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Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection Of Victorian Vampire Stories (2000)

by Michael Sims(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 4

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English

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review 1: First off I have to say that you can find most of these stories online for free. That being said, I really do enjoy having a book with all these wonderfully old gothic Vampire stories. The one story missing is the master of them all, that is, J. Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla. To leave LeFanu's story missing from any work which celebrates Dracula is a major faux pas. Bram Stoker was, afterall, friends with the Wilde family (Oscar's parents) and they lived at 18 Merrion Square in Dublin which was next door to LeFanu's own home. There are certain devices that Stoker used, and mythologies that he lifted from Carmilla; such as the staking of Lucy... Alas, Michael Sims tells us in his introduction that the story was just "too long" to include in this work. Personally, he could have... more left the section of the dull Varney the Vampire and perhaps made some room.....But I am just being mean now and this being the season for fright fellowship-- and I am sure everyone has read Stephen King's new one Doctor Sleep--how could I not recommend some short, gothic vampire stories ? These will fill in those cold nights by the fire side nicely. Mr Sims has include brief biographies of the authors before each tale, but again more is available on the internet if you would rather. The book is rather expensive at $17 for a paperback, but a keeper for reference to a time when vampires stories were something to sink your teeth into and not fantasies of teenage angst.
review 2: To be honest I was not interested much in the story. It wasn't the story that kept me reading and intrigued, it was the writing. The writing was thorough and the book was just so beautifully written. The vocabulary was very expanded and I even had to look up what some of the words meant. I wish the story itself held my attention, but it didn't. I actually found it pretty boring. But the writing had me hooked and I appreciate well-written stories. less

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