Dracula by Bram Stoker - Reviewed by Ritogni chatterjee - (Chills & thrills)
- Nine Nonchalant
- Oct 29, 2020
- 2 min read
Many books have the privilege to be adapted and made a movie about, but for an immortal classic of a book like Dracula, it seems like a birthright. Written in 1897, the book still carries its own community with it. I am an avid reader of horror books, but none can master the genius and exclusiveness of Dracula. After all it is the father of many horror books, and has introduced terms like vampires, Transylvania, Van Helsing etc and has greatly popularised them globally. But a problem that comes with its greatness is the number of renditions that is made of the same story, confusing people with the actual plot and not allowing them to experience the timeless original plot of Dracula. To avoid this, one needs to read the book of Dracula, which proves that books are indispensable.
From the start of the book, the reader encounters on an unsuspecting lawyer, Jonathan Harker who blindly travels to Castle Dracula in the European country of Transylvania. His aim of concluding a real estate transaction of Count Dracula is obstructed with distractions and warnings from the locals about the castle , giving him crucifixes and other charms against evil and uttering strange words that Harker later translates into “vampire.” A stubborn and determined Harker continues on the treacherous journey. He encounters angry wolves and then ultimately reaches his destination to find himself in a crumbling grand castle and is met by a well-educated and old gentleman, Count Dracula. But after only a few days, however, Harker realizes that he is effectively a prisoner in the castle. At this point in the story the thrill kicks in along with fear and the readers are affected too.
Later in from this point in the story, Harker explores the castle and tries to escape... His fiancée Mina encounters her friend at the merciless hands of Dracula... and then consults for the help of Van Helsing, a renowned monster slayer…Lucy is converted to the undead…and all this leads them to focus on only one objective, the death of the cold-blooded vampire, Count Dracula.
The book gives the perfect feeling of eeriness in every new page and leaves a new reader wondering about the next event. The presentation of a crumbling castle and bloodthirsty vampires fits together perfectly somehow, along with a medieval setting. It captures a macabre act of drinking blood and also incorporates beliefs of locals and also gives a main base towards the main antagonist, which would be Transylvania. For some cons… this book does contain aa bit of violence and gore and might be a bit hard for young readers to take in. Also, the frequent switching of the text between diaries, letters, reports makes it a bit confusing.
But above all this is a universal book for all and a must read for ones who have neglected this masterpiece and lastly is the flawless example of the combination of horror and thriller.
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