Dracula

Written by Bram Stoker

Narrated by Brian Cox and Heathcote Williams

For a century Bram Stoker’s Dracula has reigned supreme as the undisputed masterpiece of horror writing. We have all grown up under the shadow of the elegant Count, at once an attractive, brutal and erotic creature of the night. In 1897 Bram Stoker wrote a story expressing the most persistent nightmare of the human condition. Take this opportunity to dream again…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Apr 23, 1997
• ISBN: 9789629545659

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

[kurt.rocourt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The strangest thing about this book is that when you read how much dialogue Dracula actually has you see that it isn't much. It's still very good after all these years. A true literary classic.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is a celebrated classic for good reason. So much in popular culture since its publication over a century ago originates from the creation of this single character—this undead, parasite of the night.The story itself is a brilliant, wordy mess of journal entries written by forlorn characters desperate to understand an unfamiliar evil. But rather than compulsively turning the pages, you're more likely to wander through the confusion thinking, "What is going on here?" Dracula has its moments—alarming revelations that will chill your bones—but I'd be understating if I said you'll have to slog through a bunch of babble to get there.

[folandjr-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unlike when I reread Frankenstein a couple years ago, rereading Dracula was like reading it for the first time. Events that I swore were in the book were nowhere to be seen. In fact, from Renfield's fate onwards I didn't remember a thing. I blame all the movie adaptations for muddying my memory and overwriting at least the final third of the book. I wonder why that didn't happen with Frankenstein.

[flamika_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Since I'm such a fan of vampire novels, I finally decided to read where it all began. This was a good read. The novel kind of slows down in the middle and never quite picks up its pace again, and the ending is sort of anticlimactic, but I sitll enjoyed it.

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The absolute all-time classic of wanting to do your friends. I've already written about five papers on Dracula and said most of what I want to say, but here's this: you know those old soft-porn videos they used to rent at places like Blockbuster that carefully skirted their wholesome Middle American ideas of what was acceptable whilst still providing a masturbatory outlet for men too remotely situated for broadband? Where it's all "The De Courceys. An estranged family with a dark secret - until young, nubile Rochelle came into their homes and unsettled their lives with her erotic power? A journey of sexual discovery and spiritual healing." Imagine Dracula as Rochelle. Is ur mind blown? A little?

[booksfordeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I struggled getting into this book originally but reading it conjunction with The Historian helped out a great deal. After I got past the beginning I really ended up enjoying the book. This is Dracula, the original, and not very attractive. Today vampires are so romanticized that it may be a struggle for some to accept the original horror of Dracula. While it is not a horror book in the sense that they are written today, it definitely defined the era. Stoker wrote an acceptional book. A must read for lover's of the classics

[jimnightshade · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a little long to suit my attention span, but very original in the way it is written, and you have to respect it for that

[dionne_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like the way it is written. Such a great beginning...

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even nearly 120 years after its first publication, this book is scary! A true thriller. Excellent read.

[clackermuffin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Obviously influential, but that doesn't mean it's a good read. The early scenes in Dracula's castle have real life, but it all goes wrong when the focus switches to Van Helsing and his dull cohorts.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I believe this was my third read of this book, but the only time I've listened to it on audio. This was a full cast performance and it was excellent. I highly recommend it to horror fans that dislike reading in epistolary form, the voicing here really brings the diary entries and letters to life.

Highly recommended for fans of classic horror stories!

[therska · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After Twilight, True Blood, Let the Right One In and other modern vampire stories, I was eager to read the original and settle down some facts. It is a true horror story balancing between the psychological and physical world somewhere. The way it is told is surprisingly modern and structured, and you'll never drop out, as the story line is retold several times. The plot itself was like a river, some times very exiting, others quit shallow and slow. The ideology struck me as extremely sexist, which was a huge turn down for me. The dialects and accents was at times was hard to read, but it felt blooming right in some cases (not always). Over all a good book, worth it's place on the classical list for sure, but not some thing I'll reread any day soon...

[pamkaye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book years ago, but decided to read again. It is one of the great classics and for good reason. Jonathan and Mina are great heroes. And of course, who can forget Dr. Van Helsing.

[smiler69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How wonderful to discover a classic you think you know by heart and be surprised and enchanted by the telling of it. Dracula has become such a common character over the years, with countless movies made featuring famous actors such as Béla Lugosi (1931) and Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves (1992), not to mention his ubiquitous little avatars running around, fangs bared every Halloween night for well over one hundred years. I had always assumed that the story was told from the point of view of Jonathan Harker, the young solicitor who travels to Transilvania at the beginning of the story to meet a client whom he is far from suspecting of being undead until clear evidence to the contrary plunges him into despair and madness. While we are indeed privy to Harker's journal notes detailing his adventure from day to day, we also get to snoop into his soon-to-be wife Mina Murray's journal, and then that of John Seward as well—a young doctor who is running a madhouse and has a patient who is overly fond of flies and spiders under observation. Adding to my enjoyment was the knowledge supplied to me by a well-informed LT member (Liz), that the technology mentioned in the course of the story was considered cutting-edge at the time the novel was published. But perhaps the greatest treat was listening to the latest audio production of this classic, which is told by multiple narrators, with top billing given to the excellent Alan Cumming as Seward and Tim Curry as his mentor, the dutch professor Van Helsing. Of course, one can't exactly expect any great surprises, but all the same, it's a good story very well told, no matter in what format.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Were it not for audiobooks, I don't think I'd have read any classics in the last two years. This is a great way to slowly slog through the ones you've been meaning to read just because, but don't think you'll like much. Dracula has been on my to-read list since middle school, but only because it's a thing I felt I should read, not because I was especially interested. Thank you, audiobook, for making it so that I did not need to DNF!

For real, if I had been reading this in print format, I really do not think we would have been friends. The story goes by so slowly, the characters are flat, and there is very little action for a horror novel. Add to this the fact that pretty much ALL of pop culture is one big giant spoiler for the plot, and the book is insanely boring at most points.

Even worse, pop culture took all the good ideas out of Dracula and so, basically, what you're left to be surprised by is all of the things pop culture changed so that the book could actually be interesting. Take, for example, Van Helsing and Dracula's battle. I went in expecting this:



If that's what you're hoping for, let me just tell you that you're WRONG. In fact, Van Helsing is an old, fat doctor with an absurd accent. Dracula is a tall, old man with a long white mustache. Umm, yuck, really? Sadly, 'tis true. The action in the book is more of the mental battle variety than anything else. They do a lot more talking than fighting.

Mental standoffs can be pretty cool though, characters trying to outmaneuver one another. I mean, that's what made the first half of Death Note so freaking cool. Unfortunately, these characters are dumb. Certainly, knowing what's happening going into the book, but even given that they're working with no knowledge, their reasoning abilities are limited.

What really got to me was that, near the end, they've figured out what happened to Lucy Westenra, watched her become a vampire, and killed her. Now they're searching for Dracula to kill him too. They decide that they need to do this without the cleverest of the bunch, Mina Harker, because ladies cannot handle this sort of thing, duh. They leave her alone and come back to find her weak, pale and tired, and it takes them freaking ages to think maybe Dracula has something to do with this, since these symptoms are remarkably similar to Lucy's. Basically, everyone's pathetic.

Speaking of Mina, she is by far the most interesting and clever character, but, because of the time period, she gets very little respect. I mean, yeah, the guys appreciate what a great typist she is and admire her intellect, but, ultimately, she's more of a curiosity than a compatriot. They leave her out of things because she's a woman, and view her most important role to be that of a shoulder to cry on, of feminine comfort, despite the fact that she's the one who ultimately figures everything out. I know it's a different time, but it still pisses me right the fuck off.

Oh, also supremely annoying? The infinite references to God. Seriously, every couple of minutes someone would intone "it's in God's hands." At first it didn't bother me, because that's the kind of stupid shit people would say, and still do say, in crises. However, after the first fifty times, I pretty much wanted to start ripping people's heads off every time it happened. I GOT it already: you're all good Christians. Shut the fuck up, okay?



The only thing that made this book bearable for me was the fact that Audible did a wonderful job putting together the audio. They brought in a stellar cast, and really fit the voices to the characters. My favorite voice actors were Alan Cumming and Katherine Kellgren. Tim Curry does a good job, but he's doing that stupid Van Helsing accent, so I couldn't love his performance as much.

Even with the marvelous audio work, this still only came out to a meh for me. I highly recommend the audio version, whether you think you'll like the book or not.

[bennyb_29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After reading this noval for the first time I have come to the conclusion the movies about vampires don't do Stoker's great horror classic any justice. I throughly enjoyed reading this book all the way to the last page. This is a must read for any horror fans!

[pdill8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found the book easily digestible for an older book. The format felt quite modern, being a combination of letters and journal entries from various narrators. The descriptions and emotions were lush and enveloping. The entries written from VanHelsing’s point of view were the only ones I had difficulty getting through- the language choices are meant to portray a highly intelligent person for whom English is not native, but for me it wound up being repetitive and harder to relate to. Also, the portrayal of women was hard to swallow at times. Baring in mind that it was another time, and that it might even hold a hint of satire against chauvinism, it was still at times irking. Overall, glad I finally read this classic and would definitely recommend!

[olivia_atlet_writer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

- Too Sensual to Ignore -“Dracula” by Bram Stoker relays the tales of an up-and-coming realtor, Jonathan Harker, who travels from England to Transylvania to meet a client; Count Dracula. In the classic interpretation of good versus evil, Jonathan and several of his acquaintances seek out the monster that killed one of their beloved companions. Their journey is filled with superstition, which is seen within the very first chapter of Jonathan’s diary during his journey to the Count’s home; many community members warn him of the dangers that awaits, and some even beg that he returns to his home. The book fashioned a new era within the literary field alongside such works as “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a collection of reminiscences, transposed in diary entries, victrola recordings, and recounts of events throughout the time period. It dives into the parasitic indulgence so deftly hidden within Victorian London. There is a certain theme found in each of the novels I mentioned; the human form, when molested, may unleash a creature reeking with God’s defamation. I would recommend this book to readers with an interest in folklore/urban legends, gothic fiction, classics, horror novels, and the victorian perception of evil. It is definitely worth picking up if you are curious about the beginnings of these kinds of books, as well. It is an excellent subject to use for a case study of the genre.

[detweilermom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say about Dracula that hasn't already been said. It did bring something out that has been bugging me alot lately. You can write a great book without all the language and violence. Yes there is violence in Dracula (how can you not have it in a book about vampires) but it isn't the main focus. I listened to this book on audio ( a freebie I got from Audible) and really enjoyed it. I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise. It is a classic worth giving a try, read like a pretty modern story

[kamikaze2011-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this one. I knew it wasn't going to be anything like the movies, so I was prepared for that. I will say that while I wasn't expecting so much to be about Lucy, I truly enjoyed her nonetheless. I do want to know what the heck happened to Jon Harker between leaving Castle Dracula and showing up at a hospital. Why didn't Drac kill him? The world may never know.

[jawalter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

eBook

It's hard, at this point in my life, not to feel as though I've already read this book. The Dracula story has been told and retold and reimagined and reinterpreted so many times that it was kind of shocking to realize I've never actually dealt with Stoker's original work.

That said, I don't feel that I have too much to say about it. Vampires and sex and blood and superstition and science and religion ... it's all kind of played out. The most unexpected part of the book was the relish Stoker seems to have taken in writing an epistolary work. There are letters, diaries, shorthand accounts, phonographic recordings, telegrams, and newspaper articles, and not only is this how Stoker chooses to tell the story, it's how the characters try to tell the story.

The characters, as much as the author, are fascinated by more than just the account of their experiences. They are fascinated by how they record those experiences, commenting frequently on their methods. A not-insignificant portion of the story is actually just the main characters reading one another's writing and transcribing an additional copy.

It seems strange that a book about vampires would get so excited about writing in shorthand or transcribing a phonographic cylinder, but it does make sense for these people to react to the supernatural with the logical and rational response of simply recording their observations.

[tess_w · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After reading for 55+ years, I thought it about time to read the "real" Dracula and I'm glad I did.The book is intriguing and suspensful without being gory or bloody. A lot of history about Dracula is given and also explains why he does what he does. The book is written as diary entries by all the major characters; gives great perspective.The only negative comment is that some of the journal entries use less than proper grammar (he has brain of child, he weak, etc. This detracts from the otherwise well-written book.

[aryadeschain-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I must say that I didn't expect much of this book, given the time when it was written. Surprisingly enough, I ended up liking it.

I've been reading a couple of reviews made by other readers and was actually surprised to know that very few people enjoyed this book's writing style. Instead of being written in the regular traditional narrative format in the eyes of a single character, the story is told in a collection of correspondence exchange amongst several characters, as well as diaries, reports, telegrams and exerpts from newspapers. Although Bram Stroker seemed to have a serious problem regarding writing style shift (everybody, men and women alike, wrote in the exact same way), the idea of this way of telling the story was pretty innovative.

The characters are not exactly captivating, but there was no one that I hated in particular. The story is fluid and factual. Details have enough description so that you can have an idea of the scenario where the characters are located. Meaning that you will not find any romantic reveries of a thousand pages.

I only found the ending kinda silly. I expected a lot more action, but when you thing that an epic battle between good and evil will occurr, the book ends in two paragraphs.

Alas, I liked the book. It definitely deserves to be called "classic".

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am really not a fan of vampire fiction but I have to say that this forerunner to the modern craze is quite good. Of course, it helps that Simon Vance narrates. He is amazing at giving the different characters accents and intonations that distinguish them from each other. A young British solicitor, Jonathon Harker, travels to Transylvania to acquaint Count Dracula with the details of a property that he has purchased in London. He keeps a journal and writes letters to his employer and his fiancee about everything he experiences. Although Dracula intended him to fall prey to three women vampires in his castle after he left for Britain, Jonathon manages to escape and flee to a hospital in Budapest. He cannot remember anything about his sojourn but he knows it was horrible. His fiance, Mina, goes out to him and they marry. In the interim Mina has had her own vampire experiences. She was staying with her friend Lucy in Whitby when a mysterious ship comes into harbour. Every member of the crew has been killed. Only a large black dog was seen jumping from the ship to shore. Of course, this was the Count and he hangs around Whitby long enough to infect Lucy. Lucy was loved by three men who banded together to save her after bringing in a Dutch doctor, Van Helsing. They are unsuccessful and they, together with the Harkers, decide to hunt down and finish off the Count.Pretty typical gothic novel from the time but it was probably a sensation when it came out.

[dragonasbreath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Much more entertaining than the fluff that has been turned into it. It was an enjoyable read - and remains the sire of an entire genre.

[darthdeverell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bram Stoker’s The Illustrated Dracula features illustrations from Jae Lee, who’s worked on X-Factor, Inhumans, and Fantastic Four: 1234 for Marvel Comics as well as other work for DC and Image Comics. The book itself reprints Stoker’s text, which uses the epistolary novel format that was popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and introduces the reader to Count Dracula, Jonathan and Mina Harker, Renfield, Abraham Van Helsing, and Lucy Westenra. Lee includes multiple black-and-white illustrations throughout the story as well as four full-color illustrations that capture the gothic, dreamlike quality of the narrative. Lee’s portrayal of Dracula appears to borrow from the depiction of Count Orlok in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film, Nosferatu, rather than Stoker’s own description or the appearance of the historical Vlad Țepeș. Those benefits aside, there are some typographical errors throughout the work. That said, the illustrations and the high-quality materials of which this book is constructed make it a good gift edition for those new to the story or friends in need of a new copy.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't expect to enjoy this book, but I thought it was fantastic.

[andyray_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

stoker is not a "good" writer to my mind . . . he exercises superfluous adjectives, sentences, and passages. He uses the epistlatory POV -- unweldy if not improbable for a horror story! I may say this only once in my life, but please do not read the book; rather, enjoy one of the many excellent films.

[dnaej · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was filled with unnecessary, long, drawn out conversations. The overall plot was the only thing that kept me reading.

[smiley_13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The orignial horror story. Hard to surpass and hard to put down once begun.