Barnes takes some hints from the original book, recreating the “Moreau Horrors” episode that Wells mentions in passing and giving a cameo role to his protagonist, Prendick... The City of Dr Moreau rattles along agreeably and has more than enough twists to hold the attention.
— Times Literary Supplement
The plot is packed with incident and charcters, skipping from one vignette to the next like a flat stone thrown across a lake. The extrapolation of Well’s idea is exemplary...Barnes both updates and innovates.
— Financial Times
An epic ‘what if…?’ that significantly expands Wells’ cautionary tale about genetic engineering, taking it to exciting new places.
— Sci-Fi Bulletin
Barnes has a real talent... of taking a classic and updating some of the ideas and themes while keeping grounded in the original, and it's something he does excellently here.
— Divination Hollow
A very engaging expansion of the world of Dr Moreau... [Barnes'] enthusiasm for the subject and the world means it never lacks for vitality or colour, and is a great addition to the mythology of the original.
— Damosays Review
The story... certainly takes some interesting twists and turns, and I really hadn’t anticipated the extend to which it all would go... I loved how Barnes extended on Wells story and how far he managed to take it.
— Simply a Book Drunkard
A fascinating tale told with skill and imagination by Barnes, who not only honours Wells' original story and characters but further develops his themes... Bound to please fans of H.G. Wells and those who enjoy classic-style horror and science fiction.
— Muse's Book Journal
On Dracula's Child:
A modern Gothic masterpiece, and one of the finest vampire novels of recent years. A perfect companion piece to one of the most pivotal novels ever written — Ginger Nuts of Horror
A boldly inventive sequel to Dracula rips along with a sustained energy and verve, twisting and turning all the way to the supposed editor’s epilogue — Times Literary Supplement
In style, story content, and characterization, Dracula’s Child is truly the sequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, succeeding where other, more famous attempts failed — New York Journal of Books
Inventive and spooky — Mark Gatiss, co-creator of the hit BBC series Dracula and Sherlock
[A] fitting tribute to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, matching the original’s tone and epistolary form with this choice sequel set slightly over a decade after the original’s conclusion. . . Barnes’s modern sensibilities shine through, the action and intrigue delight. This adventurous and dread-inducing tale will have readers hooked — Publishers Weekly
[A] thorough tribute to Bram Stoker’s original, written in the style of Stoker’s prose and imagining a continuation of the story this is a must-read for Dracula fans — Den of Geek
This epic tale of madness, temptation, and political scandal set in early-twentieth-century England strikes a resonant chord with today’s political climate — Booklist
A patchwork of dark thrills, woven skilfully from new and familiar voices - Dracula's Child is a macabre delight — Aliya Whiteley, author of The Beauty
It's a monumental achievement. The tale is engrossing, the tone is spot-on. — Stephen Gallagher, author (The Authentic William James) and TV writer (Doctor Who)
Fiendishly plotted and full of sinister invention . . . a thoroughly modern re-imagining of the Count's undying menace — Richard T Kelly, author of The Knives and The Possessions of Doctor Forest
Gave me genuine chills and put J.S. Barnes on my list of go-to authors — British Fantasy Society
Bram Stoker’s classic continues… It’s just as dark, evocative, sensual, and horrific. A masterpiece — Horror Tree
J.S. Barnes’ sequel to Bram Stoker’s horror classic is a terrific read...I’ve not hung on to a book so tightly for many years, its grip so intense that it wouldn’t let me go. At the end you take a deep breath and wonder where that time went, albeit time very well spent — Sci-Fi Bulletin
Genuinely frightening...There are striking moments of originality, where Barnes seamlessly merges modern sensibilities with a Stoker-like writing style...Immense fun and after decades of parody- manages to make the Count scary again — FrightFest
