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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
First, I am no student of classic literature—I simply like to read. Dracula seemed to be important, so I thought I’d give it a go—I am glad I did. Why 5-stars? Well, because I enjoyed the experience of reading the book.
There were times when I felt myself being critical, but it didn’t take long for me to shake that off and come to my own understanding that I have a modern mind and the gift (or curse) of some working historical context. By today’s standards there are many irritating things that take place in the book, especially the very long and deeply sincere opining on the value of men (as men) and women (as women). Some things were outright ridiculous, such as the backhanded compliment (to an intelligent woman) that she had a “man brain.” Yeesh! Still, these quibbles aside, I enjoyed the journey overall.
I found some very interesting origins to so many modern science fiction and horror tales that surely drew on Stoker’s pinnacle work. I don’t like comparing books to movies or TV, but I am somewhat happy to have enjoyed the show “Penny Dreadful,” as the overall tone and format of the series helped fill in the visual gaps as I read the journals in Dracula.
Ah, yes! This tale is told entirely through journal and diary entries, including some ship logs, as well as newspaper articles. If this is a well used technique then I am ignorant to it—I’d never read anything quite like it.
I will say that I enjoyed the dread and unsettling fear that seemed to saturate the early pages of the book over the middle acts—I could feel Dracula’s presence reaching out through the pages, and my imagination came alive with Harker’s terror in the castle. I had hoped for more of that throughout, but the mystery and hunt for Dracula did slow things down a bit. Dracula is more of a presence throughout, and the protagonists and victims really deal with the effects of his coming to England more than they do with the Count directly.
I have been a fan of the series “Supernatural” since its inception, and as they are hunters of creatures of the night (not unlike the men of Dracula) and their last name is “Winchester” (the weapon of choice for Dracula’s pursuers) I got a little fanboy smile at the nod.
This book may not be for every reader, but I feel good about making the choice.
There were times when I felt myself being critical, but it didn’t take long for me to shake that off and come to my own understanding that I have a modern mind and the gift (or curse) of some working historical context. By today’s standards there are many irritating things that take place in the book, especially the very long and deeply sincere opining on the value of men (as men) and women (as women). Some things were outright ridiculous, such as the backhanded compliment (to an intelligent woman) that she had a “man brain.” Yeesh! Still, these quibbles aside, I enjoyed the journey overall.
I found some very interesting origins to so many modern science fiction and horror tales that surely drew on Stoker’s pinnacle work. I don’t like comparing books to movies or TV, but I am somewhat happy to have enjoyed the show “Penny Dreadful,” as the overall tone and format of the series helped fill in the visual gaps as I read the journals in Dracula.
Ah, yes! This tale is told entirely through journal and diary entries, including some ship logs, as well as newspaper articles. If this is a well used technique then I am ignorant to it—I’d never read anything quite like it.
I will say that I enjoyed the dread and unsettling fear that seemed to saturate the early pages of the book over the middle acts—I could feel Dracula’s presence reaching out through the pages, and my imagination came alive with Harker’s terror in the castle. I had hoped for more of that throughout, but the mystery and hunt for Dracula did slow things down a bit. Dracula is more of a presence throughout, and the protagonists and victims really deal with the effects of his coming to England more than they do with the Count directly.
I have been a fan of the series “Supernatural” since its inception, and as they are hunters of creatures of the night (not unlike the men of Dracula) and their last name is “Winchester” (the weapon of choice for Dracula’s pursuers) I got a little fanboy smile at the nod.
This book may not be for every reader, but I feel good about making the choice.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Enjoyable, classic read. Some of the behavior of the characters can be frustrating at times. I like the writing style of this author, he is skilled at setting scenes and describes beautifully.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
good entertaining read. A little dated, and it gets a little "Thank God/Help us God"-ish at the end but it's still fun and all. Better than Twilight