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.

Will you be reading Dracul? Tell us in the comments below!

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.

The post Review: Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you need a little magic in your life, The Boneless Mercies focuses on a group of female mercenaries, Wundersmith is the exciting follow-up to Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor, and The Isle of Gold is an epic tale of two women lost at sea. Other exciting titles include Jasmine Guillory’s romance novel The Proposal, a book adaptation inspired by the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, and A Map of Days, a new story set in the world of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which one you are most excited for!

Elevation by Stephen King
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The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together—a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas
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Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
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From the show’s creators comes the groundbreaking novel inspired by the Broadway smash hit Dear Evan Hansen. A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
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The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
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The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. At the center of the Dunbar, family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

The Lost Man by Jane Harper
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They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
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Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies’ one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.

The Witch Elm by Tana French
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Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life – he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden – and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
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Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Dracul by Dacre Stoker and JD Barker
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The prequel to Dracula, inspired by notes and texts left behind by the author of the classic novel, Dracul is a riveting novel of gothic suspense that reveals not only Dracula’s true origins but Bram Stoker’s — and the tale of the enigmatic woman who connects them.

Melmoth by Sarah Perry
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It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts—or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. As such superstition has it, Melmoth travels through the ages, dooming those she persuades to join her to a damnation of timeless, itinerant solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy. But, unaware, as she wanders the cobblestone streets Helen is being watched. And then Karel disappears. . . .

The Isle of Gold by Seven Jane
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In The Isle of Gold, Merrin Smith must face perilous waters, cursed sea goddesses, and the embodiments of some of the ocean’s most terrifying legends as she not only struggles to survive her journey, but to find the answers to the mysteries of her past. A story where history meets fantasy, The Isle of Gold is an epic, emotional adventure of two women—one desperate to save herself, and the other determined to be rescued—and the secret which binds them together.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
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With intelligent humor and captivating whimsy, Leif Enger conjures a remarkable portrait of a region and its residents, who, for reasons of choice or circumstance, never made it out of their defunct industrial district. Carried aloft by quotidian pleasures including movies, fishing, necking in parked cars, playing baseball and falling in love, Virgil Wander is a swift, full journey into the heart and heartache of an often overlooked American Upper Midwest by a “formidably gifted” (Chicago Tribune) master storyteller.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
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When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part–they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans… At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up–in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs
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Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker
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For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, and The Nightingale comes an emotionally gripping, beautifully written historical novel about extraordinary hope, redemption, and one man’s search for light during the darkest times of World War II.

Check out what else is coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

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