How-To Bite

“Once again…welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring.”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Dracula is an Gothic horror novel written by Irish Bram Stoker. If you know all about this Transylvanian monster through  various adaptations but you haven’t read the book, I warmly recommend you do read it now.

I  really like Dracula because it was among the first vampire books ever to be written and you can see effect of it in all the ‘vampire-themed’ books. I found it to be entertaining how the story was told through various diary entries/ letters by different characters. Dracula is nicely written and it very quotable.

What I found odd was how the characters had time to write their journals and letters in the middle of it all.  Then, I was slightly disappointed with the character of Dr. Van Helsing when I first read Dracula. I think all the adaptations made him seem more heroic and like he had some super powers which he doesn’t. Other characters were not developing during the storyline either. Furthermore, I expected to learn more about the background of Count Dracula himself.

“Oh, the terrible struggle that I have had against sleep so often of late; the pain of the sleeplessness, or the pain of the fear of sleep, and with such unknown horror as it has for me! How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

I’d give this book 8/10

How-To Read Dracula by Bram Stoker
1.
Don’t even dare to expect anything Twilight-ish or Vampire Diaries-ish or Sookie Stockhouse-ish. Bloodsuckers are bad. This is must read.
2.
You won’t hear much about “vampires”.  You know whom they are, I know whom they are but characters in this novel have no clue.
3. Look for references to other great books.
4. About 500 pages. Enough to chill and thrill. 
5. Dracula is written in form of diary entries which adds very many levels to this novel. Characters are maybe not quite what you expect them to be.
6. You can find this book free in Project Gutenberg.

Happy Halloween! What do you think is the best book to read on Halloween?

                        Buy the book: Dracula Complete & Unabridged Classic Library

32 thoughts on “How-To Bite

  1. I’ve tried to read Dracula, but the older style writing made it hard for me to get into it. The diary letters thing can be hard to pull off, especially in an action novel, but it adds that cool feeling of discovering what really happened.

    I like vampires when they’re monsters. Yeah, since this was the first vampire novel most people wouldn’t have heard of them.

    Happy Halloween! I like reading Harry Potter, but that’s also the case with Christmas, summer, ect.

    1. I wouldn’t quite call it action novel. I think maybe first time when I read Dracula, I was expecting different sort of writing (and book) too though it’s classic so I don’t know exactly what was I expecting xD

      I think I’m just bored with super-cool- -save-the-world vampire types. Authors should start writing them bad again. John Polidori wrote his very short story “The Vampyre” decades before Dracula yet somehow Stoker and characters prefered the word “bloodsucker”.

      Harry Potter is always a good one :D

  2. I’ve tried to read Dracula, but the older style writing made it hard for me to get into it. The diary letters thing can be hard to pull off, especially in an action novel, but it adds that cool feeling of discovering what really happened.

    I like vampires when they’re monsters. Yeah, since this was the first vampire novel most people wouldn’t have heard of them.

    Happy Halloween! I like reading Harry Potter, but that’s also the case with Christmas, summer, ect.

    1. I wouldn’t quite call it action novel. I think maybe first time when I read Dracula, I was expecting different sort of writing (and book) too though it’s classic so I don’t know exactly what was I expecting xD

      I think I’m just bored with super-cool- -save-the-world vampire types. Authors should start writing them bad again. John Polidori wrote his very short story “The Vampyre” decades before Dracula yet somehow Stoker and characters prefered the word “bloodsucker”.

      Harry Potter is always a good one :D

  3. One of my favorite vampire stories, ever. I love the diary style–something you don’t often see in books that old. And I actually really love the characters also–I think it’s more fun to read if you don’t come at the story with a lot of expectations that it will be like the movie adaptations. And of course, it is an older book, and the style reflects that. But still, it’s definitely one I enjoyed a lot!

  4. One of my favorite vampire stories, ever. I love the diary style–something you don’t often see in books that old. And I actually really love the characters also–I think it’s more fun to read if you don’t come at the story with a lot of expectations that it will be like the movie adaptations. And of course, it is an older book, and the style reflects that. But still, it’s definitely one I enjoyed a lot!

  5. Ooh, Bram Stoker’s Dracula – one of my favourites! I love vampire books. I have few Anne Rice’s vampire stories in my bookshelf, too. I would also recommend Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to read on Halloween.

  6. Ooh, Bram Stoker’s Dracula – one of my favourites! I love vampire books. I have few Anne Rice’s vampire stories in my bookshelf, too. I would also recommend Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to read on Halloween.

  7. You have stated some of the reasons why I don’t feel drawn to Dracula.
    I read Frankenstein and it just seemed bland.I was disappointed because in recent movies and plays,the story of Frankenstein is an exciting one.I expect Dracula to be the same,given that it was written in the same era…
    But then again,I haven’t read the book,so I can’t judge.Hmm,is it really worth reading? Like is it a formidable piece of literature,or just a Victorian story about a lonely vampire? And is it predictable?

    Hmm,I’d suggest Lord of the Flies for Halloween.I know there is no fantasy monsters,but the pig’s head (a.k.a Lord of the Flies) is creepy enough! :P

    1. Yeah Frankenstein is nothing like movies, it has much slower pace.
      Hmmm good questions :) worth reading yes because it’s nice to watch movies and read other vampire fiction and compare them with Dracula XD No, I would not say lonely vampire because that’s too humanizing. It’s similar to Frankenstein but better I’d say.

      Predictable, yes haha but not for the characters.
      Hmm Lord of the Flies. Pig head is creepy indeed. I never enjoyed reading that book, too pessimistic.

  8. You have stated some of the reasons why I don’t feel drawn to Dracula.
    I read Frankenstein and it just seemed bland.I was disappointed because in recent movies and plays,the story of Frankenstein is an exciting one.I expect Dracula to be the same,given that it was written in the same era…
    But then again,I haven’t read the book,so I can’t judge.Hmm,is it really worth reading? Like is it a formidable piece of literature,or just a Victorian story about a lonely vampire? And is it predictable?

    Hmm,I’d suggest Lord of the Flies for Halloween.I know there is no fantasy monsters,but the pig’s head (a.k.a Lord of the Flies) is creepy enough! :P

    1. Yeah Frankenstein is nothing like movies, it has much slower pace.
      Hmmm good questions :) worth reading yes because it’s nice to watch movies and read other vampire fiction and compare them with Dracula XD No, I would not say lonely vampire because that’s too humanizing. It’s similar to Frankenstein but better I’d say.

      Predictable, yes haha but not for the characters.
      Hmm Lord of the Flies. Pig head is creepy indeed. I never enjoyed reading that book, too pessimistic.

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