New Vampire on the Block: Dracul

Book Buzz is a blog produced in collaboration with neighborhood librarians from Houston Public Library, Harris County Public Library and the Bellaire Library.

Although I am not a fan of horror, I I love everything about Halloween. As the evening light fades, I love the colors, pumpkins, spooky yard decorations and the glowing orange/green/purple lights on the houses. On Halloween night, I look forward to the creative costumes and, of course, the seemingly endless supply of candy.

Halloween was big when we were growing up and we were regaled with ghost stories and learned to watch for werewolves, mummies, Frankenstein and Count Dracula. As readers, Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula introduced us to Count Dracula and his work is now considered a classic in literature.

This month, a new title, Dracul, was released that is receiving rave reviews and one that horror fans will not want to miss. The newest title in classic gothic tales is a prequel to Dracula and was inspired by notes and texts left behind by Bram Stoker and used by his great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker.

A supernatural historical thriller, Dracul reveals not only Dracula’s origins but also Bram Stoker’s. Told through first-person journal entries and letters, the story unfolds to tell how a sickly young Bram was brought back from death’s doorstep by the bite of his nursemaid, the mysterious Ellen Crone. Bram, his sister, Matilda, and brother, Thornley, discover years later that Ellen is a Dearg-Due, a bloodsucking being of Irish folklore who is under the thumb of a more sinister vampire master.

Word is that Dracul is already being adapted for the big screen with a story full of dramatic cliffhangers and a hellishly action-packed climax, just what Hollywood likes best.

So, if you dare, read Dracul before Halloween. And leave the lights on.