I think it is important that I precursor this review with a disclaimer. Christopher Lee was a hero of mine - inspiration, role model...the whole shebang. So please be prepared for a completely nonobjective view on this, his autobiography.

Christopher Lee lived an incredible life. The commonly know details are startling enough - the star of not only the Hammer Horror Universe during its heyday (Dracula, Fu Manchu and The Mummy being perhaps his most well known roles) but also a key character in some of the most well regarded and beloved science fiction and fantasy series of all time; The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Wars prequels (I will overlook that he was in the prequels as opposed to the original trilogy - we are none of us perfect). If you look on IMDB you will find 278 acting credits to Lee's name.

He was, on all account, a legend of the screen.

What this autobiography does beautifully is tell the story of the man behind the SFX makeup - the son of a Countess and an army man. Lee spent a large part of his younger years in the armed forces himself - including a time in which he was charged with hunting down Nazi war criminals - before returning to his childhood love of acting. Lee proceeded to star in a number of infamous roles, despite the fact that many people at the start of his career insisted he was too tall to be an actor.

In his later years, Lee continued acting but also turned his hand to creating and releasing his own heavy metal album - at the tender age of eighty eight.

Christopher Lee is a legend who is much missed - and this book is a must read; filled with life, love and laughter, and a vibrant self-portrait of an incredible man.