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Dracula (Penguin Classics)

Author: Bram Stoker
Publisher: Longman
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

32 reviews
Sales Rank: 7823

Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 1.1

ISBN: 014143984X
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780141439846
ASIN: 014143984X

Publication Date: September 9, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Despatched from UK.

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Dracula (Penguin Popular Classics)
•	Paperback - Dracula (Penguin Classics)

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Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Masterpiece January 14, 2008
Bram Stoker's masterpiece is a timeless classic and is still highly recommended even though it's over 100 years old. This was the book which started modern horror fiction and gave birth to vampire mythology. Stoker spend six years assiduously researching this book, which is evident in the staggering detail of the world and characters. It's finely crafted story, writing narrative and eloquent prose (though aged, is unparalleled today), will delight many fans of fiction and especially, fans of vampires.

This book will remain with you for many years after reading. Highly recommended.

3 out of 5 stars

Complete and unabridged October 25, 2007
My expectation before starting the book was plenty of rather dull, verbose rambling, interspersed with passages which were thrilling and unsettling. However, during the opening few chapters I was utterly drawn in to a ceaselessly intriguing and exciting story. I couldn't believe that the rest of the tale would be so well-paced and relentlessly chilling.

Sadly, it isn't. The opening chapters give the reader some momentum to trudge through the overly long middle section, where there exist a few highlights (A ghost-ship, a lunatic with some very strange habits, a couple of "bites") which aid the story to sputter to the final section, a chase across Europe with, frankly, a rushed ending, and more than enough emotional and religious claptrap for everybody along the way.

However, the style of writing from a variety of different perspectives is enthralling, and it is easy to see why this is a "classic", and though I would certainly recommend an abridged version for the less patient, or younger reader (the pacing would pale beside today's thrillers), its strong start, charming style and intrigue are enough to sate one's literary thirst. For now....

5 out of 5 stars

"For the dead travel fast" September 16, 2007
Surprisingly "Denn die Toten reiten schnell" or "For the dead travel fast" is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu's, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax calendars) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

Of more value to the reader is the rich prose chosen by Stoker as he describes the morals and technology of the time. We have to come to grips with or decide if we can perform the rituals that are required to eliminate vampires verses the impropriety of opening graves and staking loved ones. The powers in the book differ from the movie versions in that they are more of persuasion and capabilities to manipulate the local weather. At one point the Dutch Dr. Van Helsing, is so overwhelmed by a beautiful vampire laying in the grave that he almost for gets why he is there and may become vamp chow.

All in all the story is more in the cunning chase. And the question as to will they succeed or will Dracula triumph. Remember "For the dead travel fast."

4 out of 5 stars

An old favourite; classy, compelling but with old-fashioned pacing August 21, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Because the general story of Dracula is so well known, it's easy to think that you'll know all of what's going to happen when you read the original by Bram Stoker. In fact, much of what is in the book is far more pschologically threatening than in any of the gore-fest films we've all seen. Stoker's Dracula is genuinely, breath-takingly menacing... and beyond redemption.

With Dracula you get well drawn characters relating their ghastly experiences, and you're not spoon-fed the narrative -- you have to join some of the dots yourself. There is a dark, sensual overtone to much of the novel (which puts many modern authors, who turn their books into total shag-fests, completely in the shade!), and a complete horror when Dracula is fully revealed.

But there are some downsides. The novel bogs down in the mid-section. The language is of its time -- so it takes careful reading if you're used to modern horror gallop-along novels. And much of the fear and loathing develops in the mind of the reader, not from over-wrought narrative.
So to get the most from Dracula you need to take your time reading it, and put some effort in.

If you prefer your thrills to be a little easier to access then I'd recommend Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot', or watch the film with Gary Oldman. They're not as pure as the original, but they do justice to the concept.

I first read Dracula when I was 14 or so, and it's just as scary now that I'm 40!

5 out of 5 stars

Charming, dark and seductive... April 21, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Before reading this book I remember I had a lot of ideas about the book Dracula. One being I never conceived that it would be a narrative from one of the characters. I thought it would be an account of Dracula's life from beginning to end so yes it was a shock but a nice one as this meant I wasn't reading a documentary which is just fine by me. What also I loved about this book was that the power came from Dracula through Helsing. We feel his danger most powerfully then, creepy but true for me. The voyage has been on the terrifying things I've read (contributed by the fact I was reading at midnight).When you read this you can see why this book is the mother of all horror books. Underneath the blood lust lies schemes, plots and desire to come out on top. Too human for me (that everyone has got it in them to be ruthless like Dracula because it's survival of the fittest).