Dracula's Guest: Classic Tales Edition

Written by Bram Stoker

Narrated by B. J. Harrison

This story coincides with April 30, or May Day’s Eve, when it was held that witches met on the Brocken mountain and kept communion with the Devil. It is named after St. Walburga, and English nun who helped convert Germans to Christianity in the 8th century. Her feast day coincides with an ancient pagan festival, whose rites were intended to give protection against witchcraft.

Stoker originally wrote this story to be included in his novel, Dracula, but the editor struck it from the original work. Dracula’s Guest was published posthumously, being the title of a collection of short stories of similar gothic horror.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Aug 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781950524501

Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was an Irish novelist. Born in Dublin, Stoker suffered from an unknown illness as a young boy before entering school at the age of seven. He would later remark that the time he spent bedridden enabled him to cultivate his imagination, contributing to his later success as a writer. He attended Trinity College, Dublin from 1864, graduating with a BA before returning to obtain an MA in 1875. After university, he worked as a theatre critic, writing a positive review of acclaimed Victorian actor Henry Irving’s production of Hamlet that would spark a lifelong friendship and working relationship between them. In 1878, Stoker married Florence Balcombe before moving to London, where he would work for the next 27 years as business manager of Irving’s influential Lyceum Theatre. Between his work in London and travels abroad with Irving, Stoker befriended such artists as Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Hall Caine, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In 1895, having published several works of fiction and nonfiction, Stoker began writing his masterpiece Dracula (1897) while vacationing at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Cruden Bay, Scotland. Stoker continued to write fiction for the rest of his life, achieving moderate success as a novelist. Known more for his association with London theatre during his life, his reputation as an artist has grown since his death, aided in part by film and television adaptations of Dracula, the enduring popularity of the horror genre, and abundant interest in his work from readers and scholars around the world.

Reviews for Dracula's Guest

[charrlygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought this collection was just okay. I enjoyed the story The Judge's House the most. A good rat story is always fun.
I was a bit disappointed in this collection. I'm a big fan of Dracula and I guess I just expected more.

[pennsylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 ★

My favorite was Dracula's Guest
You just can't compete with the aristocratic vampire.

I found some short stories more interesting than others.
They had elements of the supernatural , physical terror and always an unsettling
aura.
Since Bram Stoker wrote a number of novels and many short stories, I'll search for more.

5 AUDIO DISCS

[heptonj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent anthology by the Master himself. From the title story through The Signalman to Crooken Sands - all are the classic, chilling tales recognizable as Bram Stokers'.

[boletus_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. For its time it had some very interesting ideas and was easy to read