[.ca] Dracula (ISBN 9626341157)

the blood is the life:
This is the most famous horror story of all. Based on the bloodthirsty Transylvanian ruler Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as the Impaler because of his practice of impaling enemy prisoners-of-war on stakes, "Dracula" is the tale of an evil count who is a vampire. The story has little to do wuth the historical Vlad, but that makes it no less spine-chilling. This unusual novel is told entirely through diaries and letters of the main characters. Count Dracula buys a property in England through Jonathan Harker. The count seems to have a taste for English ladies' blood, and when he goes after Harker's fiancee Mina, she narrowly escapes, though her friend Lucy was not so lucky. Hunted and on the run, Dracula himself escapes back to Transylvania, hotly pursued by Harker, Professor Van Helsing, and others. This chase and its climax culminates in a thrilling show-down! David Rehak author of "Love and Madness"

So this is what a Vampire is!:
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I, of course was expecting to read something similar to the movie 'Dracula' that I had seen. While there are some similarities, the book is immensely better. I guess that it would be hard to convey all the emotions of an individuals character 'on screen'. This extremely well written tale is written in a series of diaries. Everything that we read is someones diary, relating all of the events that are unfolding. I found myself unable to read this novel at night, as I was 'fearful'. I do not think that a novel or movie has to be 'gory' to convey a message of 'horror', it can be done with suggestive words and the type of enviroment that a character is in. Unlike the movie, we are not made to feel for Dracula. We see him for the bloodsucking fiend that he is. There is no love or romance between him and the dedicated Mina. The 'slayer' Van Helsing is as witty as ever as are all the rest of the important characters. This tale unfolds quite nicely and is very enjoyable. If you are looking for an interesting and well written read, then I recommend this riveting tale.

Dracula Sucks (Blood):
See this old (...) be livin' la vida loca back in the day. He one day (around 1897) decides to take over London and hires a rather idiotic Realitor (solicitor) to buy him a dope crib up in London... complete with all the player (...) like a run down church to sleep in his coffin and a focked up house to hide the "violent room" aka bedroom... Well, see this stupid azz joe be at his house... his castle, right (Keanu Reeves) and it takes him days and days to figure out that this Castle of Dracula is his prison... etc... he be dumb. Oh, well. It is a classic piece of Victorian Literature... LITTER-for-Sure... and the first couple chapters are "swell" but the rest of the book is a waste of time... seriously you pretentious readers... the character is great (Dracula) but he is only up to no good in the first couple chapters... then it gets boring.... real boring.... snooozies.

You have to love vampires to appreciate this book:
As an avid researcher of vampires, I hate that I feel the way I do about Stoker's _Dracula_, the novel responsible for starting the 20th century vampire craze, but I think that this book might well be the most boring vampire novel I have ever read. While I consider _Dracula_ essential reading for anyone who's seriously interested in vampires, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else but those select few. For the person studying 19th century literature, there are dozens, even hundreds, of superior pieces to study. And to the casual reader who's just looking for a good classic horror novel, I'd recommend something by H.G. Wells. _Dracula_, with its bland style, unconvincing and flat characters, and slow-paced story, is truly a novel that only a die-hard fan of vampires could love.

"For the dead travel fast":
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."