iDrakula [Paperback]

Bekka Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2010

The classic vampire story that started it all gets new life for a generation of connected teens

18-year-old Jonathan Harker is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after visiting a Romanian Count. His girlfriend Mina and a pre-med student named Van Helsing team up to investigate the source of the disease. The teenagers discover a horrifying truth: the Count is a vampire. The harrowing events unfold through emails, text messages, web pages, Twitter feeds, and instant messaging-the natural modernization of Bram Stoker's original Dracula, which was written in letters, diary entries, and news clippings.

"Bold, innovative , and warped. . .an insanely imaginative tour de force."
–James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

"Black expertly interweaves story and technology in this timely Dracula tale."
–Rebecca Maizel, author of infinite Days

"What happened?"

"Not sure. I was fine when I went to bed."

"But?"

"But I dreamed that someone got into my room."

"Who?"

"I don't remember his face. He was tall, thin, pale...I was paralyzed. And then my neck hurt and my mouth was full of..."

"Of what?"

"Blood. My mouth was full of blood."

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

At first glance, this take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula—told exclusively through text messages, Web browser screens, e-mails, and various photo and PDF attachments—looks like shameless pandering. But check out the first text: “Renfield had a psychotic break. Carted off to Bellevue. More l8r.” It’s an opening gambit indicative of Black’s storytelling instinct, which consistently proves itself able to transcend gimmick. The format, with its realistic images of iPhone and iPad screens, actually lends the book a chilling sort of one-shock-per-page pulse—and let’s not forget that Stoker organized his novel with the letters and diaries of his time, too. Black’s enjoyable modifications turn the plot into a love triangle (well, actually, counting the count, a love pentagon): Mina is a jujitsu-practicing romantic; Jonathan, a womanizing cad; Lucy, his boozy booty call; and Abe Van Helsing, a premed student (“He’s old,” e-mails Mina, “twenty or so”). For every in-joke that weakens the otherwise serious mood (“Drakipedia”), there is an inspired idea (the five pages of bounced e-mails during Jonathan’s captivity). Fast, inventive, creepy, and sure to be popular. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus

Review

Dracula is coming, but he's arriving on the shores of 2010 New York instead of 1897 England, with cell phones and laptops replacing the letters and newspaper clippings of Stoker's era. Forget the modern vampire, who sparkles in the sunlight and struggles with the desire for blood. Black brings Bram into the modern age with e-mails, smart phones and websites, all while preserving the brooding heart and vicious nature of Dracula, the literary ur-vampire... Though the restrictive page layout moves the narrative along at a brisk pace, this design-heavy book doesn't satisfy itself with simple IM transcripts; browser "screenshots," "attached" jpegs and smart-phone–framed text conversations (complete with those cute little speech balloons) alternate with more conventional-looking e-mails. There are nods to vampire lore in both URLs and webpage titles, and Mina's heartfelt final e-mail to Lucy blends a traditional goodbye with the ephemeral nature of today's digital technology. While not for the Gothic scholar, this bite-sized retelling of the seminal vampire novel won't drain anyone's attention span. (Horror. YA) (Kirkus 20100901)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire; 1 edition (October 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402244657
• ISBN-13: 978-1402244650
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,456,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a childhood often spent without electricy and running water, Bekka escaped the beautiful wilderness of Talkeetna, Alaska for indoor plumbing and 24/7 electricity in Berlin, Germany. Used to the cushy lifestyle, she discovered the Internet in college and has been wasting time on it ever since (when not frittering away her time on her iPhone). Somehow, she manages to write novels, including the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery series set, in all places, 1930s Berlin. The series has received numerous starred reviews and the first book, A Trace of Smoke, was chosen as a Writer's Digest Notable debut.

She lives in the foggy cold of Berlin, where there is very good Internet access and lots of warm tea.

For information, go to: www.bekkablack.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Short Read November 4, 2010

By M. Ford

Format:Paperback

First off this was a really quick read for me, which is exactly what I needed this month. It's November which means it's NaNoWriMo which means my already crazy life just got crazier. I think it took me about 3 hours in total to read.

For me that was three very enjoyable hours. Bekka Black has taken one of my favorite classics and turned it into a book that is completely modern. I loved the format and I sincerely hope she is planning on doing this again; maybe with a different classic?

The characters stayed pretty much true to themselves, the dialogue back and forth between the characters was entertaining and easy to read.

This was extremely original and utterly modern. The only thing missing was Mina, Van Helsing, Jonathan, and Lucy's twitter updates!

My only real criticism of the book was that it just wasn't scary like the original was, but maybe that wasn't the author's intent.

So I'm giving this four out of five stars. For me the originality and humor I found in the book pushed it from a three star (liked it) to a four star(I really liked this book). It might have gotten five stars had Ms. Black managed to also convey the utter creepiness and scare factor the original had.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and Fun October 1, 2010

By J. Holmes

Format:Paperback

Bram Stoker's tale gets an innovative update in Bekka Black's iDrakula. While she remains true to the heart of the story, Black firmly places the characters in the 21st Century by tossing out Stoker's letters and journal entries in favor of text messages and emails. The modern presentation makes this a quick read but it doesn't suffer from a lack of depth. Black has maintained the complex relationships created by Stoker and given them her own spin. Everything fans love about the original Dracula is here but with a fresh coat of paint, and Black's bold writing style adds flair to an otherwise well-known classic.

Fun, innovative, and more than a little twisted, iDrakula is a perfect for anyone -- young or young at heart -- looking for something new in the vampire world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A brave new world September 30, 2010

By Noirguy

Format:Paperback

Welcome to the next generation of books. How the author manages to write an updated retelling of Dracula entirely in the parlance today's teens (email, texting) is nothing short of amazing. The landmarks are there from the classic story but this is a bold new way of writing a book. Of course, if the storytelling wasn't there it would be little more than a gimmick, but Bekka Black brings the goods.
Know a teen who is into vampires? Yes. You do. Slip them this book or even tell them to download the app (!) and invite them in to a brave new world of storytelling.