Dracula

By Bram Stoker

Of the many admiring reviews Bram Stoker’s Dracula received when it first appeared in 1897, the most astute praise came from the author's mother, who wrote her son: 'It is splendid. No book since Mrs. Shelley's Frankenstein or indeed any other at all has come near yours in originality, or terror.'

A popular bestseller in Victorian England, Stoker's hypnotic tale of the bloodthirsty Count Dracula, whose nocturnal atrocities are symbolic of an evil ages old yet forever new, endures as the quintessential story of suspense and horror. The unbridled lusts and desires, the diabolical cravings that Stoker dramatized with such mythical force, render Dracula resonant and unsettling a century later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 31, 2000
• ISBN: 9780679641971

Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker (1847–1912) grew up in Ireland listening to his mother's tales of blood-drinking fairies and vampires rising from their graves. He later managed the Lyceum Theatre in London and worked as a civil servant, newspaper editor, reporter, and theater critic. Dracula, his best-known work, was published in 1897 and is hailed as one of the founding pieces of Gothic literature.  

Reviews for Dracula

[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.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a beautifully written and scary book. Wonderful as an audiobook. The reader does a great job with accents and emotions. Glad I listened to it.

[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.

[tvnerd95 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was absolutely captivated by this story from the very beginning and the characters are so well described that I couldn’t stop reading.

The cinema was my only exposure to this story before now and what can I say but the cinema destroyed these fascinating characters by either sidelining them, not including them or over sexualizing them for the entertainment value. Lucy and Mina are two of the strongest female characters that I have ever seen in literature and their friendship is wonderful. The gentlemen in this story are very courageous and it is amazing how determined they were to see Dracula destroyed because it was the right thing to do and not for revenge.

My only con is there are times that the author gets a little wordy with some of his side stories and conversations that I almost wanted to skip some of it.

This is a great performance to listen to. All the actors not only had to act out their main part but also any of the other characters when the story was being told from the journal writer’s point of view. The actors did a great job of maintaining each characters personalities and subtleties no matter which actor was speaking for the character. It is exceptionally well done.

[kimmykay_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Tried for years to get through this book. Never could quite do it...

[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!

[jonfaith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Van Helsing sat with the Harker child on his lap; Van Helsing was momentarily pensive as his breathing continued stertorously. He was thankful that the child's breathing was normal, not stertorous. His suspicions had been numbed since the events with the Count some seven years before. He was also aware that both Jonathan and Mina would conscript this every instant to their journals. It was a shame he still spoke German. Why didn't anyone notice this? Yes, they had encountered True Evil and prevailed through serial implausibility on the part of Undead genius and reduced him to ashes with a Bowie knife.

[wordsampersand · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite good, and surprisingly funny in spots. It really was a "technothriller" of sorts in its time.

[faith_murri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.
Why am I always so surprised that classics are seriously fantastic?

I loved everything about this! Even knowing the general story, having absorbed it via osmosis most of my life and having once watched a terribly adapted play put on by my high school peers, I was still pulled in by the tension, the terror, and the themes. I loved every character and found the plot to be very climactic and engaging.

The writing style was superb! Each narrator had a consistent voice that defined them and made their perspective all the more interesting. My personal favorite was Dr. John Seward. He had a very lyrical way of viewing the world and it made his sections beautiful to read. The opening part with Jonathan Harker's imprisonment in Dracula's Castle was palpably tense and drew me in immediately. All in all, the entire thing was excellent!

For life be, after all, only a waitin' for somethin' else than what we're doin'; and death be all that we can rightly depend on.

[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.

[judithrs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dracula. Bram Stoker. Modern Library Paperback Edition. 2001. The first time I read Dracula I was at home between sophomore and junior years at Montevallo, I think. I had nightmares about vampire cats that were so real I crawled in bed with Mother and only read the book during the daylight hours. This time it was more uncomfortable, not because I think vampires are real, but I was shocked by the evil personified that the book described and surprised by the Catholicism that permeated the determined search to destroy the evil. It was long and not as suspenseful as I remembered more of it as I read. It is much deeper than the modern vampire books and movies.

[heggiep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

By turns melodramatic, contrived and repetitive it is, nonetheless, a spine-tingling tale - a classic.

[dariazeoli · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I liked this book, I felt like the last half of it really dragged as Van Helsing and his group of willing accomplices made arrangements to travel to finally find and rid the world of Count Dracula. The pace really bored me at some points and I think that is the reason I could put this book down over a six-week period in favor of something else.

[chellebearss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I am a big horror fiction reader and devour everything I can find about Vampires and Werewolves, I had never actually gotten around to reading Dracula. I am happy that I can now say I have read it, although I don't think I would read it again. I did enjoy the story and how it was written as a collection of journals and news entries. "If ever a face meant death - if looks could kill - we saw it at that moment."

[capriciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I did it, I did it! I finally read DRACULA!!!

[lgandt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Much better than any of the films, no matter how good some of those are, this is the best version.*Update* I do wish someone sometime would give this book its do justice and make a decent film adaptation. Some are close but still lack so much.

[ngabriel_52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Still scary.

[amschroe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book when I was quite young...around 13 or so, due to my strange love of vampires and all creatures of the night. I read the book quickly and remember really enjoying it. I plan on reading it again some time soon, and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys classical literature, as well as to younger people who are keen on reading and are exploring, trying to discover what kinds of books they really enjoy.

[adribabe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I know this is going to sound funny but I know now why this is a classic. I always dreaded reading it because it was written so long ago thinking I wouldn't be able to get into it but boy was I wrong. I was drawn into the story at once, it is cryptic and scary with amazing foreboding detail. You feel like you are in there with the characters. Great scenery detail. I LOVED this book, by far one of my favorites already. I may even read it again! (and i usually never do that). You can't beat the original vampire novel!

[mmignano11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dracula by Bram Stoker I am listening to this on what is called a playaway from the local library. It is like an MP3 player.I have, at this point, read Dracula twice, watched several movie adaptations and now listened to it on the playaway. My favorite movie adaptation is the one starringGary Oldman and Keanu Reeves as being the most faithful to the story. If you have'nt read it yet, I highly recommend it. If you are a horror fan, particularly the old-fashioned type, this will delight you. Told through the eyes of several different characters, the reader will enjoy the various viewpoints and the descriptive talents of Stoker. The atmosphere is important to the feeling of horror that grows as the story progresses. In fact, in my opinion, that is the reason the story is so enjoyable. Every aspect of the development of the story is carefully tended to and the reader is privy to the feelings and experiences of more thatn one of the characters and so able to understand the growing horror that befalls them. I'm stopping here since the library is close to closing but I may return to add to this review as this is by far one of my favorite horror stories. Don't miss it if you are at all inclined to dip into the original vampire story that delighted readers long before Twilight

[rebeccaday1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is definately my favorite of all time! Theres nothing more to say !

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dracula is the archetype, if not the original, of the entire vampire sub-genre, inspiring films and a gamut of derivative fiction, good and bad. Stoker's novel also contains the 'rules' of the vampire legend, from coffins and bats to garlic and stakes. Recent literary descendants might thumb their noses at some of the more gothic traditions - I think the aristocrat in a cape and three-piece suit has had his night - but the mythology of the undead has changed little in over a century.Judging by the stats for this novel, I am probably one of the last people to finally get around to reading Dracula, but I seem to be on a sort of vampire bender at the moment, and hey - it was free on Kindle! Unfortunately, my tardy indulgence has been somewhat spoiled by the memory of Mel Brooks' spoof film Dracula: Dead and Loving It!, and I was amused to read that bug-eating Renfield is actually a character in the original story!Dracula is also very Victorian, in style and sensibility, which adds to the unintentional humour. The pompous patriotism, unabashed snobbery and patriarchal blather behind every one of Stoker's characters almost cries out for literary criticism - Lord Godalming bribes and blusters to get his own way, and Mina Harker is a gift to feminist critics Gilbert and Gubar. Mina, the prim schoolmistress who marries Jonathan Harker, the first pawn in Dracula's game, is the Victorian 'ideal woman', guided by man, whereas her attractive friend Lucy Westenra is demonised as a sexual temptress ('the whole carnal and unspirited appearance seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy's sweet purity'!) Guess who lives to tell the tale? Blatant symbolism aside, Mina is actually quite a strong and intelligent woman for her time, organising her dithering husband and offering her own life to save others, and I would love to read more about her. The men, on the other hand, range from the ridiculous to the pointless - Van Helsing is a patronising old goat who speaks like he has been fed through a Babelfish translator and spat out the other side, and then there is Lucy's rogue's gallery, Lord Godalming, Doctor Seward the asylum keeper, who records his journal on a phonograph, and random American Quincey Morris, whose purpose eludes me. I know that Van Helsing has a massive appreciation society going amongst vampire afficianados, but he is never really established as anything more than a literary device, and the irritating 'accent' that Stoker gives him is tiring to read.Count Dracula is the best character of the book, of course, and I loved the first few chapters with naive traveller Harker staying at the vampire's Transylvanian castle. The setting and atmosphere are crawling with tension, from the superstitious townsfolk to Harker's slow discovery of his host's dark secret. The letters and diaries of Mina and Lucy in Whitby are also well crafted, but when the body count increased, my interest started to flag - I can never keep a straight face when reading Victorian melodramas! The epistolary form of the novel - diaries, whether on paper or wax tubes, letters, telegrams, ship's logs - is tediously detailed and linear, and I must admit to skimming through the final few chapters ('Nothing happened' is not a helpful statement at the climax of a novel).So - yes, I'm glad I finally read Dracula, but thankful that I didn't pay anything for the privilege. The Count and Mina Harker are fascinating and enduring characters, but there is a lot of Victorian silliness to wade through on their behalf.

[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.

[melydia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After reading this, I realize that I've never seen a Dracula movie in my life. I dimly recall seeing the play in high school - my sister played Mina - but the plot of that escapes me. I was surprised at how little of the book takes place at Dracula's castle. I also was a touch confused by the plethora of vampiric restrictions: sunlight is evidently a hindrance only some of the time, one becomes a vampire by drinking a vampire's blood or sometimes just by being killed by a vampire, a vampire needs to rest in sanctified soil but cannot touch anything blessed, a vampire can turn into a bat and a dog and mist and who knows what else... I'm just glad subsequent vampire stories kept it simple: no sunlight, no Christian stuff, no stakes through the heart or decapitation.Anyway, all griping aside, I really enjoyed this book. The plot moves well. Often books over 100 years old are written in a difficult dialect, but this was easy, to the point where I was even able to hear Van Helsing's thick accent in my head. Mina's portrayal as a strong, intelligent woman was refreshing as well. The ending was quite abrupt, even jarring, but the story did not feel at all unfinished.

[bookbug105 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book but hard to get through. it took me about 1 1/2 months

[catesharris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is definitely worthy of its title. It is unbelievably terrifying and interesting. It is a must read.

[dionnep_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have to read it again, now that I've been in Whitby and seen the abbey.

[mromano_95 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A very poor novel. The novel offends in many ways, but most importantly in two: the characters are very stupid and thus the reader loses interest after only a few chapters and more importantly, the novel fails to scare. How stupid are the characters? I will give only a few examples: Dracula leaves Johnathan Harker, the one man who knows the intimate details of his plans, alive to escape; Van Helsing fails to share important information regarding what a vampire is with anyone until late in the novel; after explaining that Dracula is most powerful at night and helpless during the day, the five men hunt Dracula At NIGHT leaving Mina alone (to of course become the next victim); when they learn that Dracula has foiled their plans to take him in Varna all five men leave by train to find out his whereabouts in a neighboring town, when they realize that they have of course missed him (he is not about to wait after all) they decide that he must be returning to his castle so they break up into three decidedly weaker groups. Really, no one would act this foolishly. The book is replete with countless stupid actions on the part of its characters, but the biggest offender against intelligence is Van Helsing who acts and sounds like a complete moron. When Van Helsing discusses "child brains" and "Mans brains" you can barely stifle a loud groan. Don't waste your time with this one.

[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!

[richard015 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the year 1875 Jonathan Harker comes from England to do business with Count. But Jonathan does not feel comfotable at Castle Dracula. Strange things happen at night...This story is very interesting. So it is easy to read. This book is one of the most favorite book. I recommend this book.