes Lucy as a demure character whose life before Dracula primarily consists of suitors vying for her attention. This is true of White’s version of Lucy, too, but she has a much more cynical view of the situation — and there are signs she’s interested in relationships with women instead. And after Lucy is turned into a vampire, her story takes a much more empowering turn.
By placing Lucy in the spotlight and refusing to repeat her fate from
Dracula, Lucy Undying
presents a feminist, sapphic take on the classic novel.
By placing Lucy in the spotlight and refusing to repeat her fate from Dracula, Lucy Undying presents a feminist, sapphic take on the classic novel. It’s one I couldn’t put down, as it does a really great job of imagining where Lucy’s character could have gone in Stoker’s book. The way Lucy’s narrative is intertwined with the present-day heroine’s is compelling, and I enjoyed how Iris’ family history connected her to the vampire. Both perspectives offer so many great observations, and White’s prose had me keeping a highlighter nearby at all times.
Kiersten White’s 2024 Book Puts The Perfect Spin On The Classic Horror Novel
Lucy Undying is told through three different perspectives: Lucy’s diary entries from before being turned, Iris’ present-day journey to London, and Lucy’s psychiatry sessions recounting her emergence as a vampire. Through the diary entries and sessions, we come to know and respect Lucy’s character as someone with agency. And that alone makes Lucy Undying such a refreshing take on Dracula, which doesn’t give the story’s women nearly enough depth — though this, of course, is a product of when the book was written.
Lucy’s desire to enact revenge against Dracula also puts an interesting spin on Stoker’s story, and I was pretty satisfied with how the iconic vampire was characterized in White’s new fantasy book. The other familiar faces from Dracula are less fortunate in terms of how they’re depicted, though the one-note personalities of Lucy’s suitors can be attributed to her personal disdain for the men pursuing her. Overall, I think White does a solid job making Lucy the heroine of the story. It probably helps that the author is no stranger to retellings.
Lucy Undying Once Again Proves Kiersten White’s Talent For Retellings
This Isn’t The Author’s First Feminist Take On A Familiar Story
I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that White’s reimagining of Dracula is so impressive, as it isn’t the author’s first time putting a feminist spin on a familiar story. One of White’s best series, The Conqueror’s Saga, is a gender-bent Vlad the Impaler retelling, and it’s what made me discover the author’s talent. And I Darken and its sequels feature the same stunning prose and sharp commentary as Lucy Undying, so it’s obvious White has a knack for this sort of storytelling.
White has also written other retellings, including The Guinevere Deception and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. The latter probably helped prepare White to tackle Stoker’s Dracula, as it finds her reimagining another horror classic: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Like Lucy Undying, the 2018 novel offers a satisfying portrayal of Frankenstein. And after enjoying both of these books, I hope to see White take on more classic horror. It’s satisfying to see overlooked women from classic literature get their time in the spotlight, and White’s fantasy books deliver on that.