Dracula

Rating:
Summary: Super-duper, Spooky Ride!!
Review: Bram Stoker's "DRACULA" is definitely THE GOTHIC NOVEL. I read Stoker's novel for a course on Gothic Literature and still think it is one of the best books I have ever read. So the rambling by Renfield was a little over-wrought and confusing and sort of slowed the story down a bit, so Mina's pontifications and "let's all love one another" ... could get a bit out of hand and annoying (though it is set in Victorian times, what do we expect??), BUT Stoker's book has alot of wonderful characters, suspense and tension to keep the reader going. I was reading it late at night in my room and when the curtains were blowing in my room, it made a sound which made me fear a vampiric bat was lying in wait of me outside, waiting for me to invite him in....shudder....A super book on alternative family/ blood ties, about good vs. evil, about love and lust, about the mysterious eastern European landscape and Vlad the Impaler, this romantic (in the old sense) book is a must read for all. ....


Rating:
Summary: All times greatest horror novels
Review: Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is one of all times greatest horror novels. Within its 417 pages it manages to stun its readers with it's amazing frightening and suspense filled storyline. It is a classic tale of a vampire, Count Dracula, who is hungry for blood. He first victimizes his lawyer's fiancé's friend, Lucy Westenra, turning her into a vampire. This brings the tragic death of Lucy. Seeking revenge, Dracula's lawyer, Jonathan Harker, his fiancé, Mina Murray and a few of Lucy's close friends, set out on a mission to end the life of the vicious Count Dracula. During this time the Count manages to feed on Mina, making her yet another on of his victims. As she slowly starts changing into a vampire herself, the rest succeed in killing the count using silver knives. The death of the Count saves Mina. The reason I chose this book to read was because I had heard that it was really good. I had no idea how good I was. It is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It brought chills to body every time I would pick up the book. Bram Stoker's choice of words and excellent imagination colored the book. I thought this book is a very intriguing book to read especially for adventure lovers who like a good scare. Like all books, Dracula had its strengths and weaknesses. Some of its strengths were the fact that you were able to imagine yourself in the story making it easier to understand. Its descriptions were very graphic and detailed, enough to help the reader picture exactly what was happening. Even the characters were described so thoroughly, that it felt as if you knew them by appearance and personality. Also, the story keeps you attached so that you don't want to put it down. Each chapter has something new and interesting to offer to help capture your attention over and over again. Slowly everything links together and you slowly find your self near the end of the book. I can't remember ever being bored throughout the book. Its weaknesses are a few in number. Every now and then you can get lost because there is so much being told and sometimes it's hard to follow. Also it jumps a lot from one setting to another and one characters point of view to another's. I would probably recommend this book to teens 14 years of age and older, because of the graphic descriptions, it would truly scare children younger because of it's violent scenes. In general this is one of the best classic novels I have read. This is the type of novel that satisfies most tastes. It includes: love, triumph, adventure, sorrow, mystery, horror, friendship and satisfaction after an accomplishment. In other words this would be the book I would recommend to all types of readers, especially those who want a good scare.

Rating:
Summary: Bram Stoker's Dracula
Review: Count Dracula decides he wants to go to London. When he gets there, he begins stalking and killing a group of friends. Eventually Dr. Van Helsing arrives and lets everyone in on the fact that Dracula is a vampire. So now the group goes on the offensive, and stalk Dracula across Europe. This is the classic vampire novel. Over a hundred years old, this book dosn't get old. With the whole vampire underground counterculture, it is easy to forget that this book actually inspired Anne Rice. The book is told mostly through diary entries and newspaper articles. Also it is told in prose that has somewhat disapperared in the last hundred years, so it may be a little hard to understand the first time you read it. All in all, this is deservedly a classic horror novel, maybe on of the first modern horror novel. I really suggest everyone read it.

Rating:
Summary: Dracula
Review: Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a well-thought out, complex novel that leaves the reader page-turning into the late hours of the night. The author's use of imagery and detail make the novel complete and help to further the reader's understanding. The style in which the book is written, which is called epistolary, is hard to comprehend at first, but it eventually grows on the reader and it becomes easy to interpret. Dracula, a vampire who has lived through centuries, is the main character, and throughout his pursuit of people to feed on, he runs into many people who are looking to destroy him and put a stop to all of the havoc he has brought to their lives. The fight against evil is displayed throughout the novel and the obstacles that are overcome by the characters take an immense amount of bravery and strength. One of those obstacles is the destruction of Count Dracula. The success in overcoming this obstacle lies with Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Dr. Jack Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Quincey P. Morris, and Jonathan Harker. These five men team together to save Jonathan's wife, Wilhemina Harker, from the evil Count Dracula. They have to save her before the same thing that happened to Lucy Westenra, her best friend, happens to her...........

Rating:
Summary: The Best shuld always be the Original
Review: After having seen numerous treatments of the Dracula story, I wrongly assumed I new it pretty well. After stumbling through the first few chapters, I got the swing of its style. Mr. Stoker used a rather novel approach in creating this novel. The perspective of the story changes with each chapter. You read narrative from many different characters. Awkward at first, later it gives the impression of a balanced account of the events. It seems to make the events more believable. A note now forgotten by many is this was a "current" story when written. It was not a piece of colorful historical fiction.

The reader is not biased by the narrator's point of view. Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" is told from Louis' perspective. That very story is given a different spin from Lestat in "The Vampire Lestat". With Dracula, all players are backing up everyone elses story. The chilling effect, is that it seems true. I was very pleased that a hundred year old story could hold such a grip on me. Actually, it was I that had the grip, a tight fisted one, on the book until I finished.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: First off, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Dracula. This classic tale of vampires is a great read. I normally read fantasy and sci-fi, but this book offers things I can't get from either of those. The old English in this book adds flavor, and the way it is written (a series of journal entries) adds a great change of pace. Many people read this book because they want to see the great-grandfather of all the Dracula and vampire media, I know that's why I did. However, there is a trick to this book. It is better to go into this book not expecting, and without thinking about all the things you think you know about vampires. If you do, you may be extremely disappointed. Instead, take the book for what it is; a great read that has a wonderful tale. The characters were rich and vivacious. The story was terribly well written, and was packed full of suspense. If you can learn to just look at it for what it is, I know you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A classic story of good vs. evil
Review: Umberto Eco, in the foreword to his The Name of the Rose, suggests that it is not the job of an author to explain his work. From this assertion he goes on to argue that the title of a book should give away as little as possible as to the content of the novel. Simple titles, such as ones that simply identify the main character (Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, etc.) are acceptable. Even better are titles that give no hint at all of the subject matter, and the best titles are the ones that are in fact completely misleading.

Umberto Eco certainly would have applauded Bram Stoker. Dracula, the novel, is in fact not at all about Count Dracula. The character of Dracula appears for a grand total of less than 100 pages in this 400 page novel. The main characters in this book are the two women that he bites, and the handful of gentlemen that resolve to hunt him down and kill him. And though Dracula is eventually the focus of their attention, for the better part of the novel they don't even know of his existence. If you are expecting a suspenseful, gory thriller that follows a blood-thirsty killer on his nocturnal adventures, like in the movies, you may be disappointed.

Still, with the right expectations, this is a perfectly enjoyable book. It paints an interesting picture of an age very much caught up in righteousness and religion. It's a classic story of good versus evil, with few gray areas. And it introduces a character who was destined to become the most famous villain in the history of literature.

Rating:
Summary: Read it.
Review: So I have watched Blade and all those new vampire movies. I decided that I had to see what started it all. This book definitely surpassed my expectations. I did not think that a book written 100 years ago could hold such ground in today's society, but surprisingly it did. Its first person perspective from newspaper articles and journal entries adds a macabre realness to the novel. Stoker's use of the Count seems to emphasize the dual nature of humans; a sophisticated noble one minute and a blood sucking fiend the next. In addition it is mind boggling how someone could create such a character. I recommend this book to anyone interested. I will recommend this book to my grandchildren. It is a timeless classic that will never grow old.

Rating:
Summary: Of course, the movies do no justice
Review: Despite seeing countless vampire movies and shows, Bram Stoker's book (the original) is still fresh after all this time. The author really creates an environment and feeling of cold and darkness. The telling of the story from multiple points of view gives an interesting edge to the story, as you see that not all the characters know what is going on at the same time. Stoker is also able to keep Count Dracula's character as a dark and frightful, yet very mysterious antagonist. There is nothing romantic about Dracula in this version. No matter what movies you have seen, this version is sure to be new and exciting to the reader. Stoker keeps the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time. I highly recomment this classic to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Movies Just Don't Cut It!
Review: Prior to reading this novel, I envisioned the famous Count as being a pale, uncanny, middle-aged, quite rustic, and socially deprived individual, with that oh-so-annoying dialect. Unfortunately, Hollywood has left its mark on the poor man. In Transylvania, Count Dracula is seen as a type of authority figure, for he has witnessed many historical battles and has lived many centuries through the fall and rise of his history and country; which has made his family considerably wealthy and noble. Apart from being the villain, Dracula is well-read, clean shaven (although he despises vanity), and civil-well, for a while at least.

Dracula's Castle is marvelous, built of enormous dark thick stone, which keeps a steady chill and feeling of suspense in the air at all times. The endless hallways and corridors with hundreds of locked doors seem to blend with the vast staircases, giving you a choking sensation. The peculiar and most striking antique furnishings seem to have taken a drink from the fountain of youth; for they are flawless--almost too flawless. There are no mirrors to be found anywhere and the library, well one of them at least, is filled with books written in many languages and on various subjects. The bureaus there are littered with old newspapers, maps, and magazines. Why, the only soul living in the Castle is Dracula who for some reason doesn't seem to be among the living at all. For Dracula is sly and sinister. When you are first introduced, you notice that his canine teeth are remarkably large and protrude over his cherry red lips, while his presence gives you a malicious chill, along with a whiff of his rank breath. Vampires always appeared to me cold and collected, swift, smooth, and clean, not so messy like vicious hounds, and disgusting sea monsters, but don't get me wrong, there are very gory moments in the novel.

Don't let the title "classic" cause your insides to rumble and make you want to run away and scream. Dracula is filled with those action-packed fighting scenes and the timeless heroic drama, which we all love, along with a side of being addictively scary. Bram Stoker's clever historical and psychological babble; is what makes Dracula seem so realistic. The novel takes its time to get you fully interested and alert, but once you get going you will find yourself being held prisoner in many interesting and grim predicaments. This novel, or collection rather, is composed of notes, journal entries, letters, telegrams, and newspaper scraps, written by some main characters in the story: Jonathan Harker, Wilhemina (Mina) Harker, Quincey Morris, Lord Goldalming, Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, and Lucy Westenra. The five men try to save Lucy Westenra before Dracula embezzles her soul, but Dracula, uses Mina against the men. If they don't bring an end to Dracula the lives of both women are jeopardized. Let's just say that Dracula gives you something to dream about, but be warned, this book is under the category of horror for a reason.