Rating: Summary: a classic tale Review: Yes, the story has been done to death, but even the best movie pales in comparison to the original. The story is written as the diary of young Jonthan Harker, detailing his trip to East Europe on behalf of Count Dracula, the ship's log journeying from the Black Sea to England, and the encounters Harker has with the vampire upon his return to London. The story works on several levels - as a classic horror novel, as a love story, as a commentary on good and evil and the human condition - even as a travelouge (the places and routes taken by the characters are uncannily accurate). But it is as a horror / thriller that this book is at its best. Leave your expectations behind - the original is very unlike most of the films inspired by it (Coppola's "Brahm Stoker's Dracula" is the closest to the book) - I recommend you read it on its own merits. And with the lights on ... just in case.
Rating: Summary: The Original Classic Review: If you are a occult lover, or a vampire fanatic, you must read this book. Bram Stoker is a great writter and has a lot of vampire lore to back his story up. The begging of the story is great, but it starts to drag on. I felt the ending was rushed, but the book is still a must read.
Rating: Summary: I think I have seen to many movie versions! Review: Don't get me wrong this was a great read, it's just that for the most part the suspense was lacking. I suspect this is because the Vampire character is such a part of our popular fiction culture. Really, with the vast numbers of works, both film and novels, that have spun off since Dracula was published, it was no wonder I felt I had read this book before. Still, there is something about hearing the story from the original source. I found the format of the book (i.e. being told through the diaries and journals of the participants) a great format. As I mentioned for the most part suspense seemed to be lacking however, the opening sequence with Harker at the castle kept me on edge...What was going to happen next, how was he going to get out of there! I gave this book 4 stars because all in all it was a pretty good read and...well it is a classic.
Rating: Summary: Bram Stoker's Dracula GREAT BOOK! Review: The book that I read on Dracula was the unabridged version and it's not this one. However, I strongly recommend reading Dracula because it really scares you. It is told by a series of notes, journals, diaries, and letters. At first, i thought it was very boring because there's a lot of dialogue and everything is descibed in great detail. Fortunately, that's exactly what kept me hooked on the book. I would not put it down and I would stay up until 1:00 am reading it.So,here's a quick summary. Jonathan Harker travels to Romania to help a strange count buy an estate in Britain. He stays in the count's house only to slowly realize that he was a prisoner. After many horrifing and intimidating experiences as the count's "guest", he decides to enbark in a daring and frightning escape from the castle, to return to his loving fiancee, Mina. However,when Count Dracula is in the city, Jonathan sets out with a band of brave souls to destroy the evil count. There's a lot more in the story because it's 414 pages long. I really reccomend the book because it's 20 times better than the movie. I really think anyone can give it a try, and even though at first it's boring, you should make an effort to read it to get to the really good parts.
Rating: Summary: Without the first few chapters, it would have been one star. Review: The book started out fairly well, and the first few chapters from Jonathan Harker's journal were pretty good, but after that it just got boring. Half of the time when they could be out fighting the vampires they were eating breakfast or taking walks, and I couldn't see why they would wait so long, I mean, peoples lives are at stake (and so are their souls)! The characters were boring and underdeveloped; my favoriet was Jonathan, but he somehow got very wimpy, leaving Dracula as the best character(too bad he didn't write a diary, because that would have been interesting). The proffesor Van Helsin was considered the vampire expert, but a lot of the things he did made no sence, and when the obvious was staring at him in the face he didn't even notice it until it was to late. It did give a lot of info about how to kill vampires, but that probly won't be of much use to anyone considering vampires arn't real. If you really want to find out what happens, rent the movie 'Dracula', because it follows the plot fairly well and is more scary than the book, not to mention requires less time or effort. Some people with a great attention span might like it, but I don't recemend it for anyone else.
Rating: Summary: A great Book By Stoker Review: This is one of those books that actually keeps you reading. Once you start reading you will be drawn into jons body, it feels almost as if you are the one being held as a prisoner. After reading this book when you hear the word "vampire", "Dracula" will certainly come to mind. Ever so often during reading you may find it difficult because he writes it in a sort of journal fashion. Once I was finished reading I decided to rent the movie. The movie I rented was copywrited for 1931, watching the movie realy helped me sort out what was happening in the book. The movie was quite different in parts it often left the plot of the book. If you want to read a classic science fiction book I would recomend that you head to the bookstore or library and get this one.
Rating: Summary: Full cast, special effects, and music enhanced Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula is a wonderful example of CBC's "golden age" of radio play productions. This one hour, full cast, special effects, and music enhanced "theater of the mind" event was staged and recorded in 1949 and starred Lorne Greene as the infamous count, Alan King as Jonathan Harker, and a splendid supporting cast. This Scenario Productions compact disk is time coded for easy reference and a highly recommended addition to personal, school, and community library collections.
Rating: Summary: Dracula Review: Dracula is an excellent and classic book written in the form of journal entries, letters, telegrams, etc. It chronicles the main characters and their experiences with Count Dracula and their fight to save their cities and loved ones from the terror of vampires. Althoug the story is pretty predictable, it is often frightening and really thrillingly described. The characters are real, easily likable (or dislikable) This was one of the first books I've read for English class that I've been excited to continue!
Rating: Summary: Dracula Review: Bram Stoker brought to life the horrid story of Dracula. He takes you into an evil tail of a centuries old bloodsucking family, creatures possessing powers great enough to bring even the most viscous of creatures to there knees with the raising of one hand, and who's only reason for existence is to seek out its human prey and drain the life out of it. The fear of Count Dracula will become your own, trapped inside his castle with no escape from an apparently eternal creature, vulnerable to his every move, and knowing that you might have just unleashed his horror upon not just yourself, but the whole city of London!
Rating: Summary: A work of brooding genius Review: Of the many possible angles from which to respond to the book, two stand out in particular for me. Firstly, the style of characterization is quite effective. Stoker uses a classical device of epic fantasy, which is to unite diverse characters in an epic quest of earthshaking importance (Tolkien would use it some years later when he created the Fellowship of the Ring charged with the responsibility of destroying the evil ring). These characters form a band that has a remarkable chemistry and complementarity, especially since the team is made up of some familiar stereotypes. For instance, the elderly Van Helsing is the prototype strong hero, whose knowledge, charisma and strength of character are the emotional and psychological anchor for the other characters (and the reader) throughout the ordeals of the book. He is the Count's most formidable enemy, and provides unspoken reassurance for a modern audience that science, knowledge, discipline and courage are effective antidotes against fears of the dark and the supernatural. Secondly, the gender relations and sexual themes of Stoker's book are an interesting avenue to explore, having attracted the diverse opinions and guesses of Stoker's literary critics. There are wild theories about Stoker's necrophilia or sexual dysfunctionality which come from overly imaginative readings of his text, but then there is no smoke without fire. There are a few striking features of his portrayal of men and women. The men are always gallant and chivalrous, to the point of unnatural stiffness, and the women almost always virtuous and almost Victorian. However, Dracula and his bloodsucking appetites appear to have a dangerously seductive aspect, and it seems that his female victims cannot resist him. It is particularly disturbing that, as the book nears its ending, one of his victims (Mina Harker, the virtuous wife of Jonathan Harker) seems to feel a strange and intimate emotional connection to the Count, one that transcends her moral judgment and the physical distance between vampire and victim. There is rich material for the Freudian literary critic here. All in all, Dracula is an intriguing story, a product of a dark and brooding imagination which nonetheless maintains a steadfast faith in the power of science, of human courage against adversity, of common love and friendship, of spiritual faith, of man's unremitting fight against the forces of evil. The moral and theological dualities peppered throughout the text grip the conscience as well as the imagination.
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