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Dracula

Dracula

Paperback $24.95eBook $10.95
416 pages (approx)


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Dracula is one of the most famous horror characters of all time and now you can star right alongside him in this personalised edition of this timeless classic. Whether you’ve seen any of the hundreds of film adaptations of this classic or not, you really should treat yourself to reading it first-hand, and experiencing the chilling mix of desire and horror that Bram Stoker brings to this incredibly atmospheric, evocative and sensual novel.

Synopsis

In the spring of 1893, Jonathon Harker the clerk of a young English solicitor, travels to Castle Dracula in Transylvania in order to deliver a deed of purchase for Carfax, the Count’s house near the lunatic asylum in Purfleet, Essex.

After they conclude their business, Dracula unexpectedly insists that Harker stay with him for a month so that he can perfect his English intonation. Despite the Count's courteous manner, Harker begins to feel more and more uneasy. One evening whilst staying in the castle, Harker encounters three seductive vampiresses. It is at this point that Harker’s suspicions regarding his host are confirmed. He is imprisoned in the castle and, to his horror Dracula sets off for England.

The story begins anew in England, where Dracula inflicts his powers on the voluptuous and flirtatious Lucy Westenra, close friend of Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray.

Lucy’s three suitors, Arthur Holmwood, Dr Seward and Quincy Morris, try desperately to protect her but she is turned into one of the undead, a vampire. Their efforts are masterminded by the eminent Professor Van Helsing. Van Helsing is indebted to John Seward who saved his life on an earlier occasion. Jonathon joins them when he eventually manages to escape from Castle Dracula.

Van Helsing, who, upon reading Mina's diaries and Jonathan's journal, connects their experiences and realises that Count Dracula of Transylvania is responsible for Lucy's death. They visit Lucy’s grave in Hampstead. Holmwood drives a stake through Lucy's heart, whilst Van Helsing then fills her mouth with garlic and decapitates her, freeing her soul from Dracula's curse.

Mina and Jonathan make a solemn, secret pact to each other to destroy Dracula at any cost. The Count, spying on them from outside Seward's study window, gains access into the house and the Count subsequently attacks Mina.

Later he visits her again. During this second attack, Dracula puts Jonathan into an unconscious stupor. The Count forces Mina to drink blood from a wound in his chest, putting her in league with him against her will.

Dracula is aware that the vampire hunters are close on his tail and a dramatic chase commences as Dracula flees to his castle in Transylvania. Eventually, Jonathon has the opportunity to decapitate him and Quincy Morris completes the execution by driving a stake through his heart. Jonathon and Mina are reunited and the curse is destroyed.

Book in Detail

Characters to Personalise

Count Dracula
- Dracula is a centries-old vampire and Transylvanian nobleman. He inhabits a crumbling castle in the Carpathian Mountains and has lived as an ‘un-dead’ vampire for hundreds of years. Beneath his noble charm lies an evil soul. He is stronger than a dozen men yet his powers are limited, for example, he can’t cross water unless carried. Dracula does not appear often during the novel and is killed at the end.

Van Helsing - A Dutch professor, doctor and attorney, Van Helsing is a bachelor. He is a kind man and possesses a great knowledge of both medicine and vampire folklore so is well suited to tracking down the Count. Called upon to cure the ailing Lucy Westenra, Van Helsing’s contributions are essential in the fight against Dracula. He is one of the leading characters in the novel; he appears frequently and is Dracula’s arch-enemy.

Jonathan Harker
- Harker is a young London solicitor whose firm sends him to Transylvania to conclude a real estate transaction with Dracula. He quickly finds himself a prisoner in the castle and barely escapes with his life. On learning that the count has moved to London, Harker proves himself as a brave and fearless fighter. Harker is engaged to Mina Murray and he appears regularly throughout the book.

Mina (Wilhelmina) Murray - Mina is an assistant schoolmistress and Jonathan Harker’s fiancée. She is the leading female character in the novel, and eventually ends up being victimised by Dracula as well. Mina is also best friend’s with Lucy Westernra, the count’s first victim. Mina is in many ways the heroine of the novel, embodying purity, innocence, and Christian faith—virtues she maintains despite her suffering at the vampire’s hands. She helps Harker in his pursuit of Dracula and features often throughout the novel. She is bitten by Dracula but finally saved from becoming a vampire by his own death.

Lucy Westenra
- Lucy is Mina’s best friend and is an attractive, vivacious young woman. The first character in the novel to fall under Dracula’s spell, Lucy becomes a vampire, later being killed by Van Helsing and Holmwood, thus restoring Lucy’s soul to her body and to heaven. Lucy appears frequently in the first half of the book and is also often referred to in the second half.

Dr John Seward - A talented young doctor and formerly Van Helsing’s pupil, Dr John Seward is one of Lucy’s admirers. Indeed, he proposes to her on the same day as Arthur Holmwood does! Although Lucy turns down Seward’s marriage proposal, his love for her remains, and he dedicates himself to her care when she suddenly takes ill. After her death, he remains dedicated to fighting the count. He appears often towards the middle and end of the book.

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