Customer Reviews

Dracula in London

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The 16 stories in "Dracula in London" are of varying interest. Some, like editor Pat Elrod's & Nigel Bennett's "Wolf & Hound" are absorbing and entertaining. Other entries that combine effective story-telling and intelligence are Jody Lynn Nye's "Everything to Order", Fred Saberhagen's "Box Number Fifty",and Judith Proctor's "Dear Mr. Bernard Shaw". Nancy Kilpatrick's "Berserker" and Gary A. Braunbeck's "Curtain Call" are especially intelligent and well-executed. Still, others are less successful--somewhat bland and forgetable. The nadir is K.B. Bogen's "Good Help", an awkward and eye-rolling attempt at humor that is wholly unfunny. In contrast, Bradley H. Sinor's "Places for Act Two" is genuinely amusing and involving. Of special note is the final story in the book--Bill Zaget's "Renfield or, Dining at the Bughouse". This is a bizarre contribution that doesn't quite fit into the premise of the anthology. There is no real sense of time or place. There is no "tour of 1890s London" (quoting the anthology's blurb). And Dracula doesn't actually appear in the story! Instead, we find ourselves neck-deep in an intensely personal and poetic rendition of one man's traumatic history--sometimes described from the point-of-view of the insects he has eaten! (How warped is that?!) Surprizingly, this is the author's 1st published story, and it's a knock-out. His passion for language is stunning--and challenging. One can't be lazy; the reader needs to focus to get through it, so different is it from all the stories that precede it. It is unique in this collection for expressing **emotional depth** and I found it extremely moving. We accompany Renfield on a journey of self-discovery. It's a journey well worth taking, and it makes up for some of the book's weaker contributions. Buy it if only for this story.

Just about everyone knows about the events that have taken place in Bram Stroker's Dracula. However, while he lived in Victorian England Dracula became involved with other people and events that the author chose to ignore. Mr. Stroker left it to some of the most famous writers of horror tales to complete the full picture by contributing fantastic stories to this anthology.

Writers like Fred Saberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Nancy Kirkpatrick provide tales that show what the Transylvanian Count was doing in London. Tanya Huff focuses on Dracula's fascination on meeting the Prince of Wales. Nigel Bennett and PN Elrod have a Russian purposely travel to England to confront the prince of vampires. Elaine Bergstrom writes about a suffragette who needs Dracula's help.

The entire collection is excellent as no one fails to hold up his or her weight. Mr. Stroker would have appreciated this anthology.

Harriet Klausner

Most short story collections have a few gems, several average, and a lot of below average stories in them. This collection is mostly all gems. The stories really capture the theme of Dracula in London. My favorite is Box Number Fifty by Fred Saberhagen. There is also a rare second-person short story called Berserker by Nancy Kilpatrick. If you enjoy vampire fiction this is a great book for your collection.

If you try to fit these stories into Bram Stoker's original novel, you will be very disappointed. The Count Draculas characterized in the various stories are all different. They clearly reflect each author's views on vampires.

I sat down and read this book from front to end, and as I was reading it, I began to wonder if the Count had a serious multiple personality disorder. The Count Dracula in one story would morph into a completely different person when I turned the page to the next story.

However, if you take each of these stories individually, most are very entertaining and well written. (Although I completely agree with what a previous reviewer said about K.B. Bogen's "Good Help" entry being thoroughly unfunny - having it included is the main reason I can't give this book 5 stars.)

Each story takes the same starting point, namely 'Dracula in London', and runs with it. The fact that they each take a different route and end up in a completely different place makes it rather interesting. Reading each of these stories is really like speculating how Dracula might have looked, if he was originally conceived of in the 21st century instead of the 19th.

Just about everyone knows about the events that have taken place in Bram Stroker's Dracula. However, while he lived in Victorian England Dracula became involved with other people and events that the author chose to ignore. Mr. Stroker left it to some of the most famous writers of horror tales to complete the full picture by contributing fantastic stories to this anthology.

Writers like Fred Saberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Nancy Kirkpatrick provide tales that show what the Transylvanian Count was doing in London. Tanya Huff focuses on Dracula's fascination on meeting the Prince of Wales. Nigel Bennett and PN Elrod have a Russian purposely travel to England to confront the prince of vampires. Elaine Bergstrom writes about a suffragette who needs Dracula's help.

The entire collection is excellent as no one fails to hold up his or her weight. Mr. Stroker would have appreciated this anthology.

Harriet Klausner

The book is as bland as a soup made from water and skim milk. Dracula simply doesn't live here. The monstrous, yet charismatic creature that Bram Stoker wrote about is not the same fellow in these stories. I was not happy.

I am a vampire fan and when I found out about this book I have to get it. With such authors as Tanya Huff, Fred Saberhagen, P.N. Elrod and K.B. Bogen, this book is full of great works of the craft. Filled with humor and horror, it has something for anybody.
And if you like somebody's work you can always use the information in the back of the book to find their other works. A must for any vampire library!

This is a fine and compelling collection of Dracula stories. Though I felt the Renfield backstory was far too dark I was delighted to find the story Box Number Fifty by Fred Saberhagen. Box Number Fifty is a mid-quel to Fred Saberhagen's novel The Dracula Tape (A retelling of Dracula from Dracula's point of view). The story is actually very good and the ending is extremely satisfying. For this story alone I recommend this book.

This book did what no other Vampire tale has done before. Make me want to read the original. So much so, that I downloaded Dracula (another surprise a high rated version for free) to read, before I finished this book, in order to enhance my enjoyment of the references in this anthology.

Some stories are really good and i agree with one reviewer's comment about multiple personality problems due to multiple authors.
Stories where Dracula rewards the poor lady for hiding his coffin from dracula hunters is very touching.
Overall a good 1 hour read.
Not much thrilling like original Dracula or even Dracula's Guest... but OK.