I finished Dracula on audio this week and loved it. Now my sons and husband are listening to it as well. The unabridged edition, of course. It is creepy and scary, and I normally don’t like creepy and scary, but Bram Stoker’s novel is so well done and, obviously, the beginning of it all. I’m thinking of getting this annotated edition at left that comes out on October 13. It even has an introduction by Neil Gaiman. I’ll probably use this edition for a future re-read.
We started to watch the movie starring Gary Oldman, but it wasn’t appropriate for kids (my kids at least) so we quit. I still may watch it at a later date. I would love to see a modern version that was faithful to the book.
Something that surprised and pleased me while reading the book was the strong Christian faith of some of the characters. I didn’t expect that at all, and I do wonder about Stoker’s own beliefs. He was rumored to have been part of a secret, magical order that included the occultist Aleister Crowley.
Also, I read on Publisher’s Weekly that Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker and Dracula documentarian and historian Ian Holt are going to be writing Dracula: the Undead. The publisher will be Dutton, and it is scheduled to be released in October, 2009.
1897, 400 pp.
I have this book on my nightstand right now; but haven’t opened it yet. I’m looking forward to it!
I can’t believe how many reviews I’ve seen of Dracula, lately! It’s one I couldn’t get through, in my younger years, and probably nightmare-inducing (at least for me; I’m terrible about that) but all the positive reviews have me wondering if I should have held onto my copy.
I never would have read this if it hadn’t been for all the reviews I’d seen. It was truly a fabulous book – not scary enough to give me nightmare (and I am totally a chicken!) but creepy enough to be exciting. The old-fashioned language took a (long) while to get used to, but once I was into the story I couldn’t put it down. I’ll have to try the audio version next!
I read this for the first time last year, and it makes you know why a Classic is a Classic. There’s no vampire story that compares to it. Also, it was such a perfect depiction of evil for me: so elusive, so sinister. I really enjoyed reading The History after this one; even though it’s quite thick, you may like it, too.
Also, come see the small prize you’ve won for your haiku.
I hope you like it as much as I did, Jeane!
Nancy, I think you’d like it. This genre is not normally my cup of tea, and I loved Dracula!
Heather, the audio is great! I listened to the one with Susan Adams and Alexander Spencer.
Bellezza, exactly right. Classic. Yeah for my prize, thanks!
I must be the only one who didn’t care for Dracula. I couldn’t see what all the hype was about. But there is no denying that it left a big mark on society. For that it deserves to be called a classic.
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