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Dracula (Penguin Popular Classics) | 
| Author: Bram Stoker
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
Buy New: £2.50
New (28) Used (170) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 5831
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.4
ISBN: 014062063X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780140620634
ASIN: 014062063X
Publication Date: January 25, 2007
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Grippingly Classic Horror and Engagingly Well-Written Literature August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Bram Stoker's gothic thriller, is a dark supernatural horror story that we all know and even if we didn't, draws on all the innate archetypes of fear. The story unfolds for all the human protagonists in apparent innocence, however any disbelief soon is swept away by the horror that they face. Written in diary form, Stoker is able to allow each to describe their own thoughts and fears.
Written over a century ago, Dracula remains as gripping as anything current and indeed more so. Difficult to put down such a tale and yet, well-written. Plumbing the depths of fears of an ever-proliferating foe of seemingly invincible strength, somehow Stoker also evokes in the Vampire hunters human emotions of sadness, hope, despair and courage and yet, seems to do this effortlessly and un-selfconsciously.
This is truly a classic novel which I'd recommend to any lover of such, whether interested in horror fiction or not.
Masterpiece January 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
 Complete and unabridged October 25, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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....
"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."
 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!
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