Friday, October 22, 2010

Day 22 of October Horror Month: Dracula, the novel by Bram Stoker



Whilst I believe this book to be great, I think people assume much about it due to the movie adaptations. As such I am suggesting people read it, because, amongst other things, I think it is better than the movies, and better than most assumptions about it. Every thing I could suggest about style or pace, or plot, we know it all from the various derivative works. But there is mastery of the language here that moves me, far beyond all the attempts to bring it to life on screen. The characters are perhaps cut from a more iconic cloth than modern works, but, I like that. I think in horror to make it horrific you have to set some boundaries and benchmarks so the reader can see where you are going.

I recommend this book especially to lovers of vampire stories. It is the source, the wellspring of all later works, even if the later authors haven't read it.

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