We all know the story of Dracula, but what if there was more to the story than we thought? In 1868, 22-year-old Bram Stoker is locked in an abbey tower. Armed with only mirrors, crucifixes, holy water, a basket of roses and a gun, Stoker is in a deadly stand-off with an unspeakable evil. Unsure whether he will survive the night, he sets out to record the bizarre series of events that have led him to this point, beginning with his childhood nanny; a mysterious woman named Ellen Crone.
A prequel, of sorts, not to Dracula necessarily but rather to the genesis of the story itself, Dracul is the result of an official collaboration between thriller writer J.D. Barker and author and descendent of Bram, Dacre Stoker. Using material Stoker was forced to cut from the original manuscript as a starting point, the story posits that vampires, or creatures like them, could and do exist. Stoker himself originally intended to do this, but was discouraged by his publisher, who, in the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper murders, were worried about the public reaction to a book about a supernatural killer who drank people’s blood that purported to be non-fiction, and so the first 101 pages were dropped. Also incorporated is biographical information—Stoker’s long childhood illness—and the introduction of supernatural elements in the form of Ellen Crone, who cures Bram’s illness by means that are mysterious to Bram and his family, but probably not to those who are familiar with vampire fiction and its tropes.
In the tradition of Gothic literature, the story is told through the use of various forms of documentation—Bram’s written account, his sister Matilda’s letters,and brother Thornley’s journal—as well as a third person narrative. Beginning in medias res with Bram holed up in the tower and then intercutting between it and the other written accounts as flashbacks works brilliantly in terms of pacing.
By starting off at a point in the future where events have clearly come to a head, the story has a point to work towards and the reader an incentive to stick with it, to find out how we got to where we are, allowing the flashback material to flesh the story and characters out rather than slow it down. And this does bring me to the book’s one downside: familiarity. With the multitude of vampire literature that has been published since Dracula, readers will inevitably be more familiar with what’s going on than the characters are (there’s even a Van Helsing-like character, whose chief job is to be a source of exposition) and, to begin with at least, some may wish that they would just get on with it already.
That being said, one of the things it does really well is to use those same tropes to create atmosphere. Dracul is an old-school gothic horror/vampire story, with locations ranging from dark swamps and forests, crumbling crypts, castles, and towers to graveyards and hospital morgues, as well as the homes, drawing rooms and other expected locations from fiction set during the 19th century (as well as locations that may be familiar to those who have read the original novel). The sections in the tower are wonderfully and creepily claustrophobic. Bram is beset from all sides, with wolves prowling down below outside and a sinister presence at the door that doesn’t hesitate to use mind games to try to wear him down and get him to invite it in (so no prizes for guessing the identity of this would-be intruder).
There’s also plenty of blood and body parts; this is most definitely a vampire story with fangs as well as tragedy. There is also a lot of interesting historical context: there is discussion of the lore, folk mythology, and legends surrounding vampires and, following the story, an author’s note detailing the history of Bram’s inspiration for Dracula and how this influenced their process of researching and writing Dracul.
To conclude, although it may not do anything new, Dracul is definitely one to check out for those who like their vampire fiction old fashioned and their horror with bite. With the potential for sequels, it’s a good Halloween read!
Dracul is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
It is 1868, and a 22-year-old Bram Stoker has locked himself inside an abbey’s tower to face off against a vile and ungodly beast. He is armed with mirrors and crucifixes and holy water and a gun – and is kept company by a bottle of plum brandy. His fervent prayer is that he will survive this one night – a night that will prove to be the longest of his life. Desperate to leave a record of what he has witnessed, the young man scribbles out the events that brought him to this point – and tells an extraordinary tale of childhood illness, a mysterious nanny, and stories once thought to be fables now proven true.
A riveting, heart-stoppingly scary novel of Gothic suspense, Dracul reveals not only the true origins of Dracula himself, but also of his creator, Bram Stoker . . . and of the elusive, enigmatic woman who connects them.
I read this – bought it as soon as it came out – and loved it. Rich, very well-written, terrifying, intense, just all the things you expect a great Gothic horror novel to be. I would love to have recommendations of similar novels!