Dracula By Bram Stoker

 

Dracula

By Bram Stoker

 My first time finally reading Dracula!

Jonathan Harker is on his way to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula with his home purchase in England. While there he encounters Dracula's strange habits and is visited by three women who seem intent on having their way with him. He explores the castle and discovers his worst nightmares. He is a prisoner, it seems, to a very dark force.

Back in England Lucy, Mina Murray's friend, starts exhibiting strange behavior due to unaccounted for blood loss. Mina, Jonathan's fiance, worries about him. She hasn't heard from him for a long time. Doctor Seward takes care of Lucy, but has to call in a friend, Doctor Van Helsing, when Lucy's health continues to go down hill. Van Helsing suspects he knows what is happening. Local children start to go missing and show up claiming they were playing with a woman.

Several of Lucy's admirers converge to solve this riddle. Seward, along with two others (Arthur and Quincey) join with Van Helsing and discover Lucy is undead. They figure out the source is a new neighbor, Count Dracula, and they come up with a plan to end him. Jonathan returns and they compile all of their stories and figure this all out. First they have to destroy Dracula's hiding places, a series of wooden boxes filled with putrid earth. They do so, all except one, which is on its way back to Transylvania once Dracula figures out they are on to him. They pursue and converge in a dramatic climax to put an end to the vampire scourge.

This was much more readable than I expected it to be. I really enjoyed it. I found the characters to be great fun to read about. I was especially interested in Mina and Van Helsing, both of whom were instrumental to the plot and in the ending of Dracula's life. It was nice to read about a female hero in a nineteenth century story. An easy 4 stars.