Bram Stoker's Dracula (CBC Stage)

Rating:
Summary: Very excellent book with only a few minor flaws.
Review: *Note-contains spoilers*

"Dracula," the only book for which Bram Stoker is really famous, is very good. The use of multiple points of view enhanced the suspense, and the protagonists (my favorite was Dr. Seward) were all written well, as well as Dracula himself. And the first few chapters, beginning with Jonathan Harker's train arriving late, up to Harker attempting his escape from Castle Dracula, are some of the scariest passages in all of literature (especially the night-ride over the Borgo Pass, with the blue flame and the wolves). The climax is also very excellent, from the heroes' race to destroy all the earth-boxes to the final confronation with the Count himself.

However, the novel bogs down a bit in the middle, during the "Lucy Westenra" section. In fact, all of the flaws of the novel occur during this section. Lucy herself is so bland and boring you find yourself wishing Dracula would go ahead and just kill her now. And everyone else blathering on about how perfect and pure she is gets quite irritating. Thankfully, once she is truly dead, the novel picks right back up.

Overall--highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Not to be read when you're all alone......
Review: Although this book was originally published many years ago it is still one of the most frightening horror stories ever published. Written in diary form it introduces the reader to the young English Lawyer Jonathan Harker, his wife to be Mina, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing and various other colorful characters that make this story so deliciously scary.
At the heart of the story is the Vampire,Count Dracula of Transylvania who has decided to take residence in England and in doing so seals the fate of several people. One of the Count's first victim's is Mina's best friend Lucy who becomes a Vampire herself and suffers the fate of a stake through the heart and having her head cut off. Soon it is a race against time to stop Dracula getting his fangs into Mina as well, and only the brave Van Helsing and his trusty companions can save the day. Bram Stoker has written a very sexy and scary book for his time, and it is no wonder that Count Dracula's appeal in this form has not diminished over the years.

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: 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: An entertaining work of literature.
Review: Everyone, no exception, knows about Dracula. Almost everyone can relate the names Mina, Lucy, and Van Helsing to Dracula. This is the original work where all these characters were created. Basically, the story tells of Dracula (!) who leaves Transylvania for England to find new prey and enter the society of learned men and the modern world.

Stoker's narration style is brilliant, told through journal entries, newspaper clippings, and letters. Though it does slow down a bit in the middle, the general pace is fast and the story is action packed. It is perhaps a little predictable, but what do you expect from a story that's been told and retold so many times. The chilling account of Jonathan Harker's adventures in Dracula's Castle is the best part of the story. The dangers he encounters, the dark, dusty rooms and creaking doors, his discovery that he is a prisoner, his attempts to escape and the Count's unvoiced knowledge of Jonathan's distress alone make the whole book worth reading! What I found makes this book truly wonderful is the beautiful use of language in descriptions of the castle, the Transylvaninan landscape, sunsets and sunrises (as it is a vampire story), storms, the moonlight, etc., and this without slowing down the pace.

The book does have some very scarry moments, but if you're looking purely for horror, blood, and gore you might not be satisfied. I have read many reviews and many complain that it is dull, not as frightening as the movies, too cliched, etc. Remember that what scared people in the 19th century or early 20th may not scare us today, with all our alien movies and violent video games. But this is the book that started the whole Dracula/Vampire tradition. It is due to the *un-dying* merit of this great work of literature that so many others have borrowed Stoker's ideas, changed, and adapted them. After a century of adaptations, ofcourse the original will be different. You must place the book in the context of its time to judge it fairly. Second, put aside what you already know from movies and other books about Dracula and vampires. When that's done, you'll see it is really a very enjoyable and enlightning read.

There is one flaw, however. The characters are too dry. The women are all pure and virtuous and the men all brave and dutiful, and before long they all become one happy family. I know these were Victorian times but I still felt they could have had more depth. In any case, the character of the Count and everything else in the book quite makes up for this downfall, and it is not worth taking away a star.

If you are a literary mind, the book has plenty of symbolism, dualism, and other isms to wonder at and analyse. The beauty of prose will add to your pleasure. If you are a Vampires and horror story fanatic, it'll be worth your while to read the original story, but don't expect to be scared out of your wits. In the end, it is at the very least a very enjoyable, thoroughly entertaining and rewarding read for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Fresh
Review: The story of Dracula is a tired subject to modern readers. USA films production of the historic Vlad the Impaler, Hollywood productions of rewritten stories with new twists, and the entire (now hopefully dead) Goth movement have completely clouded the beauty, intrigue, and mystique of the original Dracula.

It begins with a train-ride into Transylvania, but it takes readers far closer to intellectual ecstasy than many other books of its type. It is not a book for mild entertainment, rather it is a work that requires thought. Imagination cannot help but flourish as Stoker vividly describes his characters in appearance, speech, and emotion. Their surroundings are equally portrayed as real, common-place scenes. There is little of a supernatural bent to the work, really. It is the essential frightening look at what could happen to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances when something sinister and something extra-ordinary meets them.

The original story is so far from the modern revisions that one will find it surprisingly fresh. It is like going through an entire genre of multimedia productions before coming to the one gem of them all. In this case, the original. Many are intimidated by the book's size and their preconceptions from modern mistakes. I believe that the real Bram Stoker's, 'Dracula' will excite and please more than people realize. I have bought copies for numerous reading-partners who have equally enjoyed this book when we have disagreed on so many others.

'Dracula' is well worth the consideration.

Rating:
Summary: the blood is the life
Review: This is the most famous horror story of all. Based on the bloodthirsty Transylvanian ruler Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as the Impaler because of his practice of impaling enemy prisoners-of-war on stakes, "Dracula" is the tale of an evil count who is a vampire. The story has little to do wuth the historical Vlad, but that makes it no less spine-chilling.

This unusual novel is told entirely through diaries and letters of the main characters. Count Dracula buys a property in England through Jonathan Harker. The count seems to have a taste for English ladies' blood, and when he goes after Harker's fiancee Mina, she narrowly escapes, though her friend Lucy was not so lucky. Hunted and on the run, Dracula himself escapes back to Transylvania, hotly pursued by Harker, Professor Van Helsing, and others. This chase and its climax culminates in a thrilling show-down!

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"