Comment from ragamuffin

Excellent

Excellent overall presentation. Nice to see a little actual history on the topic of Dracula. Reads kind of as a warning as well as a statement. Well done and done well within the constraints of the 5-7-5.

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 23-Nov-2013

Thanks, ragamuffin, I really appreciate you fantastic review. I needed a little encouragement about this one, LOL.

Comment from jmdg1954

Excellent

Foes respect soon spiked... I guess his ratings began to soar!
Another good entry into this contest. I never knew Dracula had such a following.
Well done,
John

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Me either, John, I was pretty impressed by the number of entries. I'm glad you caught that punch line. I was afraid it was too vague.

Thanks so much, again!

Comment from Righteous Riter

Excellent

Vlad the Impaler
staked enemies heads on poles
foes respect soon spiked
The photo fits this piece perfectly as the words bring the photo to life. The syllable count is correct. Good alliteration with soon/spiked. Good clear message that is short, sweet and to the point. Best of luck in the contest.

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thank, Righteous Riter, my brother, I really appreciate you taking the time to read & review it for me!

Comment from CR Delport

Excellent

That was a time that was very violent and crude. Mind you, today's world is still violent, maybe just not as crude. Thanks for sharing and good luck.

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Yes, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to go up against men like Vlad, or Genghis Kahn, or any other ruthless warriors of their ilk, for sure.

Thanks a ton for your support and the kind review, CR Delport!

Comment from humpwhistle

Excellent

I'd say Vlad the Impaler is probably the best sobriquet
of all time. Certainly vivid enough. And the tie in to the Dracula legend is real. I wonder how many will question that?
Best of luck at the polls.

Peace, Lee

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thanks very much, Lee. I would certainly hope those who know of the clan of Dracul, and the legends and lore of Count Dracula, will make the connection, but you never know.

Thanks again, much appreciated.

Comment from RGstar

Excellent

Good Image, bloody depiction , and sentiment embodied in a mark of respect as the way it was.

Though short, message received loud and clear.

Great 5-7-5, although, one thing; The connection to count Dracula was a bit vague, as I would associate this to some great Roman leader or warrior.

Still, the words were in line, and still a good 5-7-5 if one does not think of a traditional Count Dracula as w know him

Good,

Have a great day,

RGstar

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thanks for the read & review, RGstar, and hopefully I'm not giving our readers too much credit for knowing this fact.

As you know, author Bram Stoker (1847-1912) based the title character of his 1897 novel Dracula on an actual human being, or should we say inhuman being. With the amount of vampire lore which has imbibed our culture since Dracula was first published in 1897, I would hope people who know of Vlad, the Romanian prince known for spiking his victims severed heads on stakes.

Even if they haven't read Stoker's novel, most have probably seen some of the many films based on his character. Some of the most important cinematic adaptations are F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterpiece "Nosferatu", which was loosely based on Dracula but subjected to a "makeover" for copyright reasons, Todd Browning's "Dracula", which starred Bela Lugosi, a Romanian actor who had previously incarnated the titular character on the stage, and would forever be remembered, and unfortunately typecast as Dracula; the British Hammer Films releases of the 70s, which starred Christopher Lee as a sexier, and far more violent vampire. While there were others in between, one of the most interesting, although flawed adaptation, of Dracula was Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 release, "Bram Stoker's Dracula". Coppola's version is noteworthy for it's inclusion of the "Order of the Dracul", which cleverly interwove the fictional vampire with the historical figure.

reply by RGstar on 22-Nov-2013

Yes, thank you so much for info. I was sort of going down that road in identifying your aim.

Thank you for the extra,

RG

reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

No worries, many don't don't a lot of the details. But me? Oh, yeah, horror 101, LOL

Thanks so much again. Oh, on a note, contest rules stated no author's notes, dang it!

Comment from Liandra

Excellent

Wow! I was drawn into the scene by the art work then the written words and the music held me spell bound. The warrior came alive with the written word. Powerful, violent and passionate.

Liandra

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thanks so much, Liandra. I am very pleased to know that you liked it!

Comment from sweetwoodjax

Excellent

this is very well written, mystery writer, you did an excellent job writing this 5 7 5 poem about the history of vlad the impaler, great play on the spiked respect, i wish you the best of luck in the contest

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thanks so much, sweet, I really appreciate you taking the time to read & review it for me!

Comment from Domino 2

Excellent

Thanks for entering, 'mystery writer', though being the contest sponsor, I am aware of your identity.

Your usual dramatic and brilliant presentation!

Excellent consonance and creepiness.

Good luck, Ted

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 22-Nov-2013

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reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Thanks, Ted. I simply couldn't pass on this one! I appreciate you sponsoring it so we can all share our unique voices.

reply by Domino 2 on 22-Nov-2013

I often sponsor contests, certainly if I'm lucky enough to win one previously, as the site's contests are so repetitive and boring IMHO.

Thanks for your support. Ted

reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

You've got THAT right. Ted! I've been thinking about sponsoring one myself. A Tales From the Crypt contest. Your opening line has to be "Hello, boils and ghouls, it's your old pal the Crypt Keeper>", however, I am not so sure many recall the HBO television series enough to try it.

reply by Domino 2 on 22-Nov-2013

'boils and ghouls' - LOL.

I remember it, but I'm pretty ancient. :-)

Best not make it too complicated in case you SCARE too many members off. :-)

reply by the author on 22-Nov-2013

Yeah, I kinda thought so myself, that's why I never did it, LOL...