Sample excerpts from the English translation

Some elements of Makt Myrkranna seem to be based on Bram Stoker's early notes for the Dracula novel, like this scene of an evening party, where the Count is the last to arrive in the room. Seward is invited there by his new patient, the stunning Countess Ida Varkony:

DR. Seward is requested to treat a mysterious woman, Countess Ida Varkony, living at the Carfax house.

It wasn’t surprising that the doctor – though well known for being a calm and controlled man, averse to frivolity – was so taken aback that he lost all composure and comportment; he’d never seen such an indescribable and strangely beautiful woman before. To him, she seemed so different from other pretty women, as if she had come from another world. She was tall and sleek, both graceful and radiant. Her hair was thick and black; her eyes unusually large and deep, with long black lashes.

DR. Seward is invited to an evening party in Carfax, where hypnotic experiments will take place.

The lights were dimmed, only weakly illuminating the room. There were about 40-50 guests inside and, although there were both ladies and gentlemen present, there were far more men than women. Though the visitors spoke French, the doctor suspected that most of the attendants were from different countries, as every now and then he picked up a word from a language he did not recognise. He seemed to be the only Englishman there.
Prince Koromezzo greeted and welcomed the physician as soon as he came in. He took him to the Countess, who sat in a corner surrounded by a handful of ladies and gentlemen. She – like the other women – was dressed in glamorous attire; their necks and arms were bare but sparkling with gems. The doctor noticed in particular the necklace the Countess was wearing. It had a heart of shimmering diamonds, with a large ruby at the center. [...]

Soon after, everyone jumped to their seats as a tall, impressive-looking man entered the room. It was clear he was the one calling the tune, as he was greeted with signs of great respect and everyone gave way to him. He spoke a few words with two of the men in the room and then walked up to the Countess. She’d been sitting as proud as a queen, but when the newly arrived gentleman drew nearer, her whole appearance changed and it was clear she was completely under his thumb. They had a brief conversation in a foreign language before he headed quickly towards the doctor, thanking him on behalf of the Countess. He said that he’d read Seward’s treatise on hallucinations and optical illusions, which had been printed in some medical journal – an article he believed to be of great significance as he personally performed experiments of this kind. He wanted to make a few such attempts tonight and hoped that the doctor, with his scientific acuity, would observe them.