Dracula (Paperback)

by Bram Stoker (Author), Elizabeth Kostova (Contributor) "3 May. Bistritz. - Left Munich at 8.35 P.M. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6.46, but train..." (more)
Key Phrases: Van Helsing, Madam Mina, Lord Godalming (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
First published in 1897, this masterpiece of horror and suspense became an instant bestseller, transcending generation, language and culture to become one of the most perennially popular novels ever written. Now, Dracula is strikingly repackage to include a foreword by Elizabeth Kostova, author of the instant #1 New York Times bestseller The Historian.

Bram Stoker has created a horrific and bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose malevolent deeds reflect the questions of identity, sanity, morality, sexuality and desire that plagued Victorian society—and continue to plague the modern world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316014818
• ISBN-13: 978-0316014816
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,888 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It sucks, January 4, 2006

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Dracula" was not the first vampire novel, nor was it Bram Stoker's first book. But after years of research, Stoker managed to craft the ultimate vampire novel, which has spawned countless movies, spinoffs, and books that follow the blueprint of the Transylvanian count.

Real estate agent Jonathan Harker arrives in Transylvania, to arrange a London house sale to Count Dracula. But as the days go by, Harker witnesses increasingly horrific events, leading him to believe that Dracula is not actually human. His fiancee Mina arrives in Transylvania, and finds that he has been feverish. Meanwhile the count has vanished.

And soon afterwards, strange things happen: a ship piloted by a dead man crashes on the shore, after a mysterious thing killed the crew. A lunatic talks about "Him" coming. And Mina's pal Lucy dies of mysterious blood loss, only to come back as an undead seductress. Dracula has arrived in England -- and he's not going to be stopped easily.

"Dracula" is the grandaddy is Lestat and Jean-Claude, but that isn't the sole reason why it is a classic. It's also incredibly atmospheric, and very well-written. Not only is it very freaky, in an ornate Victorian style, but it is also full of restrained, quiet horror and creepy eroticism. What's more, it's shaped the portrayal of vampires in movies and books, even to this day.

Despite already knowing what's going on for the first half of the book, it's actually kind of creepy to see these people whose lives are being disrupted by Dracula, but don't know about vampires. It's a bit tempting to yell "It's a vampire, you idiots!" every now and then, but you can't really blame them. Then the second half kicks in, with accented professor Van Helsing taking our heroes on a quest to save Mina from Dracula.

And along the way, while our heroes try to figure stuff out, Stoker spins up all these creepy hints of Dracula's arrival. Though he wrote in the late 19th-century manner, very verbose and a bit stuffy, his skill shines through. The book is crammed with intense, evocative language, with moments like Dracula creeping down a wall, or the dead captain found tied to the wheel. Once read, they stick in your mind throughout the book.

It's also a credit to Stoker that he keeps his characters from seeming like idiots or freaks, which they could have easily seemed like. Instead, he puts little moments of humanity in them, like Van Helsing admitting that his wife is in an asylum. Even the letters and diaries are written in different styles; for example, Seward's is restrained and analytical, while Mina's is exuberant and bright.

This edition also has a foreword by Elizabeth Kostova, writer of a hit historical novel about Dracula/Vlad Tepes. While I get the feeling Kostova could easily write another book about "Dracula," here she simply writes a literate, intelligent study of the importance of the book, and the Big Themes present in it.

Intelligent, frightening and very well-written, "Dracula" is the well-deserved godfather of all modern vampire books and movies -- and arguably among the best.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not even a vampire fan..., May 8, 2006

By	Strongarm (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

...but this was an excellent, different read. There's something so 'neat' about how this book is written.

Also, the fact that it was written the 1890's and the medical knowledge and technology that surround the characters were 'cutting edge' at the time of writing, somehow makes it 'authentically eerie'.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the classic of classics, May 2, 2007

By	ellen "ellen in atlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

There have been many books that have made impressions on me, especially when I was a young reader - I think this is the 1st horror story I read, and I periodically read it just to be reminded how really cool Stoker's story is. As a matter of fact, I used to keep a journal, in homage to the characters in the book. The movies about Dracula had never done Stoker's book proud - with deference to Bela Lugosi - until Coppolla's Bram Stoker's Dracula - this book is mesmerizing, taut, frightening. And if you are like me, will bring it out every so often and enjoy the experience all over again.
Kostova's Dracula is worthy of Stoker - still keep looking around for a notebook with a dragon burned into the cover...
Read Dracula - it is the classic of classics.