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)

suspenseful

The narrator does a very vood job of evoking the darkness of this novel. Good story.

Still the best Dracula story, another stellar Simon Vance audio performance

The last time I had read Dracula was over 15 years ago. Though I still vividly remember the plot, Simon Vance's wonderful narration made it all feel new again.

Still Scary Two Centuries Later

I've been listening to many of the classics I should have read in high school and college, but somehow missed. Dracula is one of them. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I really liked how the novel was a compilation of diary and journal entries, memoranda, and newspaper articles. Bram Stoker's writing and description of the Count and his castle and the evil that surrounded them is chilling even today.

Fantastic Imagery!

One of the best books I've listened to! The narrator pulls you into the story until you feel you are there, watching the terrifying events unfold. His changing voices with each character are so smooth that you see & hear each person as they give their accounts & impressions of Count Dracula. The horror is facinating! Truly a pleasure!

Nice and gothic

The narrator did an excellent job at capturing the Gothic sentimentality of the characters. His interpretations of Stoker's prose and dialogue was just the right mood for the novel. As for the novel itself, there's no point in reviewing it. It's Dracula. Enough said.

Steve Erickson from Lakewood, CO

This is a well written book, almost in old English, with a polite and horrific plot. Victims of Count Dracula don't know that they are being attacked, yet can't understand why they are being depleted of all energy (blood). Only the clever minds three tenacious doctors and the trail of bodies can help Jonathan escape Dracula's fangs. Great narration and as many stars as I can give. Thanks Audible.

Ultimate Vampire

This should be compulsory first listening for all who like vampire tales -the best, original and terrifyingly evil Count himself. It is so rewarding to enjoy excellent descriptive prose and detailed conversations in this old classic. All the characters were brought to life so well by the narrator, Robert Whitfield. The story is long, complex and infinitely enthralling, but had to be strictly daytime listening for me!

Excellent version and narration

I browsed the samples of the multiple versions of Dracula on Audible and settled on this one. The narration is among the best I've heard over the years I've been an Audible member and perfectly suits the time from which the book is set.

The story itself stands up fairly well considering how long ago it was written and Dracula himself is indeed worthy of being the first of the modern day vampires. Taking into account the "properness" and conservative sensibilities of the time in which the book was written the story is surprisingly menacing and creepy, although admittedly this pales compared to horror tales written in more modern times.

Dracula is told in a style common of the age in which it was written - that of a collection of letters and telegrams which tell the story. The "properness" of the interactions and speech of the characters has a quaint old fashioned charm.


If I had any criticisms of the book it would be that :

1. at 2 or 3 points, the story gets bogged down and spends too much time treading water before getting to the next plot point. At least 10% of the book could have been edited out and nothing important would have been left out.

2. There are at least 2 points where the narration repeats a sentence that had just been spoken. This is a very minor blip on the otherwise excellent narration.

Hard to stop listening

I find listening to non-fiction much easier than to fiction. The opposite is true for reading the printed book. This is one of the first fiction novels that I had trouble stopping listening. I have at least 15 fiction audiobooks in the works and this one kept me on it from start to finish. It doesn't read like I thought given it's age. It reads as if written recently, although with interesting bits of old-english and vernacular. This is the novel that sparked the whole vampire thing. It didn't invent it, but brought it into the contemporary culture. I think these last few years have seen more vampire fiction than at any time before, so I recommend to all of you vampire enthusiasts that you listen to this one. While I loved the movie and saw it many years before listening to the book, the two are quite different at times and I found that I developed my own characters and hardly based them on the movie's. It is not horrific and not very scary. I found the movie much scarier but that is likely due to Gary Oldman's amazing performance...the best Dracula ever. The narrator does an amazing job with the various characters. I did get a couple of the men mixed up over time, but it had little impact on the main story. I couldn't help but have Tom Waits as Renfield as I listened. Funny, as much as I loved Gary Oldman in the movie, he wasn't my Dracula as I listened. Excellent listen. Great work Mr. Whitfield. And Bram too.

A must listen for all who love vampires

Bram Stoker's Dracula is the classic vampire story. Here vampires have not yet been rehabilitated, are dangerously seductive, more than human and patient dark creatures to be feared. While the storyline might be a bit slow at times (I suspect an abridgement could be a better listen without missing anything), the book was gripping and at times hair raising enough to keep your attention. Robert Whitfield is a good interpretative reader, while at times he does become a little monotonous.

Still this is an excellent book and should be listened to. Due to the fact that Audible has so many recordings of Dracula, I would suggest that you listen to some reading samples to find the best reader.

Enjoy this book!