"Wonderfully Done"
That's a tough question to answer since it really depends on the reader/listener and their own personal preferences but for me the audio edition was far superior. I've spent many years picking up and putting down this book, hoping to finish it each time and failing miserably. With this audio edition I was finally able to finish it and understand why so many people (myself included now) loved it.
There were many memorable moments within this novel, some of them more exciting than others, but for me the scene that has stayed with me the longest is the news report of the doomed ship Demeter. It's chilling, not only because of its description but because you begin to realize that even if all the puzzle pieces are laid out for the characters, it's going to take a good while for anyone to make sense of them.
Dr. Seward as performed by Alan Cumming was easily my favorite. Not only was a good chunk of the novel told through his journal entries but Cumming's performance infused a sense of growing urgency that kept me coming back for more.
I might very well be in the minority in this but I have to admit that I found the first third of this book to be a bit dry and, at times, outright boring. Most of the action takes place later in the book with plenty of set-up leading the way and while normally I wouldn't mind I still found myself wondering whether or not skipping forward a bit would be a bad thing. Having listened to it all, however, I will say that while I'm glad I didn't skip the first time, I'll definitely be skipping parts on the next listen.
"Great book ."
This is was first audiobook and so far my favorite. I have listened to some chapters over three time since.
I love how each character has their own voice. Chapter 7 was my favorite
Jonnathan. His experience in Dracula's castle
"Classic For a Reason"
I wish I had gone into this with no knowledge of traditional vampire lore or Dracula himself. The storytelling is great. The performances of the multi-voice cast are also pretty excellent. I found this one hard to listen to, though, for some reason I can't explain. After about 15 minutes, my mind would wander. It felt kinda like the audial equivalent of a really dry book.
Classics, history, historical fiction, marketing, Napoleonic stuff and of course 'Boys own Adventure'. This is my bent. Occasional self help as well.
"Edwardian melodrama at best"
The performances are excellent.
Perhaps he was a product of his times but his style is 'over the top' and wordy. If it wasn't for Hollywood, this book would have been buried long ago with Mr Stoker.
This is no easy performance but the cast do a most excellent job. I have tried to read this book many times, but the journal/letter style of story makes it difficult to focus. The cast over comes this and helps make the story come alive.
The story is typical of Edwardian period melodrama. The writing is bad and wordy. The character development is cartoonish and overly 'British'. The characters don't develop into real people, in fact Dracula is probably the most believable character. With some cleaver editing this book could have been cut in half and been a lot more interesting. Look, do yourself a favour and forget this book, don't read it, don't listen to it, get a copy of the Francis Ford Coppola film (1992) 'Bram Stoker Dracula' with Gary Oldman playing the undead man himself, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsling. Oh yes it also starred Keanu Reeves. It is far more entertaining.
"Excellent Multi Cast performance. Do not miss out!"
If you are looking for an audio version of Dracula do not pass this one by!!! In three years of downloading books from audible this is one of the best performances of a book that I have come across. The performers include some of the best in the business. It is an absolute treat to hear them narrate this great story. I purchased this book to excite my boys about classic literature. (They are ages 10 and 13.) This performance has more than done the job. My eldest used to Harry Potter and The Lightning Thief comments that this is one of the best books he has ever experienced. My youngest has been able to follow the story with enthusiasm even though some of the vocabulary is above his head. I believe the expressiveness of the performers lends a great deal to the understanding. We have sat spellbound for hours listening with the boys always begging for a few minutes more. The performance and brilliant story together are nothing less than thrilling. I cannot recommend this performance highly enough!
I'm a corporate training consultant and adjunct professor who loves to read! I'm always looking for the next big thing.
"Times Have Surely Changed"
I don't know if it has been movies, television shows, or other vampire books that have affected me most, but I wasn't overly crazy about this. I remember having read Dracula many years ago (when I was much younger), and it seemed far scarier then than it did recently. On the contrary, it seems somewhat dull, and the scares were limited. Even so, I loved that there was an entire cast to read this. They were all outstanding, and they made the book enjoyable overall.
"Enjoyable"
I found the book to be very well performed. However, even though I have previously read the book, I found it a bit harder to listen to than to read. I think because of the switching of characters, I had to concentrate a bit more on what was being said. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that since I tend to listen to books while doing other things, that the book pulled a little more focus than I would have liked. This is definitely a book for classic horror fans when they have some free time to do nothing but listen!
"An abridged version would've satisfied me"
The three stars I've given the story is my personal code for "liked it okay but wouldn't listen to it again." I found the story fairly exhilarating in the first part but less so in the second (final) part. I was eager to return to the story initially, but for the last 4 or 5 hours it was a bit of a chore for me.
The Lucy storyline intrigued me and certainly held my attention, but best of all was the portrayal of Jonathan's visit to Count Dracula and his subsequent imprisonment by the Count. The visual image conjured by Dracula stealing out his window and slithering down the castle wall will remain with me forever. I'd seen it in films but reading such things is almost always better. The least interesting or most annoying aspect of the story was, in my opinion, the incessant praise and near canonization of Miss Mina. I realize this was nineteenth century writing but after a while I started rooting for Dracula. Enough already with the fawning.
I am familiar with John Lee from his reading of "Pillars of The Earth" and with Simon Vance from "1434." I cannot fault their delivery.
Yes ... but not so worthy that I would listen to it again, nor would I eagerly recommend it to others.
"Astonishing!"
Well, it depends. I am "a reader" so I always start with the book, usually. But there are certain books that are very much improved by listening. E.G. would you rather read Shakespeare or listen to an audio production? Would you rather read Alan Ginsberg or listen to him, in his own words. Enough said.
"Awful female voice actors"
I would definitely read another book from Bram Stoker. Dracula is a masterpiece.
The narrators are another story. The male voice actors are fine. Some are great, others are OK. Unfortunately most of the material is read too fast, which takes away from the experience. The real problem are the female voice actors. They are simply unbearable. They read in an monotone drone that sounds like a flight attendant announcement and make the stupidest voices when they try to imitate men. I was incredibly excited to read this full cast version, but the female voice actors just ruined it all for me.
Whoever cast the female voices should be flogged. They are the worst narrators I ever heard so far. Whoever supervised this recording should also be flogged. Somebody should have told the narrators to slow down.