You can spend 1 credit every month to get an audiobook
“The world’s best-known vampire story comes to life in this expert performance by Simon Vance. No music, no special audio tricks detract from the chilling, gruesome tale of the un-dead…His subtle shading of voice gives complete personality and motivation to each of the eight protagonists…For a classic performance of a classic work, this production must not be missed. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
AudioFile
Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
A Literary Hub Pick of Great Irish Novels Not Set in Ireland
An Oprah Magazine Pick of Best Vampire Books
This blood-curdling tale of thirsty vampires continues to hold audiences spellbound more than a century after its publication.
Summoned to assist with legal matters regarding a real estate transaction, young Englishman Jonathan Harker journeys to the dismal, dreary castle of Count Dracula in Transylvania. The fledgling solicitor is completely unprepared for what he will discover in the days to come—and the horrifying chain of events sparked by his unsettling stay with the mysterious Count.
The Dracula mythology has inspired a vast subculture, but the story has never been better told than by Bram Stoker. He succeeds entirely in his aim to terrify. His myth is powerful because it allows evil to remain mysterious, unconquerable by strength of mind or virtuous action.
Van Helsing’s high-thinking and scientific skill cannot resist the dreadful potency of the undead. The high virtue of Lucy can simply be drained away, as her blood is drained away, until she too joins the vampire brood. Only the old magic—a crucifix, garlic, a wooden stake—can provide effective weapons against the Count’s appalling power.
100%of listeners recommend itof readers recommend it
Overall100%
Narration0%
Based on 4 ratings
Be the first to rate this audiobookBe the first to rate this book
No one has rated or reviewed Dracula yet. Listened to it? Would you recommend it?No one has rated or reviewed Dracula yet. Read it? Would you recommend it?
This is my third go through this classic novel, the first time through audio. Simon Vance is a terrific reader, and each character was well delineated. Maybe it's because this is my third trip through the book, or maybe I have a lower attention span now that I am older, but in one or two places the narrative dragged, something I had never noticed before.
This book is nothing like ANY of the movies. Probably in the 1800s it was considered horrific, but its big selling point now is SUSPENSE. I think it is far more suspenseful than horrific. I think this classic novel is an excellent buy. One of my favorite novels. Sink your teeth into it!
My advice to every young man starting out in life is this: when reading—or listening—turn a cold eye on the Jane Austen spin-offs, avoid the Game-of-Thrones-esque “medieval” bodice-rippers, steer clear of James Patterson’s latest, stacked like so many cans of creamed corn at the entrance of the local bookstore. Instead, read Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility; pore over the original Arthurian romances penned by Chretien de Troyes in the late 12th Century; and listen to Conan Doyle and John Buchan—the giants on whose shoulders the James Pattersons, Stephen Kings, Patricia Cornwells And Dean Koontzs of the world stand.
I recommend the same line with vampires. If what I see on the train and the audiobook sites are any indication, the world is awash in vampire-fueled fiction. Teenage vampires. Mutant vampires. Rogue vampires. Human vampire hunters. Vampires that hunt other vampires. And, of course, vampires that hunt humans. I’ve often wondered what lies at the bottom of all this. Where is the “Ur” text, if you will, that spawned all these vampire variants?
And when Downpour offered the original tale, the granddaddy of them all, the book that set the current literary avalanche in motion, (for free, no less), I had my answer.
I understand that there are works drawing on vampire lore and legend that predate Stoker’s. And I know that at the time Stoker’s book was but one of many dealing with bizarre creatures and harrowing situations—that, in effect, he was one of the Stephen Kings of his day. But Stoker’s book is still regarded as the original tale, the granddaddy of them all. And to listen to it was to get beyond the Hollywood hokum and the post-modern re-brandings to a riveting story of Good engaged in desperate battle against Evil.
Inundated as we are in vampire books, films, comic books, children’s toys, breakfast cereals, Halloween costumes, tea cozies and needlepoint samplers, it’s easy for us to look at a guy with sharp incisors and pointy ears who lives in an abandoned castle in the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania and say “look out, he’s a vampire!” But what makes the book so engaging and plausible—and the count so fearful—is the gradual, almost grudging way our good doctors come to the incredible, almost impossible conclusion that what they are dealing with actually is a vampire.
Hearing the count act normally (inquiring into the advisability of hiring more than one lawyer in England, for instance, or deprecating his own command of English) makes more expected scenes—as when Jonathan Harker sees him crawling headfirst down the side of his castle—even more terrifying. Stoker manages to blend the pedestrian with the gothic in a way that makes both seem—for lack of a better term—natural.
Of course being a Victorian, Stoker can’t help but write like a Victorian. There is much earnest, extended discussion, many ardent vows and much noble, overwrought sentiment. Yes, it gets a little tedious at times. But it’s a portal into a world we have abandoned, and some of our tedium may really be discomfort at the thought that we couldn’t live out the virtues the story exemplifies.
Being a good Victorian, Stoker draws Mina Harker as a brilliant, insightful woman who contributes largely to the count’s eventual overthrow—and the only character who extends Christian charity to him, thus shaming the men. That part should sit pretty well with us. But, being a good Victorian, Stoker also believes that real women are beautiful, delicate and virtuous—not wanton, licentious and shameless. As such, they are in need of protection from strong, virtuous, selfless, unashamedly masculine men who don’t spend too much time on their hair. This may not sit so well with us. I found it a refreshing change from our current social milieu—and, I’m guessing, from much of what can be found in the current crop of vampire sagas.
Thank you, Downpour, for offering a great performance of a classic tale for free.
By today's standards this book might seem a bit cheesy, but in its day it was probably terrifying. The culture hadn't been saturated with vampire stories to the point of ridiculousness back then. I actually really enjoyed this book, and Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is a fantastic narrator. His voice was perfect for this audiobook.
Some of the more supernatural elements of Dracula---bats flapping against windows, his ability to control and turn into mist, etc.---strike today's reader as rather more silly than terrifying. Stoker seems aware of this, as he includes a lot of nonsense to the effect that there are things of which science is not aware, and we can only rely on faith and tradition in dealing with them. Still, Dracula is in my experience of higher literary quality than the vast majority of the many vampire novels that have come since, even those that downplay or at least try to explain the supernatural aspects of vampire mythology.
There are several interesting characters here, including, of course, Van Helsing, and also the Texan Quincey Morris (who was absent from all of the adaptations I'd encountered before actually reading the original novel), but particularly Mina Harker, who in some respects is almost a sort of proto-feminist character. And the scenes with Renfield in Seward's insane asylum are genuinely creepy.
Based on {n} ratingBased on {n} ratingsOverallNarrationWrite a ReviewUpdate My ReviewEdit reviewAdd a written reviewRead moreShow lessLoading reviews…{n} listener has rated this audiobook, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} listeners have rated this audiobook, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} reader has rated this book, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} readers have rated this book, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.{n} review{n} reviewsWe couldn't load reviews right now.Reviews aren't available for this title.Showing {shown} of {n} reviewShowing {shown} of {n} reviewsAnonymousYour reviewVerified listenerReviewed in the Downpour appLiked itNot for meYour reviewPublishedUnder reviewNot publishedThanks! We're checking your review. Other listeners will see it once it's approved.Other listeners can't see this review because it doesn't meet our review guidelines. You can edit it and submit it again.You rated this book. Add a few words to help other listeners decide.Write a reviewEdit your review{n} / {max}Posted publicly as {n}Posted anonymouslyShown on downpour.com and in the Downpour appYour name stays privatePost reviewPosting…Thanks! Your rating is in. Add a few words any time.Success!You've successfully submitted your review of {n}.Thanks for your review!We'll publish your review of {n} once it's been checked. Until then, only you can see it.Select overall rating.Keep your headline to 150 characters or fewer.Keep your review to 1000 characters or fewer.Please check the highlighted fields.Your session has ended. Sign in to post your review.Sign inYour account can't post reviews right now. If you think this is a mistake, please contact support.Cannot review title from demo account. Please login or create account and try again.We couldn't find this title. Refresh the page and try again.You're doing that a little too often. Please wait a minute and try again.We couldn't reach Downpour just now, so your review wasn't saved. Please try again.You appear to be offline. Check your connection and try again.Something went wrong. Please try again.We're still setting up your Downpour account. Try again in a few minutes.Your session has ended. Sign in to continue.You can't vote on or report your own review.This review is no longer available.Choose a reason.Keep your note to 300 characters or fewer.HelpfulHelpful, {n}. Sign in to vote.ReportSign in to report this reviewReportedSubmit reportSending…Thanks — our team will take a look.Read the review guidelines
