Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2611)

Content

David McK (3816 KP) rated Dracula in Books

Jan 30, 2019 (Updated Aug 14, 2019)

Dracula

Bram Stoker, Ang Lee | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry

8.1

(46 Ratings)

Book Rating

I first read Dracula as part of a film and fiction course at University: read the book; watch the film. It is, of course, the most famous of all vampire stories.

Unlike the movie version, the story is told from the point of view of the various secondary characters (who are all writing in their diaries or memoirs): Dracula, himself, is never at the forefront. Rather, he is an ominous shadowy presence in the background throughout. This is actually quite effective: by disassociating the reader from the villain, Stoker manages to both convey the deadly mysteriousness of the Count, and side-steps the danger of the reader sympathizing too much with Dracula, while that character is also able to be abroad during the day-time; just not with the powers he has at night.

Finally, and unlike the film version which bears the same name, in the book Dracula is not given the same back-story: Mina, for instance, is never described as being his long-lost love! In this sense, the film is much more of a Gothic love-story than the original source material!

Kudos

Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Stirring the Sheets in Books

Jan 31, 2019

Stirring the Sheets isn’t exactly what I’d call horror, and in that regard, I’m a bit disappointed. The story, on the other hand, is heartbreaking and tear inducing. Lutzke definitely has a way with words and I’ll read more of his work in the future.

Emmett is an elderly man working at a funeral home. His wife of more than fifty years passed away in a tragic accident, leaving him heartbroken and lonely. As he spirals downward in grief, a young woman that bears an uncanny resemblance to his wife in her 30s commits suicide. Emmett does the unthinkable, out of sheer desperation.

Reading this story made me really sad. The characters are well-written and easy to connect with and the plot moves along at a reasonable pace. Throughout the story, I felt sorry for Emmett and I hoped for the best for him. His neighbor Rosemary is a total doll, too. I gobbled this one up, even though it failed to meet my usual expectations for something that’s labeled horror and it was worth the read.

I received a copy of this book for free. This is my unbiased opinion.