Our ongoing series reviewing audio adaptations of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror works. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
By John J. Joex
Book Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars
Audiobook Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars
Like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a book that all aficionados of Horror, Fantasy, and even Science Fiction should encounter at some point. It of course gives us the seminal tale of the infamous undead being now forever linked to the mythology of vampires, and a classic gothic horror story as well. The tale is recounted in a fashion similar to what Shelley used for Frankenstein, which unfolded through a series a letters written by Captain Robert Walton who encountered the title character of that book in his dying days. Stoker chronicles Dracula with letters, journal entries, newspaper articles, telegrams, etc., all cobbled together to tell a single story, though his provides multiple perspectives from the authors of each of the separate entries.
The novel begins with solicitor Jonathan Harker traveling to the Carpathian Mountains (on the border of Transylvania) to assist his company’s client Count Dracula with purchasing a house in London and moving his belongings from his castle to his new domicile. Harker of course immediately senses something wrong about the Count and has a sense of uneasiness while in his domain. And through his journal he recounts his gradual descent into madness as he deals with the horrors present in the castle and the sense of dread that overcomes him. He finally escapes from the castle, but falls ill causing him to cease his correspondence with his friends and family back in London. Dracula manages to complete all of the arrangements for his voyage by sea on the Russian ship Demeter (a whole story in itself recently chronicled in the comic book series Bram Stoker’s Death Ship). Once he makes it to London, the vampire begins to prey upon Harker’s friends and family, particularly his fiancée Mina Murray. He brings her friend Lucy Westenra under his spell which prompts Dr. John Seward (one of her courters who works at an insane asylum and has a patient, Renfield, also under the vampyric trance) to bring in Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The professor recognizes the supernatural nature of the threat and he prepares all involved to do battle with the legendary vampire.
Dracula is another of the early genre tales that, since its first appearance, has been retold in various mediums many times and with plenty of variations. But the original tale itself definitely deserves attention because it delivered an excellent horror tale with far-reaching influence. Much of what Jonathan Harker recounts in his journal when he first encounters Dracula and finds himself trapped in his castle is some of the creepiest, most frightening prose I have ever read. Also the log of the captain of the Demeter will almost certainly make your blood run cold. Unfortunately, like Frankenstein, this book can definitely get quite wordy and has many diversions from the main story. But ultimately that does not detract from the overall novel. Your mind may tend to wander at some points and you can easily skim over many passages (especially those involving the three men courting Lucy), but then everything has its purpose and comes together by the end. The journey may be long and tedious at times, but it is definitely worth the effort. We all know bits and pieces of the Dracula story from movies, television, comics, etc., but only in Bram Stoker’s novel can you revel in the full glory of his original tale.
The audiobook version that I listened I found at my local library and it is based on the first edition of the book published in 1897. Alexander Spencer provides the narration for the journal entries and letters written by the male characters and Susan Adams does the same for the female characters. Both do an excellent job with the narrations of their parts of the book, and shifting between Spencer and Adams definitely adds to the listening experience. Seeing as Dracula is in the public domain, there are many different audio versions that you can choose from. But I recommend seeking out this one because it gives an unabridged adaptation (which, as mentioned above, has its pros and cons) and has two excellent voice talents bringing the story to life. You can download this audio version from eMusic.com for only $10.
