|
|
|
 Customer Reviews 
Classic Pulp Fiction
Rating: 5
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a classic among classics. Put into print in 1897, it has never been out of print. Why? Because, it is simply that good. Dracula was written for a Victorian audience with subtle nuances of sex, violence and immorality and not surprisingly what shocked audiences then still appeals to audiences now. All one has to do is look at the proliferation of vampire novels on the shelves to know that. Bram Stoker created a creature so hideous,unnatural and undead, yet so alluring that young beautiful women were unable to resist his call. His very bite is sensual yet deadly. Well done is Stoker's use of journals and diary's from his main characters to build tension and suspense as the novel moves along. The story begins with Jonathan Harker's visit to Castle Dracula and his unfortunate experience with the Count. Through his journal we learn of the Count's plans for the future. His fiance Mina who embodies in this novel, all that is good, waits patiently for him to return home. A mysterious boat lands ashore in England and the Count's plans are set into motion. His unholy meeting with Lucy Westerna, at once sensuous as it is hideous propels the story from grimness to horror as the characters slowly realize what is happening to her. Unbelievably but with the help of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, they realize that poor Lucy is being victimized by a vampire and is herself at risk of becoming one of the undead. It is Van Helsing who guides the group who is bound together by their knowledge of who Dracula really is and ultimately propels the main characters into the exciting climax between good and evil. Readers may find the stilted language and role of women somewhat off putting until they remember what era it was intended for. As stated before, there is a reason, Dracula is still in print, it still has the capacity to make your heart beat just a little more rapidly and sleep come a little more slowly as you make sure you shut your window tightly against any breeze or whatever will blow in.
Super Reader
Rating: 5
While this novel, is, of course, about the Count, it is the ghost busters in the novel that tell the story, even if that is not what they are to start with. Except in the case of the important character in the history and tradition of ghost busting and monster hunting, in Van Helsing.
Dracula is an important enough novel to include from that point of view, here, as he educates and motivates the group of poms and a yank to get down and stakey.
Fangs: The Original
Rating: 5
After getting into some [[ASIN:0812696018 The Undead and Philosophy: Chicken Soup for the Soulless (Popular Culture and Philosophy)]], I decided that I had been greatly remiss in not reading Bram Stoker's classic "Dracula".
Surprisingly, this was only one of many novels written by Stoker, though by far the most popular. It has not once been out of print since it was published. Not a bad achievement, really.
The book is written through documents, and covers a large range of changing viewpoints. Those documents include journals of the main characters, (such as Jonathan Harker), letters, telegrams, newspaper reports, and so on. I thought it strange, but this style of writing works exceptionally well and is a mark of Stoker's ability. It gives a greater air of authenticity to the plot, which is creepy enough, in itself.
The basic plot is a creepy tale of Count Dracula who decides to move to England and start a new "life" there. Buying up properties, Jonathan Harker has to travel to the Count with the papers. What follows is a series of strange and mysterious events that leave people puzzled and wondering. Dracula is hatching his own vile plans for the land of England.
The narrative flows along very well, and keeps the right level of tension. In some places, things just get freaky, but it all adds up to a very eerie and tense tale. This is among the best books of the type I have read.
Set in later Victorian England, the heavy duty sexuality that exudes from the book was something of a surprise. Never crossing the line into crass obscenity, Stoker weaves a sexuality throughout the vampire encounters that is almost palpable and would have been shocking in his day. One can see where the inspiration for Lestat and more modern vampires comes from, (if one had missed the obvious, that is!).
There was one thing that made the book a little tough to get through in places: the dated and very 19th century English. Of course, to change it into a more modern dialect would be verging on sacrilege, but a potential reader would need to be aware of it. Some parts I found a little tough and I had to really think about the meaning. However, in some ways, this added to the charm of the book as the language is actually quite nice for the most part.
"Dracula" is truly a classic, and definitely comes with this reviewer's unreserved recommendation. It is simply a great read and it is a pivotal book for all the immitations that it spawned.
|
