Dracula (Blackstone Edition)

By: Bram Stoker

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1897, at the age of 50, Bram Stoker was touring manager to the actor Henry Irving and was enjoying a modest success as a journalist and writer. Publication in that year of Dracula was to bring him international and lasting fame.

The Dracula mythology has inspired a vast subculture, but the story has never been better told than by Stoker. He succeeds entirely in his aim to terrify. His myth is powerful because it allows evil to remain mysterious. Virtuous action has no more impact than Jonathan Harker's shovel. The high virtue of Lucy can simply be drained away, as her blood is drained away, until she too joins the vampire brood. Van Helsing's high-thinking and scientific skill cannot resist the dreadful potency of the undead. Only the old magic, a crucifix, garlic, a wooden stake, can provide effective weapons against the Count's appalling power.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The world's best-known vampire story comes to life in this expert performance by Robert Whitfield.... For a classic performance of a classic work, this production must not be missed." (AudioFile)

Dracula

Extraordinary! An amazing confection of beautiful gothic writing, fast-paced story line, outstanding narration by Robert Whitfield ... and sheer terror.
When heard in the dead of night, this book encourages the imagination as no television adaptation can. Take in small doses for maximum effect. It pulls the veil from hardnosed modern indifference to expose atavistic superstitions lurking in forgotten recesses.

An excellent audiobook version of a great story.

Dracula is one of those classic horror stories that despite its age always is enjoyable to read: the characters are great and the story flows along nicely. In this audiobook version the story is truly given a great treatment by a first class narrator, who reads the story and voices the characters to perfection. This is a truly outstanding version.

Utter Brilliance!

I never envisioned myself looking at Victorian literature with much enthusiasm. But I was very glad so many people pointed me toward Bram Stoker's Dracula. I normally am unmoved by vampire stories, but loved Salems Lot by Stephen King, so I thought I'd get to the origin of all vampire lore by hearing this classic.

The voice acting was incredible. Robert Whitfield, who narrates, does such an incredible job of portraying all of the characters with such adroit voicing that I was enthralled into the story in a way that reading it to myself would have been lacking. Much as Shakespear's plays are very trivial when read to one's self, but become unrivaled triumphs when well-acted (and conversely disastrous when poorly-acted), this audiobook lived and breathed.

I cannot emphasize how amazing this book is and how well it performs. This will be a story I will listen to time and again. Bravo!

The Dead Travel Fast. The Quinary Count No. 4

I recently undertook the personal challenge to listen to five different versions of DRACULA because listening to Bram Stoker’s classic years ago made me a fan of audiobooks. I enjoyed that experience so much that I decided to try to determine if I had just gotten lucky or if there was an even better version available. Besides, I wanted to listen to it again. With most books I feel fortunate to have just one audio version available, but with DRACULA there are so many versions offered that listening to them all is not practical. I first figured that I could handle maybe three different versions but then discovered two more that I thought deserved attention. The Audible list had these five that I thought might be contenders:

Listed in my order of listening preference:
1) Susan Adams & Alexander Spencer (Recorded Books 1980)
2) Peter Sciarrio & Kris Faulkner & a FULL CAST, (Books in Motion 2008)
3) Greg Wise & Saskia Reeves (BBC Audiobooks 2008)
4) Robert Whitfield (aka Simon Vance), (Blackstone edition 1998)
5) Alan Cumming & Tim Curry & cast (Audible edition 2011)

Review for this version:

4) Robert Whitfield (aka Simon Vance, m) Blackstone Edition 1998 [run time 14:11],

This is the Blackstone Edition read by Robert Whitfield, better known in the audiobook world as Simon Vance. His is the most speedy version, and by more than four hours compared to the longer versions! And this is not because any of the text has been cut out. This is the complete novel. Listened to by itself this might not be a factor but when directly compared to the other versions it seems hurried, almost as if he is intentionally rushing things in order to minimize the run time. For me, the rapid pace did not suit the material well. This is a gothic horror novel and as such the slow building of dread and deliberate mood building are key elements.
Compare this version to the Audible Edition where the same narrator, as Simon Vance, portrays Jonathan Harker. The two renditions of the Jonathan Harker material seem to be read by two different actors. This demonstrates the range of the narrator. Whitfield's diction is impeccable and is always very clear and easy to follow. He is a fine sight reader. In the early chapters his accent for Count Dracula seemed to be changing from one scene to the next, but once he hits his stride the narrator became transparent.
Throughout the course of the listening to the five versions, this solo performance of Whitfield continually gained in favor. On one occasion I failed to notice the chapter break while listening to this version and continued well into the next chapter; thus proving that one can become immersed in the story with this version.

TECHNICAL NOTES
Chapter stops match book chapter numbers.
00:00:19 Includes the dedication, “To my dear friend Hommy Beg;” the only version to do so. Also includes the brief introduction: “How these papers have been placed in sequence will be made clear in the reading of them…”
4:21:51 (Repeated phrase) "did not have full opportunity of examination as I should wish."
4:30:00 (Correct word use) “madmans” (TAD p. 111.3.10). This is the only version that uses a word here that in found in one of the print versions. The other versions use “madmen,” or “madmens,” which do not find textual support.
10”38:00 (Repeated phrase) “as though overhead some dread bell would peel out powerfully.”
9:56:10 Mispronunciation of “sentience.” (as SEN-t-ence)

Follows the text of THE ANNOTATED DRACULA (TAD)
1:26:10 “Occupied in bygone days,” (TAD p. 38.1)
2:02:27 “To-morrow night, to-morrow night is yours.” (TAD p. 53.5)

Better than I expected

I really loved this for the voice acting honestly. The story is a bit of a slog at times, but the mystery and how the characters interact to figure it out is quite enjoyable. I really felt for them at times and just overall had a good time with this story.

A Classic for a Reason

A must read for any fan of the macabre. So full of ideas and yet so embedded in its time.

A great reading of a great book

One of my favorite books. Of course, your mileage may vary on that point, but I just wanted to say that I tried out a couple different audio versions of Dracula, and this one is simply outstanding.

With a highly mood-focused book such as this, the voice reading it can really make or break the presentation -- kudos on this version!

Not a thriller, but interesting

I didn’t know what to expect from this audio book, but I did expect more suspense and more horror. Perhaps I’ve been jaded by the graphic representations in films, but this book didn’t evoke any fear or dread at all.

Bram Stoker wrote this book as a series of excerpts from journals, letters, and other documents. This style helps create the illusion of fact behind the story, which is clever.

As this is the original vampire book (I think), I learned the “official rules” that apply. For example, a vampire will not make a reflection in a mirror nor cast a shadow. The book also introduced me to Van Helsing, the vampire hunter who is mentioned in later stories.

It was an interesting, but not a riveting, story.

The narrator is excellent, and easy to understand.

This does not suck!

I am a vampire fanatic yet had never read Dracula. I am so glad I listened to it because the narration was brilliant. The whole book is written as journal entries so listening to the book made it flow beautifully.

It was real treat and I can see why it has become a classic. I enjoyed it through the halloween season so the creepy detail and the suspensful plot was perfect.

Love this classic!

I love to read Dracula, and it is just as fun to listen. This story is very entertaining. The only thing that got on my nerves after a while was the accent of Van Helsing. It may be correct or good or whatever, but I didn't enjoy it (but this is a petty gripe). Other than that matter of preference (you may not dislike it at all), this was an amazing narration and I highly recommend it.