Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron, or simply The Bloody Red Baron, is a 1995
alternate history/
horror novel by British author
Kim Newman. It is the second book in the
Anno Dracula series and takes place during the
Great War, 30 years after the first novel.
Plot
The book takes place during
World War I and explores the
Diogenes Club's efforts to investigate
Germany's attempt to make powerful, undead fliers. Leading the German operations are the likes of
Rotwang,
Doctor Caligari and
Doctor Mabuse. One of their more successful efforts is an undead flier known as the
Red Baron. The story also features
Edgar Allan Poe as a vampire writer assigned to
ghostwrite the Red Baron's autobiography.
Setting
The book is set in an
alternate history universe in which
Professor Van Helsing failed in his efforts to kill
Count Dracula. This resulted in a vampire proliferation across the world. The book combines a large number of historical and fictional characters, as did its predecessor, Anno Dracula, and pays tribute to a great many World War I movies and novels.
Characters
The novel features numerous characters from other media, including TV and movies, as well as published novels and short stories. Some are directly named, while others are described. The following list is far from complete.
Algernon "Algy" Lacey — From the Biggles series by W. E. Johns
Bertie Lissie — From the Biggles series by W. E. Johns; an upper-class character who wears a monocle, utters clichéd expressions, and bears some resemblance to
P. G. Wodehouse's
Bertie Wooster.