Dracula [Audible Edition]

Well Read, Throughly Enjoyable!

Would you consider the audio edition of Dracula to be better than the print version?

I feel the audio version makes the characters truly alive!!! When I read a book, I

What did you like best about this story?

Alan Cumming's Dr. Seward and Katherine Kellgren's portrayal of Mina Harker.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

They brought this characters to life. I felt I was experiencing the story first hand with all it's horror and nuances.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen in my car because my commute is long. I had to force myself to turn off the car and get into work. I didn't want to stop listening!!!

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Gothic Horror Never Sounded So Good

This was well worth it. Alan Cumming is a favorite and so versatile. Tim Curry never disappoints. The only thing missing from Audible's production is a cast list. I recognized some narrators that I had listen to before, but think they all deserve credit for the job well done. Lucy's naivety, and Minna steadfast strength for instance deserve crediting. I was disappointed when this was not a part of the concluding credits.

If other reviewers could not be swept up in the production, perhaps it is due to a distaste for the genre. I like a good vampire tale as much as the next person, but this sheds so much light on how far we have come from the mother of all tales, where more is implied than exposed.

88 of 100 people found this review helpful

IS THAT NOT SO?

THAT'S SO
Let me start with the performance. All of the narrators are professionals, not a amateur in that batch. The add very much to the book. If you by chance have never read it, this would be the edition to listen to.

THE WOMEN LOOKED PRETTY EXCEPT WHEN YOU GOT NEAR THEM
I really debated on how to rate this book. If it was not for Stoker, we would not have all the movies, books and TV shows that have followed it. No Buffy the Vampire Slayer, no Hammersmith movies, no Count Dracula cereal etc...It is all here along with many things you may have forgotten. I had forgotten the part where Dracula climbed head first down a castle wall. Did you know Dracula had hairy palms? So, this gets five stars for creating such a great character. I gave the story three stars, as I was thinking about Today's Reader. The book is made up of letters and journals and almost everything is something that has already happened and your getting a personal account of it. This was popular during Stoker's time, but it is rarely done today. For today's reader it is way too long. A lot of it reads like a soap opera. I was sick of Lucy, hours before she was finally done in. I was ready to cut her head off myself.

I LOVE YOU, YOU LOVE ME
This is a must read or listen due to the historical aspect. It also has great language. I love listening to how people talked during this time. I loved the manners used in speaking, it is lovingly written. I was also amazed in how often the word love and lover were used.

I KNOW NOT WHY

149 of 174 people found this review helpful

The Curtain Falls...Applause, Applause, Bravo

Hearing the final words, "Audible hopes you enjoyed.." it's hard to resist vigorously clapping your hands together and jumping to your feet to whoop out a "Bravo!" While it looks like some reviewers are more familiar with the particulars of each narrator, I must be less fussy; I thought it was a perfect cast that produced a dark gothic atmosphere that Stoker would call worthy of this masterpiece.

The story is longer than I thought it would be, the flowery speech style of the Victorian era no doubt adding to the length of the journals/diaries of each articulate character, that comprise the tale -- a style that, if you are unprepared for, may be too verbose to your liking (but authentic to the time--think Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats). Where one during that period might say:
"Dear Madam, by God, your neck! May perhaps I suggest more wreaths of the garlic flowers to be festooned around your lovely neck to prohibit a further attack from this most vile blood-sucking fiendish creature of the night which has befallen upon you most unfairly, dear sweet lady?"
We today, 100 years later, might say:
"Huh, vampire bite. Want some garlic (was he sparkly)?"
You can see how this could take up some pages. But the profuse Victorian vernacular combined with the fine reading puts you in the necessary frame of mind -- where a dark red-eyed character in a cape could creep around a deteriorating castle, summon wolves from the fog, and morph into a bat flapping against a pane of glass. (It was a little amusing listening to the breathy and fragile Lucy and Mina...considering the time frame in which this was written. While Stoker had them helplessly swooning away, across the pond, Susan B. Anthony was gathering her own minions.)
Bram Stoker truly affected history with this book -- Audible's production was a great homage to a literary icon as well as a fun engaging production, well worth the purchase.

79 of 93 people found this review helpful

Introducing the Count of Gothic Fiction

When this novel was first released in 1897, I can only imagine the horror it caused. We’re so inundated with vampire lore, fictional stories, and references these days that I’m afraid this one just doesn’t pack the same punch. We can, however, still give the credit to Stoker for bringing the famous Count Dracula to popular culture. He might not have been the first to write about vampires, but this is definitely a classic of the Gothic genre.

It’s also definitely a British Victorian novel, and the settings and characters confirm the author’s time period. Stoker does a good job with the atmospheric description, and we can feel the chill, smell the smoke, and hear the leather creaking.

Chapters are written from different characters’ points of view, and are in the form of letters and journal entries, with a few newspaper reports.

The characters are fairly stock types for this time period, with the delightful exception of Mina; she shows strength and bravery where Lucy (and one or two of the men) is basically a wimp. There is a lot of sappy conviviality between the “good” characters, which gets old, and many references to Christianity, of course. Good vs evil is the plot, after all.

As for the audio version with a “full cast” of narrators, most of it was great work by some of the best audio stars: John Lee, Simon Vance, Alan Cumming, Katy Kellgren, Tim Curry, etc. However, the weak was very weak; I cringed every time Susan Duerden spoke as Lucy, but I understand her method. The various (and I mean VARIOUS) accents given to Van Helsing were a bit of a distraction, but I’m sensitive to accents.

Overall, I’m glad I listened to this book, as I imagine reading it wouldn’t be near as interesting.

If you are looking for an action-packed, chase-sequence-filled thriller, this one isn’t for you. But if you care to read the basis for 121 years of sequels, plays, films, and adaptations, give it chance.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Back to basics

I am one of many who have only known the infamous Count through Hollywood productions. Horror has never been my favorite genre, and I found Bela Lugosi too campy, and Gary Oldman too bizarre for either to be very frightening. The only motivation I had to even select this book was my admiration of most of the fine cast and the rave reviews for a classic. A majority of reviewers have already praised the reading, and I will simply say that I concur.

What made this an outstanding story to me is that the count is NOT the central character. The mistake the films made was in making the best written characters mere supporting players to the count whom we see the least of. The power of Dracula is his lack of physical presence – half the thrill is the anticipation, and Stoker plays that card better than the film makers ever did. His tale is robust with the superstitions and beliefs of the day, whether religious, medical, psychological, criminal or supernatural, giving it a wonderful period feeling. There is enough detail to spark the imagination, and enough restraint to let the imagination provide the fear. By learning the story through the diaries and letters of the principal characters, we are intimately caught up in their horror, giving us someone and something to root for.

The writing is excellent and surprisingly moving, especially as the group of friends mourn the loss of a loved one and pledge their lives to banish the evil that caused such sorrow. There is plenty of adventure as the chase is on to end Dracula's reign of terror and free one of their own from his grasp. This could be a story about any group of everyday people finding the moral courage to fight any sort of evil and is a much more universal story than I had imagined. I loved this band of comrades, and I am so glad I took a chance on this classic.

34 of 42 people found this review helpful

The Best Dracula Audiobook Ever!

What made the experience of listening to Dracula the most enjoyable?

All the seasoned actors and narrators.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anyone Tim Curry plays will always be my favorite character. All the narrators do an excellent job.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

That they are all such season actors that listening to them makes you feels as though you are really there.

If you could take any character from Dracula out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Tim Curry. Does one need a reason?

Any additional comments?

You can't go wrong with this audiobook. Simon Vance, Simon Prebble, Alan Cumming....honestly, could a book get any better than this. This is well worth the credit!

46 of 58 people found this review helpful

Wonderful, accurate performance of Stoker's novel

Would you consider the audio edition of Dracula to be better than the print version?

I love this edition for many reasons, but mainly because it is an accurate rendition of Stoker's novel. Every film version changes the story somewhat, and this edition does not. Readers get the treat of the accurate story along with great narration.

What did you like best about this story?

I love Tim Curry's voice, and think he does an excellent job.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Reading the book deprives you of the emotional range the human voice is capable of that add so much detail and color to the story.

38 of 49 people found this review helpful

As it was meant to be

This truly is a revelation. I had read the book many years before, of course, but I had never really appreciated the way the story was told in correspondence. I suspect that lack of appreciation is a testament to Bram Stocker's skills as a storyteller and to my lack of acuity. Whatever the reason, hearing the tale told through the words of the correspondents makes it so much more intimate and exciting. It puts the Twilight Saga and True Blood in their place as pieces for their time and generations, but confirms the traditional view of Dracula, van Helsing and Transalvania as everlasting pieces of literature for all time and a mature audience. In the parlance of the present cinema, it's M15+ verging on R, but not for the sensuality (although that is there) or the viloence (of which there is an abundance), but for the themes.
As for the production, it is first class. For me it was Simon Vance and Katy Kellgren who shone; more so even than the named principals. Alan Cumming was as good as ever. Tim Curry really didn't have enough of a part to make a real impression, more's the pity. Van Helsing is really seen through others' eyes. So the Harkers stole the show. In retrospect, that's not suprising, but I had (wrongly) expected more from the principals. I also missed a voice for Dracula (because he is not a correspondent, of course). I thought Vance captured his intonation beautifully when he recounted the conversations between the Count and Harker, but with Borsi Karlof, Frank Langella and others in mind, it would have been nice to hear him speak. Alas, that was a legitimate sacrifice for the lierarary device that Stoker adopted and which this production brings to life.
Highly recommended.

32 of 42 people found this review helpful

A Performance, Not Just a Reading

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book because of the incredible performances. I read the book several years ago and liked it, but listening to it...I LOVE it! If you've never read Dracula, this is the version you want; if you have read or listened to Dracula before, you still want THIS version. This is sure to be considered the definitive version of Dracula.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Mina Murray was a stand out character. As performed by Katherine Kellgren, Mina was a strong female character who managed to remain feminine. Further, Kellgren voiced the other characters in Mina's narratives very distinctively.

Who was the most memorable character of Dracula and why?

I was particularly struck by Renfield's characterization in this version. In the movie versions and even in my own reading, I had envisioned Renfield as a victim. In this version, Renfield is clearly a manipulative madman, quite creepy even before we find him influenced by Dracula. Looking back, I was surprised to see that no single person voiced Renfield because his character was so well-defined and cohesive across different narrators.

Any additional comments?

The cast of narrators is like a list of my own favorite narrators. Each one is so good at his or her job that this novel comes to life.

13 of 18 people found this review helpful