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The Vampire Count of Monte Cristo


C.T. Phipps

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Hey, has anyone read this book?



I picked this up because I'm a fan of literary mash-ups and the original Dumas novel. It was surprisingly good despite managing to reduce the original 1,000 page novel to roughly a third of that size. I also think vampirism and the Count of Monte Cristo are a natural fit since the Count is accused of being one several times during the novel. Anyway, I was naturally predisposed to liking this work because it also remembers the Mercedes/Dantes relationship isn't canon. It also manages to include all of the conspirators rather than widdling them down.



That really irritated me in the 2002 movie.



Any other fans of the original or readers of this book?



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I find Vampire Count of Monte Cristo, Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, etc... To be cheap and taudry attempts at crappy fanfiction and as such I do not support their publication with my readership.

Your opinion is certainly valid and I support your right to have it. I, on the other hand, point out that there have been hundreds of retellings of the classics of literature like Dracula and Frankenstein. The anime Gankutsuou is a more or less faithful retelling of the COMC except for the fact it takes place in the future and the incorporated anime elements. Sherlock Holmes, likewise, has been remade thousands of times and I am both a fan of Elementry as well as Sherlock.

I see The Vampire Count of Monte Cristo to be no different. I also enjoyed reading both the original as well as the remake here. So I am an "informed fan."

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There's two ways you can do such mash-ups, IMHO. The humorous way and the straight serious way.

The humorous way is cheap and easy but can be very funny.

The serious way is a lot harder.

It's a lot more rewarding in the long run, though.

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I find those "adaptations" a lazy way to make cash off public-domain works, written by the untalented and unoriginal.

They blemish the original work, for they are not "retellings", they have no ambition or scope beyond ripping a famous work, adding some flavour of the month urban fiction monster, and getting money. I have a hundredth more contempt toward them than I have towards fan-fiction.

Anyway, I was naturally predisposed to liking this work because it also remembers the Mercedes/Dantes relationship isn't canon.

What the fuck are you smoking? Edmond almost marries Mercedes at the beginning, and their bond is strong enough that twenty years later the count is ready to let himself be killed by Albert in the duel. Their relationship is the very basis of the book.
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I find those "adaptations" a lazy way to make cash off public-domain works, written by the untalented and unoriginal.

They blemish the original work, for they are not "retellings", they have no ambition or scope beyond ripping a famous work, adding some flavour of the month urban fiction monster, and getting money. I have a hundredth more contempt toward them than I have towards fan-fiction.

What the fuck are you smoking? Edmond almost marries Mercedes at the beginning, and their bond is strong enough that twenty years later the count is ready to let himself be killed by Albert in the duel. Their relationship is the very basis of the book.

1. I repeat, have you read the book? If not, you are basically talking with no authority whatsoever. I have read both the original and the remake. I find the remake to be an extremely faithful remake of the book while adding enough new material/revising old to be extremely enjoyable in its own right. If you want to call it trash after reading it, that's fine, but your speech on the subject based on your assumption of what you THINK it is doesn't really hold much wait. I might as well condemn George R.R. Martin's series as nothing but violence and shock fodder from what I've read on wikipedia.

:bang:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vampire-Count-Monte-Cristo/dp/1618681672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391414741&sr=8-1&keywords=Vampire+Count+of+Monte+Cristo

Seriously, the Kindle version is six dollars. I welcome people throwing their thoughts that way if they want to make an informed defense. Otherwise, I hold the right to think less of the people who spout off stuff they have no evidence for other than, "It's a remake of a classic literature work. Clearly, it has no artistic merit." An argument used more or less verbatim against video games, rock music, and comics.

2. Mercedes is a motivational character rather than one of true importance save in the very beginning of the book and later when she begs for Albert's life. Edmond Dantes' love interest in the story is Haydee, his slave-girl who he rescues from the Sultan and shows him tireless loyalty thereafter. A character who is routinely excised from the text for various reasons. Part of why I like the Vampire Count of Monte Cristo is Mathew Baugh remembers the character's central role in the narrative and highlights how she's a redemptive figure for the (undead) Count and a reminder of his humanity even as she, too, is a figure who lusts for revenge against the Morcerf family.

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I don't plan on reading it since I loved the original Count as is. A bit redundant making him a fully fleshed blood drinker, since he was already one the most memorable vampires without it--and since draining the blood from his enemies is essentially what he did anyway.

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I don't plan on reading it since I loved the original Count as is. A bit redundant making him a fully fleshed blood drinker, since he was already one the most memorable vampires without it--and since draining the blood from his enemies is essentially what he did anyway.

There's no substitute for reading the original but I watch the adaptions and read this one anyway.

Purely on Mathew Baugh's additions versus his editing work, I liked the following.

* The Count's "Insane Troll Logic" regarding his vampirism being a gift from God rather than the Devil. Edmond Dantes had some similar stuff in the books trying to show how God was behind his revenge even when it was nonsensical.

* The Count's revenge on Villefort's family by unleashing his vampire powers on them has the exact same backfiring results as his revenge on them in the original novel, only completely different.

* Edmond mentioning how easy it will be to play dead during his escape from the Chauteau D'if (since he pretends to be a corpse in the original novel).

* Changing the paralyzed grandfather who can only blink messages to a ghost who can only communicate with wrapping.

* How Mathew Baugh dances around Eugenie's lesbianism just like Dumas did, right before confirming it at the end

* Explaining some of the servant's insane devotion to the Count as the result of them drinking his blood and being mind-controlled, also the weird fascination Edmond has over the Paris scene being his vampire presence..

* The Count using necromancy to restore Benedetto to life as a homonculus versus his enemies conveniently being unable to kill a baby as in the original novel.

* The Count in the original book makes constant literary and period-appropriate references, the Count in the revised book makes constant literary and period appropriate SUPERNATURAL references like Count Ruthven and his relationship to Lord Byron.

These are just a few of the sixty or so fun bits I spotted.

Really, the oddest thing about the Vampire Count of Monte Cristo is the fact that in order to really appreciate the novels' changes, you have to be a fan of the original Count of Monte Cristo. That's the big difference between it and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Almost all of the changes in the texts work entirely on their own but they ALSO work as in-jokes.

For example, the title itself.

Making the Count of Monte Cristo a vampire is funny by itself.

BUT, if you know the text, he's frequently compared to one for his nocturnal ways, inhumanly pale skin, and strange majesty.

So it's doubly funny that way.

Mathew Baugh is obviously a huge Dumas fan to have inserted all of these in-jokes and references.

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I find Vampire Count of Monte Cristo, Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, etc... To be cheap and taudry attempts at crappy fanfiction and as such I do not support their publication with my readership.

I fully support Pride Prejudice and Zombies, nothing can be worse than the original.

I've not read The Vampire Count of Monte Cristo so I will reserve judgement.

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I'll say again, because you obviously complained and had my post removed.

These books are schlock. It's sickens me that they are written, published, and bought by the likes of you. Please stop doing so. The only way to discontinue their existence its to get those like you and your ilk to stop purchasing them. I realize that you have some overwhelming desire to see a 'mash up' of super kewl vampires, and you're favorite literary hero, but the rest of the world sees it as a cheap rip off, and lazy writing. This book, and those like it are a stain on the genre we all love and read, and makes it look down right fucking idiotic.

I didn't do anything of the sort. Also, if you haven't read the book, you have nothing to back up your statement. You're uniformed and speaking from ignorance. You're not sounding clever, original, or a defender of literature. Quite the reverse actually. If you'd read the book and hated it, I'd respect that. However, I don't know if you've read either the Count of Monte Cristo (I have) and you certainly haven't read the remake (and I enjoyed it enough to make a thread extolling its virtues) so I can't imagine what compels you to come in the thread to ruin it for others

Mr. Phippes,

You know what would improve one of my favorite works of classic fiction, A Tale of Two Cities? If Sydney Carton were willing lay down his life, not out of love (how cliche) but because he was a tormented lycanthrope.

:vomit:

Improve? Perhaps not. Still, one could do a retelling of Great Expectations in modern times with only a few literary adjustments. After all, it is the timeless story of a young poor boy in love with a rich girl with no heart. People have also redone A Christmas Carol with everything from muppets to Bill Murray (who is far less believable) yet no one is screaming bloody murder about that. The good stories stand on their own merit and while you can put a hatchet to them, the best mash-ups are made with a love of the material.

I don't disdain your right to dislike the idea and be suspicious. You also don't have to use your hard earn dollars to pick up a copy. I'm just saying my thoughts on the subject. I read it, I liked it.

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Why the fuck would I buy and read a book in a sub genre that I despise? Next you'll telling me to pick up some warhammer books.

I could recommend you some of them. Ciaphas Cain is a remake of the Flashman series (a novel series I despise but which the remake is quite enjoyable).

I'm not going to support that. Not should you, which is the point of this and my previous posts. Stop buying them. They are shit. And please stop referring to the mash up as a 'remake'.

You haven't read it. You're talking about something you haven't read. You have no knowledge about the contents of the book and you're telling me about their quality. This is a pet peeve of mine every bit as I'm sure mash-ups are to you. I'm not going to listen to your advice and actively encourage people to do the opposite because you have not a shred of evidence to back up your statement. You might as well say, "I dislike X because moonrocks are found on the moon." It's a more valid form of criticism than anything you have to say on this subject.

And we get it. You read Dumas. Good fucking god. I'm sure you'll find that most around here have as well, and aren't all that impressed by your literary exploits. Drop that shit up north, but down here, most folks are able to keep up, and possibly make you look like a fool in terms of what they read. Although you seem to be doing a fine job of that yourself.

I'm serious dude, you actually are in this thread bragging about how you hate this book without having read it. It's like...mind boggling.

Anyway, I get you hate it because of moonrocks. Good for you. I like it because of moonrocks.

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I wouldn't have a problem with writing monster stories in certain time eras and being inspired by great literary work, but just adding in a few [insert whatever supernatural creature is cool at the moment] to the actual story loved by many seems lazy to me, i'm going to take your word for it and believe some of these books are super fun, they probably are but they're still lazy; i won't say they are terrible because I've never read any and i think in different mediums they might be pretty good but in the medium of literature where they are essentially just taking an old public domain classic and adding in a few things i can't really shake off this feeling that its lazy and reaping the rewards of much better writers whilst simultaneously ruining (for some) what is a beloved classic to them.

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Like Ser Scot and peterbound I think calling a hack knock off to a great work of art like the Count of Monte Cristo is silly. What's next Captain Ahab was really an alien hunter trying to save the Earth from the obvious extra-terrestrial disguised as the white whale...shit like that is just a waste and even if they were giving it away free it would still cost more than it is worth...life is short don't spend it reading drivel


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I've never felt compelled to read these type of books, but I can honestly say I don't understand the vitriol against them. I mean, who really cares if they are written? Perhaps they get younger people to read the source material, I don't know. But who gives a flying fuck if someone takes something from the public domain and messes about with it. The authors don't, they are dead.



Let them reap the rewards of long dead authors. What does it matter? It will neither diminish the value of the original, nor will it light nuns on fire, so why bother building up the hate? Seems like too much work to me.


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