4.5/5THE BLOODY RED BARON is the sequel to Kim Newman's classic ANNO DRACULA and a fantastic (fangtastic?) novel that, nevertheless, didn't quite stick with me the same way the original novel did. I would give it a 4 out of 5, still a respectable number, but it came with a novella at the end that I absolutely adored. "Vampire Romance" is a story every bit as enjoyable as the original Anno Dracula and I wish it was its own separate novel.The premise of the main novel is that the Victorian Age is over and Dracula has fled England to join with the Central Powers during World War 1. Kim Newman's preferred version of Dracula is less the assaulter of young maiden's virtue and more the world's first supervillain. Nothing less than world domination will satisfy the Count and he's working with the Kaiser in order to take over Europe by force. One of his plans is to turn Baron von Richthofen and his Flying Circus into a special breed of vampire that will be unstoppable in the air. Kim Newman blatantly acknowledges that they are based on the Neal Adams and Frank Robbins creation, The Man-Bat.As you can see, this book is already beginning in utterly batguano terms. It's surreal reading about such a depressing and horrifying conflict with machine gun toting mutant vampires having their adventures chronicled by Edgar Allan Poe. Yes, he's a vampire in this universe and a really awful person with sympathies for both the failed Confederacy as well as fascist Dracula. It is a bizarre world where vampires are out in the open and considered to be the perfect weapons for winning war, only to be undermined by their many weaknesses.Like the original novel, the book is curious mixture of historical fact and dozens of period appropriate fictional characters. I feel like World War 1 is a bit of an odd choice for this as the majority of fiction set during it is going to be unknown to audiences unlike the Victorian Era. Kent Allard is a minor supporting character in the Allied aces opposing the Flying Circus but how many modern readers are going to know that is the identity of the Shadow versus Lamont Cranston as popularized by the Alec Baldwin movie?Unsurprisingly, the best characters are the original ones and it is here that a lot of the ones who will define the rest of the Anno Dracula series really come into their own. Kate Reid, Irish journalist, works as both romantic lead as well as chief outside observer to World War 1's evils. Edwin Winthrop is the chief male protagonist, obsessed with destroying Manfred von Richthofen even though it will do nothing to bring the war closer to its end.This is an epic war story and often touches on the very real horrors of the first World War. It's just a bit dissonance with its giant batmen having dog fights. I also felt that the vilification of Edgar Allan Poe and Baron Von Ricthofen was a bit off-putting. The latter especially as he's portrayed as a sociopathic soldier who shoots a dog for no reason. Admittedly, it was a small white beagle but that was really off-putting as a dog owner. I also felt that Dracula once more is a presence ala Sauron rather than a character and that seems like a waste.Ironically, the novella that accompanies the book in "Vampire Romance" is a 5/5 work that I absolutely loved. The premise is Genevieve Dieudonné going to visit a isolated country mansion in order to investigate a bunch of Elder vampires arguing over who shall be the new "King of Cats" (or Queen of Cats). Much of the story is narrated by Lydia, who is a parody of every teenage vampire fiction fan ever made. Much like Christopher Moore's Abby Normal, I absolutely loved Lydia and her aggressive ignorance about vampiredom. There's homages to Dance of the Vampire, The Brides of Dracula, Kill Bill, and Carmilla. The reveal of the villain is a bit underwhelming for an Agatha Christie parody (and could have used more Clue homages) but it was still incredibly fun.In conclusion, I don't quite love the Bloody Red Baron as much as I do Anno Dracula. I really think the Victorian setting was the ideal one and the absence of the Dracula cast is keenly felt. However, it's still a very entertaining novel and so utterly insane that it works well. It really should be a comic book or movie. "Vampire Romance" is great, though, and definitely something worth reading for its mixture of mystery and humor. It's telling that the only objection I have to that story is that it portrays Baron Meinster from The Brides of Dracula as gay when he was one of the most aggressively heterosexual vampires in fiction. Just pretty.