Review of 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker

-

It's so weird to have this fresh experience with a book written and published so long ago (1897). The author obviously understands the rules of the horror thriller adventure drama genre, because more than once he was able to scare me well and keep me excited and thrilled throughout the entire book. The whole time there was a ticking clock that was rushing the main characters in an adventurous pursuit and mystery that little by little unfolded into a nightmare. Dracula was so powerful and he was everything, everywhere, all at once. Even in his literal absence, the author was able to induce his character almost everywhere. The whole time there were clues that Dracula was listening or watching, using his victims or the creatures he had power over. The extent of his powers never felt like cheating; even poorly explained when the author tried, he conveyed the notion that in such a story there is no need for explanation.

The mystery around Dracula and the way our characters unveiled his planning, and the way they were able to catch up with such a creature were right on point. Of course, a creature with immortal life would be arrogant and slow in some aspects, given the time he has, which is eternal. Finding his weaknesses and later using them as a shield and then for attack was incredibly envisioned throughout the whole book. How can you defeat a creature so powerful if you are not using every trick in the bag? Even though I've seen almost every vampire movie, I never knew this story. I was so pleasantly surprised that it had so many twists and new directions that I hadn't seen or heard of yet.

I guess half of it was covered by the latest BBC incarnation of the story, where in three episodes we followed a partially true version of this one story, but after a while, they really went in another direction that was fresh in its own way. Nevertheless, the quality fell with each episode, the first one being the best. If I have to pin this book to one of the episodes, it was the first one throughout the whole book. 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter' also provided an extended look into a chapter of the book that wasn't particularly developed.

I felt like with all my knowledge of the genre and Dracula, the book was a solid read and a very interesting take that brought numerous incarnations of the famous Transylvanian Count Dracula. For the most part, visually, the powers whenever I see them look dumb, but here, thanks to the author and my powerful imagination, they just brought horror and served as a reminder of his chaotic nature and uncontrolled behavior. I felt the power and how dangerous this creature is. Great book, super easy to read, yet complex and mind-blowing. Definitely recommend it.

Iliya Badev

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Kate Bush's Album 'Before the Dawn'

-
Image
Ordering this vinyl was such an easy decision, but getting it turned into a process full of obstacles. I can’t help but go back to where I first heard Kate Bush – in an attic apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, with one of my friends playing ‘Wuthering Heights’ and asking me how I wasn't aware of this artist. I felt ashamed, and although I've missed some of her important work over the years, I am catching up quickly. Skipping ahead a few more years, I met my best friend and partner in crime, who introduced me to her album ‘Aerial.’ One summer day we took a trip to Netherland where I heard her sound in Roermond's greatest park, which looks like it came from the mind of Tolkien. Everything about ‘Aerial’ is perfect. Absolutely coherent, the album flows like a stream of art and music. We have the CD, but after getting our gramophone, we realized that one of the albums we wanted in our newly born collection is the vinyl of ‘Aerial.’ I became more interested in Kate Bush's life, a
Read more

July Movie Pick: 'Deadpool & Wolverine' - The Best PR Movie I Have Ever Seen

-
Image
We all know that Marvel and Disney, in general, have been suffering losses because of their lack of quality releases in the past two years. Since 'Avengers: Endgame', Marvel has been trying to recreate the experience with less input, doing the brand a disservice. Even I, who became a huge fan around 'Captain America: Civil War', felt fatigue after a while. Even during this movie, I had some issues that I am going to write about in the spoiler section, but this movie went hard. It went hard on all the Marvel, or I should just say Disney, mistakes by twisting them in the most humorous way, making them fun. It was like I was in a psychiatric office, in hypnosis, reliving every traumatic memory after 'Endgame', while the psychiatric doctor, in this case, Deadpool, replaced the emotion I was feeling about them. Once, not that long ago, I saw this incredible PR move by RuPaul. In the current season of 'RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race', he played with the cont
Read more

Rant on 'Lessons in Chemistry' Apple TV+ Show

-
Image
The moment it began, I was thinking to myself, ‘Should I go down this rabbit hole?’ And I did because I really like Brie Larson. I have to say that even though I had some pretty revelations, and some parts were well-made, and of course, the actors were doing an incredible job, I dare to say that I will not watch it if I have the choice once again. This turned out to be a horrible idea. I am definitely not the desired audience for this show, and I am pretty sure for the book. Sometimes the pacing was bad, sometimes we were going back to the past for no reason, and the talking dog… spoilers ahead.  The first two episodes were very interesting, not from the beginning, but they had my attention. I felt their newborn love. I found it very fascinating that both of them were looking into the creation of mankind and different theories about it through the lens of science. I like that they were two outsiders who met each other at the right time. And kudos to the actors because in just 2 episode
Read more