Review: Dracula, by Bram Stoker
by
Stuart Holland
Another classic, another unusual one to “review”!
Dracula feels surprisingly modern for a one hundred year old book. The long history of vampire mythos clearly anchors it. Even though some details vary from what you see in vampire stories today (and those vary between each other as well), the broad strokes match up very well, and even a lot of the particulars match up exactly (the stakes, the garlic, the reciprocal blood drinking).
The format of the book is really interesting - swapping between multiple points of view by seeing everything through letters or diary entries recorded by the characters. It creates a great sense of tension because the story can jump ahead, since characters must be writing about it in retrospect. Though it never does so in a disorienting way, which is a risk of the format. There is a little bit of tension deflation that is unavoidable from the written-letter format, since you know immediately that the current author has survived to the point to write the letter.
Dracula himself is a foreboding antagonist. He manipulates the characters around him well to achieve his goals. And as a reader who comes in knowing to expect a vampire and all their powers, the unfolding of his actions is clear to you, but not to the individual characters who have only part of the puzzle until much later on.
I listened to this in audiobook, and Mark Gatiss put in a great performance across the board. Especially as Dr Van Helsing, his voice work really adds to the immersion.
