Book Review - Dracula, by Bram Stoker

Title:  Dracula
Author:  Bram Stoker
Genre:  Horror
Rating:  3.75 out of 5 fangs

An ancient evil lurks in a decrepit castle in Transylvania.  The natives know well enough to give the mansion a wide berth, but the ignorance of a young Englishman, Jonathan Harker, threatens to spread a plague of living death throughout England.  Dracula has long been known as a classic of suspense and horror.  L&M finally gets a chance to sit down with Mr. Stoker's masterpiece.

Dracula tells the tale of a group of people who live in and around London.  It begins when Jonathan Harker, a real estate lawyer, visits Count Dracula in Transylvania.  The Count recently purchased a mansion in England, and wishes to learn everything he can about the culture before he moves.  We quickly learn about the horrific reality of Dracula, and follow the main characters as they struggle to undo the evil that has been done to their loved ones.

The novel is written in the form of a journal, or more accurately, in the form of the journals of many of the main characters.  I always loved the idea of telling a horror story in the first person, as the reader only knows what the characters know.  This method builds up a lot of suspense.  Almost all of the main characters have a journal, which gives a variety of viewpoints on the happenings of the book.  While this is a good way in which to tell the story, I imagine it is somewhat unrealistic.  Although people may have been more into writing journals in Victorian England, the amount of detail and exhibition included in the entries borders on ridiculous.  How does one write 30 pages about an event that lasted only a few minutes?

The characters in Dracula, while interesting, tend to be somewhat two-dimensional.  Mina Harker is the beautifully intelligent young woman, Quincy Morris is the rough-riding American from Texas, Arthur Holmwood is the English gentleman.  But although we may have seen all of these archetypes before, the situations that Stoker puts them in are unique (to the period anyway), and this is where Dracula truly shines.

The story of Dracula includes some very shocking and interesting scenes, including a recently deceased woman drinking the blood of children, three beautiful and deadly vampires, and an empty ship captained by a dead man.  This is what really keeps the reader forging through the novel.

Although perhaps not fully realized, I believe Dracula deserves its place in history and literature.  The lore introduced and embellished in the novel has dramatically affected an entire genre of horror writers.  I ultimately enjoyed Dracula, and would recommend it to any hardcore horror enthusiast or those who enjoy classic literature.

3.75 out of 5 fangs.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for this book, ending August 27th (this Friday!)