Dracula

The original vampire story is still the best.

I can remember reading Dracula for the first time when I was fourteen and it really scared me. This audio version also had the capability to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Greg Wise's narration is excellent, bringing the characters to life and judging the pace to perfection. If you enjoy the Dracula story, this is a terrific version of the classic tale. But be warned - you may not be able to stop listening!

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Excellent narration

Superb interpretation of the classic novel. Both narrators manage to convey the various personalities in the book extremely well.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Dracula

If The Lord Of The Rings is considered the forerunner of modern fantasy novels, then Dracula has to be the inspiration for all subsequent vampire fiction. Dracula is a deeply atmospheric novel told in the form of letters and journals from the view points of many of the characters. The plot is skillfully constructed and cleverly revealed in teasing chunks that all come together smoothly to form a fascinating and highly enjoyable book.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Absolutely magnificent...

What did you like most about Dracula?

This was one of the most beautifully crafted pieces of narrative that I've ever read! So gripping and intense! I was just hooked from the outset. Using the format of journals was very effective and the characters were entirely believable. Van Helsing was spectacular and it was so refreshing to encounter a strong woman among the characters. Greg Wise's and Saskia Reeves's performances were breathtaking, they brought the whole story to life! Highly recommended! Enjoy!

What other book might you compare Dracula to, and why?

The Woman in White for it's suspense and sensationalism.

What about Greg Wise’s performance did you like?

The characterisations and intense delivery of the narrative! His intonation and diction was faultless!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Intrigue, suspense and horror weaved in the most magnificent way to reach every sense by opening the imagination to make fantasy become reality.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An oldy but a goody!

Where does Dracula rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A true classic I read may years ago and was keen to listen to again after thinking is was far more a romance novel than horror but I feel recent movies may have warped my memory!

Great narration and not bad on the accents to be fair...great pace and suspense and a good listen for my long car journeys..

What did you like best about this story?

Its a classic horror tale from a bygone era..and made even better after my trip to Whitby this year..i could picture myself up near the abbey on the rocky shore on a bench with Mina and Lucy :)

This tale tells of a vampire than has no romance about him..he is cold and evil..not a dishy 80s actor or a Christopher Lee...think more Nosferatu

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I love the switch between diaries and memoires..flowed really nicely and was great to have everyones tale to tell..

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

No emotion..no real horror or suspense..just great story telling..

Any additional comments?

A classic for all horror lovers..!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent

Would you listen to Dracula again? Why?

This is a timeless tale that deserves to be revisited every few years.

Have you listened to any of Greg Wise’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Greg Wise really made the book come to life. An excellent narration, the best i have heard for Dracula.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The definitive audio edition of Dracula

After sampling all of the other unabridged audible recordings of the Bram Stoker classic, the Greg Wise recording proved itself to be clearly the best. Greg Wise and Saskia Reeves (unfortunately not credited on the site) give engrossing performances pulling you into Stoker's gothic world as only the best actors can. Wise and Reeves bring the language alive without rushing or, indeed mangling, the words or voices. A steady, confident pace is maintained throughout.

This is the second best download I have ever bought from Audible after James Dickey's Deliverance.

Dracula is one of those books I always felt I should have read. And this is the version that makes Audible worth every penny.

A completely satisfying listening experience.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Mesmerizing

Knowing the book by its reputation only as the vampire story that defined and started it all, after finally listened to it I realized how little my expectations actually prepared for the wonderful story and above all, its sophisticated narrative structure. It’s devised to present the story as a collection of documents, all with their own points of view, from which the “author” weaves, in the guise of an editor, the narrative for us to experience.

What rocks my world is the acute subjectivity this method emphasizes, although the author-editor, in the beginning, goes to great lengths to assure us that ”all needless matters have been eliminated, so that a history almost at variance with the possibilities of latter-day belief may stand forth as simple fact. There is no statement of past things wherein memory may err, for all the records chosen are exactly contemporary, given from the standpoints and within the range of knowledge of those who made them."

In this respect the novel feels freshly relevant in how it constructs its world based on not only one standpoint, but many. Sure, the narrative that is thus created makes sense singularly, but how the cogs turn is still refreshing.

Another aspect of the novel that I have very great respect for is its mastery of characterization. Especially the female characters are, in my mind, exceptionally well-written, and rise above the stereotype of sidekicks and victimized blank pages and are actually the most interesting characters in the book, followed by the Count. Some exchanges might seem vacuous, but it’s merely Stoker’s sensitivity for the social decorum. Each conversation has its set roles for each participants, just as in all social contexts.

In short, this is a highly entertaining novel, and far surpassed my expectations. Some descriptions of the social aspects of the novel might be too long-winded for my taste, but on the other hand they emphasize the sense of devastation and loss at the face of death.

As for the reading, both Greg Wise and Saskia Reeves (the latter not credited on Audible at this writing. Huh?) give excellent performances, Wise’s voice reaching a kind of dream state that’s hard to resist. The only moments when the shift in narrator caused any need for ”readjusting" oneself was when Reeves arrived at the Van Helsing parts in her narrative, since by then the lion’s share of Van Helsing’s dialogue has been read by Wise. Not that Reeves does a bad characterization, they’re merely so different characters by then. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very good narration but....

I'd forgotten how baggy the second half of the novel is, so little happens compared to a very good and atmospheric first half.

Impressive narration, both have consistent pacing and tone for each character so switches between the two are seamless. I thought they did an excellent job.

Superb narration, terrific story

I want Greg Wise to read all my books to me. His narration is sublime. Saskia Reeves is also wonderful but for me there’s nothing like a beautiful male speaking voice. Cracking story too, no movie has ever come close to conveying the delicious creepiness of it.