Bram Stoker's Dracula Omnibus: Dracula/the Lair of the White Worm/Dracula's Guest [Hardcover]

Fay Weldon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

A major collection of works by a classic occult writer features a variety of bone-chilling favorites, such as "Dracular," "The Lair of the White Worm," and a posthumously published collection, "Dracular's Guest."

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Book Sales; First US edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785800425
• ISBN-13: 978-0785800422
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,132,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you can get this book get it, September 4, 2010

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bram Stoker's Dracula Omnibus: Dracula/the Lair of the White Worm/Dracula's Guest (Hardcover)

I am not sure why this book is called the Dracula Omnibus, it shouldn't be. It does contain Bram Stoker's Dracula, his magnum opus, the book for which he is famous all these years later. Even better, this book reunites Dracula with its long-separated first chapter - Dracula's Guest. (The original editor of Dracula decided that this first chapter was superfluous to the rest of the book and cut it out. It was later published as a separate short story.)

Also included in the book is The Lair of the White Worm, a completely unrelated book about an Australian-born man who returns to his ancestral home in England, only to find out that something strange and sinister is happening. It seems that an ancient evil is at work in England's fair and sunny land, and it must be stopped at all costs.

Now, while Dracula is an excellent book and Dracula's Guest is very good as well, Lair of the White Worm is a confused and rambling story that never comes together. There's a reason why Dracula is remembered as a classic and White Worm is almost completely forgotten. Indeed, while Arabella March is an obviously supernatural villain, there is no reason to think of her as a vampire. Why is this book included in the "Dracula Omnibus?" Don't ask me, I have no idea.

But nonetheless, while I am not fond of Lair of the White Worm, this is in fact a good omnibus. It is excellent that it brings Dracula and Dracula's Guest back together, and it is nice it that it includes another Stoker work of the supernatural. If you can get this book get it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the most essential, January 28, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Leeper "kem2070" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bram Stoker's Dracula Omnibus: Dracula/the Lair of the White Worm/Dracula's Guest (Hardcover)

As you can no doubt tell from the title, this book contains three of Bram Stoker's works. Personally, I do not think these are three of his best.

Without doubt, the collection would not make sense without "Dracula." It is simply the text and has no notes for the reader. The good thing is that it does have plenty of room on the margins for making notes for your use.

In the late eighties and early nineties, it was hard to get a copy of "The Lair of the White Worm." You can know find it in paperback. After reading it, you will see that it is not exactly like the abysmal movie with Hugh Grant.

Although the movie hinted at vampirism, there is no hint of vampirism here which raises the question, "Why include it in a Dracula Omnibus?" This story brings a sentient monster that has been alive beneath England, a voodoo master, and a mesmerist. Not too bad a combination, but it has the feel of two stories fighting each other. Also, we witness the power of Mimi, but never really get to read much about her.

The final selection, "Dracula's Guest," was published posthumously. I don't recall seeing it in paperback by itself, although there is a hardcover edition available. "Dracula's Guest" is typically part of another selection. This is not a novel, but a collection of stories.

Is this a worthwhile investment? If you like Bram Stoker's work, this is a nice hardcover to put up on the shelf. You have "Dracula" and a couple more works to boot. Aside from an introduction from the editor, there are no frills with this edition.