Dracula: Ein Vampyr-Roman (Fischer Klassik) (original 1897; edition 2008)

I wasn't expecting to like it this much actually. I was never a big fan of vampires.
The story is told by different characters and the count is almost never present even though everyone is talking about him or what he is doing, without knowing it.
I liked the first part of the book best to be honest. There were really scary parts when Jonathan Harker was in the castle trying to escape and I really felt his despair and horror.
The rest of the book was good too and had a few scary moments also. ( )

Dracula was a bit of a surprise to me. It seemed to have little in common with the old Bela Lugosi film that I remember (albeit not very vividly) from my childhood. I can see why it became a classic and endured over the years, it is sensational and mildly erotic.

Perhaps the greatest surprise is that Count Dracula himself is seen but little during the telling of the tale. The action centers itself around the search for him and the efforts of the five men and one woman who risk themselves to bring about his destruction. For most of the novel the pace is good, and while it does slow and become cumbersome in spots, it is a very tolerable read.

Horror and supernatural are genres of which I have little interest. I do not seem to get the same thrill from carnage and spine-chilling as some do. I do not watch such shows as Criminal Minds and Dexter and cannot quite fathom what others find fascinating there. In that vein, this was not my cup of tea. On the other hand, there was something that pushed (or perhaps pulled) me through this novel and I am glad to say I have read it.

I did look for some greater themes in it, such as the ones easily found in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I confess that I did not find them. The idea that Lucy and Mina might have been lost to God and salvation because of some action by this monster was a negation of any religious theme, and I felt strongly that there was nothing here to find beyond the sensationalism of a good scary tale, much as one might find in a B-rated horror flick.

I will be anxious to see if others in the group of readers finds something significant that I have missed. Perhaps my lack of lust for the subject matter has dimmed my ability to squeeze out the lessons planted within?

To anyone planning to read Dracula, I say dive in, it is a bit of fun and a flashy ride. ( )

Un muy buen clásico que hay que leer ( )

Classic Vampire Story!

I am not going to do a backstory as everyone should know what this story is about but I will give out a few thoughts on how the book made me feel.

Thoughts:

This was my second re-read of this book, but when I first read it back in 2017, I was just mesmerized by the storyline and the spookiness of the story itself. This book was also the first book I had ever read that was written in the form of a diary. I have to say that it was also the first book that I had read with that type of old writing style as well so it took some time getting use to how the book was written, but this time I just slipped right back into the storyline.

The author, Bram Stoker just slowly pulls you into the story and the creepy buildup of what the character Jonathan Harker has to endure as he stays with the Count is just loaded with trepidation of what is going to happen next. I read the book a little slower this time to absorb the happenings with Harker and his tale of his stay in the castle.

I was more spooked out this time around for some reason with reading the book slow and the part of the story where the Count is climbing the wall still freaks me out. I don't know why really but I still get the "heebie-jeebies" when I read it. I can just imagine the horror felt by Harker as he has to deal with everything and I slipped into that time era as well while reading the book this time as I became more in-tune with the emotions of what Harker was experiencing.

This book is definitely a timeless horror classic! This book is considered the great-great grandfather of all vampire books and it is a book that should be read by all vampire/horror fans! Giving this book five "Fangtastic" stars!

Highly Recommend!

For images/gifs of this book, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2022/03/dracula-by-bram-stoker.html ( )

Couldn't read this book, heaven knows I've tried. When I found the audiobook, I was like 'yeah!', finally I could try to listen to this. And it did work. Yes, this is a classic horror story, but also not that awesome. It's pretty good though, so three stars. ( )