Dracula By Bram Stoker "The Annotated Classic Edition" (Fictional Horror Novel)

By: Stoker, Bram

Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, travels to Castle Dracula in the Eastern European country of Transylvania to conclude a real estate transaction with a nobleman named Count Dracula. As Harker wends his way through the picturesque countryside, the local peasants warn him about his destination, giving him crucifixes and other charms against evil and uttering strange words that Harker later translates into "vampire."Frightened but no less determined, Harker meets the count's carriage as planned. The journey to the castle is harrowing, and the carriage is nearly attacked by angry wolves along the way. Upon arriving at the crumbling old castle, Harker finds that the elderly Dracula is a well educated and hospitable gentleman. After only a few days, however, Harker realizes that he is effectively a prisoner in the castle.The more Harker investigates the nature of his confinement, the more uneasy he becomes. He realizes that the count possesses supernatural powers and diabolical ambitions. One evening, Harker is nearly attacked by three beautiful and seductive female vampires, but the count staves them off, telling the vampires that Harker belongs to him. Fearing for his life, Harker attempts to escape from the castle by climbing down the walls.Meanwhile, in England, Harker's fianc e, Mina Murray, corresponds with her friend Lucy Westenra. Lucy has received marriage proposals from three men-Dr. John Seward, Arthur Holmwood, and an American named Quincey Morris. Though saddened by the fact that she must reject two of these suitors, Lucy accepts Holmwood's proposal.Mina visits Lucy at the seaside town of Whitby. A Russian ship is wrecked on the shore near the town with all its crew missing and its captain dead. The only sign of life aboard is a large dog that bounds ashore and disappears into the countryside; the only cargo is a set of fifty boxes of earth shipped from Castle Dracula. Not long after, Lucy suddenly begins sleepwalking. One night, Mina finds Lucy in the town cemetery and believes she sees a dark form with glowing red eyes bending over Lucy. Lucy becomes pale and ill, and she bears two tiny red marks at her throat, for which -neither Dr. Seward nor Mina can account. Unable to arrive at a satisfactory diagnosis, Dr. Seward sends for his old mentor, Professor Van Helsing

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08734B1RB
• ISBN13: 9798636949435
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 522 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

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."