Dracula and Other Horror Classics

By Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker's novel became one of the masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a world of vampires and vampire hunters whilst simultaneously exposing the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and frustrated desire.

• Format: Leather Bound
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1435142810
• ISBN13: 9781435142817
• Release Date: January 2013
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 757 Pages
• Weight: 2.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.7" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

"For the dead travel fast."

Surprisingly, "Denn die Toten reiten schnell" or "For the dead travel fast" is more than just an opening line to this story of love under the dangerous moonlight. After watching several Dracula and Nosferatu movies, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of the genre. Little did I know how a wonderful world of mystery and suspense Bram Stoker introduced me to in this 1897 Gothic horror novel. The story is mostly told through third-party accounts via papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax cylinders) of those involved in a tale so strange that it nearly defies belief. The main story involves a Count planning to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London), where he can enjoy a richer diet. There, he encounters succulent women—something he can sink his teeth into. Unfortunately for him, a gang of ruffians (including a real estate agent, an asylum director, a Texas cowboy, and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) aims to stop his nocturnal feeding. They think they've got Drac on the run, but with a wing and a prayer, he’s always one step ahead. More valuable to the reader is the rich prose chosen by Stoker as he describes the morals and technology of the time. We must confront or decide if we can perform the rituals necessary to eliminate vampires versus the impropriety of opening graves and staking loved ones. The vamp powers in the book differ from the movie versions in that they are more persuasive and capable of manipulating the local weather. At one point, the Dutch Dr. van Helsing is so overwhelmed by a beautiful vampire lying in the grave that he almost forgets why he is there and may become “vamp chow.” All in all, the story is more about the cunning chase. The question is whether they will succeed in dispatching Dracula, or will Dracula triumph? Remember, "For the dead travel fast."