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151 reviews for:
Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
Bram Stoker, John Edgar Browning, Dacre Stoker, Valdimar Ásmundsson
3.62 AVERAGE
151 reviews for:
Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
Bram Stoker, John Edgar Browning, Dacre Stoker, Valdimar Ásmundsson
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Extremely interesting comparison to English Dracula… so much more lively and dramatic!
Independientemente de tratarse de una novela de terror con todas las monstruosidades que la hace formar parte del género, la profundidad y el tiempo dedicado a retratar el terror psicológico que sufre Harker durante su estancia en el castillo del Conde hace de esta reinterpretación una joya que acompaña con gusto a la novela publicada por Bram Stoker.
Si bien es cierto que la segunda parte de la obra (toda la historia que se incluye más allá de la estada de Harker en el castillo del Conde) queda reducida a menos de una cuarta parte de grosor del libro, Ásmundsson consigue atraparte entre los muros del castillo. Siendo además una de las partes de la historia que siempre he considerado más interesantes de la obra, estoy de lo más contenta de haber encontrado esta visión más íntima dentro de la cabeza de Harker.
Si bien es cierto que la segunda parte de la obra (toda la historia que se incluye más allá de la estada de Harker en el castillo del Conde) queda reducida a menos de una cuarta parte de grosor del libro, Ásmundsson consigue atraparte entre los muros del castillo. Siendo además una de las partes de la historia que siempre he considerado más interesantes de la obra, estoy de lo más contenta de haber encontrado esta visión más íntima dentro de la cabeza de Harker.
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audiobook "re-read" this time. [28/05/2025]
Wildly different from Bram Stoker's English Dracula, yet distinctly still "Dracula". Dracula and his loathsome flunkies are hell bent on world domination. This Dracula is a spider at the centre of a pan-European web, rather than a lone-recluse looking for more prey. The best thing about this version are the expanded events taking place in Transylvania. Secret doors and hidden passages, clandestine sacrificial cult rituals, Dracula's lover (there is only one and she gets more page time than the English version), and a more daring Harker (and Mina). The events that occur in Britain are also very different from the usual novel.
Wildly different from Bram Stoker's English Dracula, yet distinctly still "Dracula". Dracula and his loathsome flunkies are hell bent on world domination. This Dracula is a spider at the centre of a pan-European web, rather than a lone-recluse looking for more prey. The best thing about this version are the expanded events taking place in Transylvania. Secret doors and hidden passages, clandestine sacrificial cult rituals, Dracula's lover (there is only one and she gets more page time than the English version), and a more daring Harker (and Mina). The events that occur in Britain are also very different from the usual novel.
As a lover of most vampire media I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I liked learning about the history of the book and the various snippets throughout. Even though the story of the book is not as in depth as Stoker’s Dracula, it added a new layer to vampire lore and got me out of a reading slump. I would recommend this to anyone that has read and enjoyed Dracula and wants to add to their vampire collection.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay so like the brevity that is the latter half was kind of crazy, but the additions to castle Dracula were amazing. The only holy shit was I blinked and suddenly London was done and so was the book.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was such a weird read, i just cant believe it exists, though my copy had so many thoughts and details about how this one most likely came to be and why, i have never had so many footnotes in one book! The story itself felt like an unfinished story, since the ending happened in less than a few sentences and it took almost no pages to reach it, on the other hand the starting chapter was incredibly long when compared together. The characters felt different and even the names have mostly changed, though i must say i enjoyed the humor and the new characters.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
This was such a fascinating read! I love how it has some similarities to the original text, but it mostly forms into its own creation. I enjoyed reading the history as to how this version came to be and it was fascinating seeing how much more involved the parts in Castle Dracula were. There was so much more detail than in the original during the Castle that it really helped to develop Harker and Dracula's relationship. The ending of the book was a bit rushed in comparison, but it didn't deter from my enjoyment of the book.
There were some parts that didn't age well. Like the racism and slurs used throughout the text. And I really didn't like how homophobic and misogynistic the afterword written by John Edgar Browning was. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Still, I did enjoy the text itself and having the footnotes throughout the book really made this into a fascinating read. If you are a fan of the original version of Dracula, than I highly recommend you read this. It's a lot of fun and sheds new light onto a well-known classic.
There were some parts that didn't age well. Like the racism and slurs used throughout the text. And I really didn't like how homophobic and misogynistic the afterword written by John Edgar Browning was. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Still, I did enjoy the text itself and having the footnotes throughout the book really made this into a fascinating read. If you are a fan of the original version of Dracula, than I highly recommend you read this. It's a lot of fun and sheds new light onto a well-known classic.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I echo the thoughts of others that Part I of this book is excellent and fleshes out the lore of a classic novel and character and Part II feels terribly rushed to the point of being a hindrance. Nevertheless I had a good time with it.
What's fantastic about this isn't the book itself (though the book is very engaging, despite it's flaws) what's fantastic is that the book exists and the wonderful mystery and implications it brings to Dracula as a text and Stoker as an author. It's delightful, I love it.