Five Of The Earliest Book Covers For Dracula

Dracula... What can I say? I mean if it wan't for this book, I doubt modern horror would be what it has become... With that said, being a fan of Dracula, and being a fan of this history of just about all things, I thought that you guys might find it interesting to see what the 5 earliest book covers for Bram Stoker's original classic look like!

At number 5: Dracula First Edition Published. 1897:

Published: 1897

At number 4: The First American Edition Published, 1899:

Published: 1899

 At number 3: 1901 Edition:

Published: 1901

At number 2: 1902 Edition:

Published: 1902

 At number 1: 1904 Edition:

Published 1904

Claudia... A Vampire Long Gone, But Never Forgotten

"Locked together in hatred. But I can't hate you Louis. Louis my love, I was mortal till you gave me your immortal kiss. You became my mother, and my father, and so I'm yours forever. But now it's time to end it, Louis. Now it's time to leave him."

- A quote from: Kirsten Dunst (Claudia) in: Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Claudia... A devilish little Vampire girl that has stolen the hearts and minds of Vampire Chronicle fans for decades!

Alright for most of you, I imagine you guys probably have no idea who this is, (Considering the series that she is a part of has not seen any new additions in either the movie or book form for more then a few years now...)

Well that's fine, a little bit about her back story is this... (There is a book specifically devoted to Claudia's back story that I haven't read, but she plays a largely relevant role in, 'Interview With The Vampire' (1976)... So I can tell you what I know about her through this, as well as from the movie...)

Anyway, back in the 19th century, when Louis & Lestat (two of the more important characters in this story,) are having a particularly hard time, Lestat ends up going out in search of a companion to make their duo in to a trio... In comes, Claudia (their little Vampire child...)

 Louis (Played by: Brad Pitt ), Lestat (Played by: Tom Cruise) & Claudia (Played by: Kirsten Dunst) in 1994's big screen adaption of the novel, 'Interview With Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles'!

But as time went on, the Vampire, 'Threesome', became a Vampire, 'Twosome'... And the way that Lestat was disposed of being something that the Vampire community generally frowns upon... Well that led to her end in the first novel...

I hope that I haven't given to much away, and I will admit that i'm not giving her back story as much justice as it deserves... But this character was cut short... The way that Anne Rice wrote her character, was extremely... dare I say it... profound?

Yeah I said it... And even though I know profound is kind of a stretch for a character in a book, especially for a, 'Vampire'... but this little girl vampire along with Louis, helped keep that story going extremely well through out the time that she was in the book... And the movie... So much so that I would say some of the best moments of each was when she was in it in some capacity!

This little one certainly steals the show in the first of the, 'Vampire Chronicles'!

As a matter of fact, I almost felt like after her time in either the book or the movie was over, that at that point would be a good time for both to begin to wind down... And I think that, that is at least part of why both were so good! I mean there was still some more good reading and good watching in the movie form, but in the end, both wound down after Claudia's end quite nicely!

Kirsten Dunst as: 'Claudia', along with Brad Pitt as: 'Louis' & 'Tom Cruise' as: Lestat, in a scene from: Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994):

The Vampire Armand (1998) - Anne Rice - Book Review

Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Alright, so fortunately after the dud that was, 'The Tale Of The Body Thief', I imagine you guys probably were thinking that well this is it, right? Well fortunately Anne Rice came back with, 'Memnoch: The Devil' (1995), a book that brought, (in my opinion), the, 'Vampire Chronicles' back to prominence...  Well she didn't stop there!

She went ahead and did it... She actually made a book that even surpassed that one! She went and created: The Vampire Armand (1998)!

The Vampire Armand... A classic tale!

Now for those of you who don't remember the character, or have never heard of the character, Armand was a character that was first introduced in: Interview With The Vampire (1976), as a European Vampire, who is a potential would be new companion to the American Vampires, 'Louis', and, 'Claudia'... Of course like all great tragedies, this doesn't really occur...

Never the less, through the rest of the novels, he pops up from time to time, but other then that, he is not really seen... (I don't think he has a very sizable role in the second Vampire Chronicles movie...)

Either way, Anne Rice ended up doing a fascinating tale of the back story behind, 'Armand', that leads a rich tapestry of Armand's life, starting in Kiev, going through when he would meet, 'Marius' (One of the more powerful Vampires), and on up through out the ages!

"I wish mercy for any man."

- Marius, Quote from: The Vampire Armand.

In the end, I have found that when Anne Rice does these back story books of the various major players, they are very engrossing... So much so, that most of the time they are hard to put down... And this one is no different! If you are starting off the series with this book, then this one might not make a whole lot of sense... But if you have been following the series and are up to this one... Well I think you might find this one to be most fascinating!

The Slow Death Of The, 'Vampire' And It's Hopeful Resurrection

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416"] The death of the Vampire movie is a sad day for the horror movie world![/caption]

You know I will be honest and say that where as I have always been a huge fan of Vampire movies and TV series, and always will be, I have to say that I have always been more of a fan of the Zombie side of the Supernatural monster media market...

Well in recent years I have to be honest and say that as a horror Movie/TV show fan, and a fan of Vampires in both mediums, that I have been a little concerned with the direction that the, 'Vampire' sub-genre has been going (this has been a problem with novels as well...)

That is the direction that takes the more traditional kick-ass Vampire, that can easily seduce any girl in to their grave or to becoming their brides (the reverse is true for female vampires and their effects on men), but also the fact that they can kick mortals ass really easily!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="404"] Lestat was a real bad ass who could both charm a lady and kick some ass![/caption]

This direction has been being led astray in recent years in just about all of the mediums, including: Movies, TV Shows and Books, and leading to Vampires that are becoming the new, 'lotharios' in, 'Romance' novels!

This is a total mistake! Hey being innovative and taking the sub-genre in a direction that it has never taken before is one thing, but taking it in a direction that only satisfies one audience set is a total mistake!

A great example of this is the, 'Twilight Saga'... Don't get me wrong, I imagine there is some good stuff to say for both the books and the novels... But the vampires in these novels don't even have a problem with the sun!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Why is Edward not burning up?[/caption]

I mean if you want to satisfy both sides of the coin, 'True Blood' has done a truly fantastic job of this!

What do I mean... Well in this awesome HBO series, a vampire ends up falling in love with a human woman, and the pitfalls that comes from trying to merge the two worlds...

The drama that is centered around this couple, and the fact that neither world really accepts it is a lot of fun, and is set up in such a way as to pull in both sides of the coin while not changing the fact that Vampire's are more then just weird immortal humans, but are actually terrifying monsters that could kill you with out a second thought!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485"] True Blood has the drama of a, 'romance' novel, but also adds in the sexuality along with the brute force of an awesome horror movie![/caption]

In the end, good or bad, I am glad that the, 'Twilight Saga' is over with, and I hope that with the deaths of, 'Team immortal human claiming to be a 'Vampire' and, 'Team weird looking wolf dude', that the world of, 'Vampires' can get back to what it is supposed to be!

http://youtu.be/N-DrKgjit4I

http://youtu.be/Ukj_xIKiogg

http://youtu.be/b7m_n2aM51Q

http://youtu.be/hE8wwYzKJOs

http://youtu.be/ksJvEH-R_ew

http://youtu.be/uxjNDE2fMjI

5 Original Masters Of Written Horror And the Books That Made Them Famous

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="301"] Frankenstein... A literary masterpiece of horror![/caption]

Most people these days, when it comes to written horror generally tend to think of people like, 'Stephen King', or, 'Dean Koontz', 'Anne Rice' or I supposed the women who wrote the, 'Twilight' Series would count in that capacity as well!

Well it got me to thinking about the great horror writers that helped not just shape the world of, 'horror' in novels, but also would in there own way help shape the world of literature in the whole!

So here is my list of, '5 Original Masters Of Written Horror And the Books That Made Them Famous':

To start things off At Number 5, we have, 'Dante Aligheri' (1265 - 1361):

[caption id="attachment_2535" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Dante's Divine Comedy... Being that it takes place on the journey through, 'Hell' could be said to be one of the original books of, 'Horror'![/caption]

Now I know that some of the lists that I have done in the past have been popularity contests, but this one isn't, the truth is, is that Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is probably one of the most definitive works of fiction about the, 'Devil' and, 'Hell' that has ever been produced!

At number 4: 'John Milton' (1608 - 1674):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Milton's, 'Paradise Lost' could be said to be another extremely historically relevant horror novel![/caption]

John Milton's, 'Paradise Lost' is another one of the classics about the fight between (Heaven) and, (Hell)... The truth is, is that till the end of time, this book will always be considered to be one of the greatest poems about Heaven and Hell to exist... (Beware though, this poem does not translate well in to the mainstream...)

At number 3: Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="561"] The Raven... A fictitious representation of, 'Poe' during his heyday....[/caption]

In my opinion, the reason that I think Edgar Allan Poe should be in here, is not necessarily for anyone book, but really because his stories like, 'The Tell Tale Heart', 'The Raven', etc... Are some of the best scary stories to have come out of the 19th century, and in my opinion still resonate real well in the modern day!

At number 2: Mary Shelley (1797 - 1851):

[caption id="attachment_2538" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Mary Shelley's, 'Frankenstein' is still one of the most prolific works of fiction in Hollywood today![/caption]

For her, really I would say would be the work that she did writing, 'Frankenstein'... Most people very easily recognized the monster from the movies, but before it became a century long box office sensation, the story that started it all came from the work that Mary Shelley wrote in, 'Frankenstein' in 1818!

At number 1: Bram Stoker (1847 - 1912):

[caption id="attachment_2539" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Bram Stoker's, 'Dracula' to this day is still considered to be one of the definitive works of Vampire fiction![/caption]

In the case of Bram Stoker... I put him at number 1, because where as these other authors and the books that they produced may have defined certain elements of what make horror great, but in my opinion, in a lot of respect Bram Stokers, 'Dracula' (1897), could be said to be one of the most definitive horror masterpieces of all time!

I Am Legend (1954) - Richard Matheson - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

You know there is a novel that I would say is probably in the top 5 of the most valuable horror novels ever written... Not just because it revolutionized it's subgenre, but also because it helped set the stage (and in some ways could be said to be one of the bars), that filmmakers aspire to try to emulate when they are making their movies... that of course being the book that author Bram Stoker (1847 - 1912) wrote in 1897... 'Dracula'!

Another one that I would say that did that as well... But to a slightly lesser extent is, 'Richard Matheson's seminal 1954 horror novel, 'I Am Legend'!

Now if you could say that each generation there is some one who creates a work of art that helps to revolutionize the whole genre until the next generation... Well then I would say that the work that Richard Matheson did in, 'I Am Legend' is to the most recently previous generation, what Bram Stoker did for his generation!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] A true masterpiece![/caption]

What I mean by this is that I think people like, 'George A. Romero', and other filmmakers emulated this novel when they created their masterpieces... (In the same way as Bram Stoker's work used to be emulated)..

But in the end, what I really liked about this novel is that it changed the concept of the (Zombie/Vampire) novel, and took the super natural element out of it, and replaced it with a more down home ailment, that nearly destroys the world!

As a side note, besides the fact that this novel has been emulated before, it has also been made in to movies that have stared the likes of Vincent Price (The Pit And The Pendulum) & Charlton Heston (Planet Of The Apes)!

In the end, this novel is an awful lot of fun, and if you get a chance to check it out, you might find that you like it!

The Vampire Lestat (1985) - Anne Rice - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

You ever hear the old term, 'The Book is always better then the movie?' well for the most part I have always found that to be true, I mean I have found a few exceptions to this, but for the most part I have found this to be quite true....

I mean I don't particularly blame Hollywood for that... In all honesty, for Hollywood to truly recapture the brilliance that an author puts in to a 500 or even thousand page novel, you would need a movie that is several hours long (which I think maybe part of the reason why, 'The Stand' is such an awesome movie... But even that movie barely scratches the surface of what made Stephen King's original novel so awesome...)

You might be wondering why I mention this, well before Aaliyah (Romeo Must Die) passed away she did the movie, Queen Of The Damned (2002), a movie which is loosely based on the book of the same name by, 'Anne Rice'... Well the truth is, is that I think at least part of the reason why this movie did not do as well as it should have is because rather the writers of the movie know it or not, I suspect that they took certain liberties with the movie and used at least some of this book as an inspiration for the movie!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] In the movie, 'Queen Of The Damned' (which takes elements from the book, 'The Vampire Lestat'), Lestat is played by, 'Stewart Townsend', and, 'Akasha' is played by: 'Aaliyah'![/caption]

You see, in, 'Interview With The Vampire' the story was told from the point of view of, 'Louis' as he relates to a writer about his history and the history of those he loved the most... Well this novel essentially relates Lestat's past (Lestat being the maker of, 'Louis') and how Lestat starts off as the son of an impoverished aristocrat in 17th Century France, all the way to his own attempt to let the rest of the world know about Vampire's, and the Vampire he would become in modern day New Orleans!

Now in all truth I am a huge fan of this series, and am sorry to have to give this book 2 Devils, because in all truth, this novel is a lot of fun, but in  the end it just lacked that way that, 'Interview With The Vampire' as well as the rest of the novels had of sucking you in and keeping you motivated!

But it is most assuredly worth a read, and if you get a chance you might find the same thing as well!

 

Some Awesome Horror Writers And A Novel They Wrote For Halloween 2013

Horror movies are always a staple of the Halloween tradition for those who have finally gotten to the age where trick or treating has lost the merriment that it had when you were a kid... But I thought what with having done a top 5 movie list last year for some great horror movies, I thought that I would take a different turn and take the tradition back to it's roots and do a list of some great classics to read by the fire this year!

So here is my list of the, 'Some Amazing Horror Writers And A Novel They Wrote For Halloween 2013'.

Number 5: Various Writers. Star Trek: Invasion Series...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="315"] A fun read for the trekkie in your life this Halloween![/caption]

The truth is, is I found this entire series of novels to be extremely engrossing and a hell of a lot of fun... I like how the story involves and takes place over the 4 main generations of star trek (at that time, 'Enterprise' hadn't been released yet). and involved all of them directly! The are not particularly scary... (although I imagine in the right setting, and with the right person they can be...)

Now the only problem I imagine with this series is the fact that unless you are a Star Trek fan, or are expecting a chiller, this probably is not it, but they are a hell of a lot of fun, and are definitely worth reading if you are a trek fan and happen to be home this Halloween!

Number 4: Robert Louis Stevenson for, 'The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1886),

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="435"] Robert Louis Stevenson - Author.[/caption]

This book... This book was truly something for me... As a matter of fact I think this maybe the story that helped re-ignite my love of the horror genre... I mean this story is the truly classic tale of a kindly scientist who takes his potion and transforms in to a monster!

The truth is, is this tale was told in different variations a lot in the 19th century, but I have to admit that this one was particularly awesome and a classic story that lives on forever. The problem with this novel is the fact that it is also very old and if your not in to that, then you might find this one to be dated and pointless.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="264"] A great novel for the classics fan in all of us![/caption]

The next one that I am mentioning here is one that is a little unorthodox, but it does have it's merit  believe it or not is actually a surprisingly fun novel, which involves Buffy The Vampire Slayer, both in the TV show and the original movie... But in written form, and I personally think that if you are home this Halloween evening, and you are a, 'Buffy' fan, then this is a must...

So with out further adieu, and coming in at number 3 we have: Christopher Golden for, 'Sins Of The Father' (1999).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="180"] A true classic for the Buffy fan this Halloween![/caption]

This one is a fun tale that tells of how Buffy's old flame ends up popping back in to the Slayer's life for one more mission when a rock Demon ends up going after the Slayer, and while a major group of Vampires is chasing down Giles!

And at number 2 we have: Stephen King for, 'Christine' (1983).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Stephen King - Author[/caption]

Now I will admit that I am a little biased when it comes to Stephen King novels... I mean his books are just an amazing fun time, and since I figure y'all already know how much of a fan I am of his work that I would put this novel in a number 1... (This time I thought that I would give the torch to another amazing works of fiction, and give this one the number 2 spot...)

In all fairness though, Christine, a novel which tells the story of a possessed '58 Plymouth Fury ends up in the hands of a high school kid, and after that, his whole out look begins to change, and it will be up to those friends the car hasn't already killed to save the kid, before the car and the kid become to inseparable!

In truth, maybe not in this category will this book be giving the one the number #1 spot, but it does deserve it! I mean this book is so good, that when I was in Boarding School I ended up reading about half of it in 2 days, and when I was sent home to live with my family again, I went straight out and bought it, and finished the other half within 24 hours!

In the end, this is another truly awesome novel that would be fun to read if you happen to be home alone for this Halloween!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="197"] A truly awesome novel... Something great for this Halloween![/caption]

Anne Rice for, 'Interview With The Vampire' (1976).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="297"] Anne Rice - Author[/caption]

If you haven't read this novel, then let me say that for a horror fan, this book will start you on a series that truly kicks ass!  The style in which Anne Rice introduces her characters, and paints a picture of their lives before they were turned, and after, is nothing short of absolutely one of the better times I had reading!

And Interview With The Vampire, a novel which tells the story of a tortured Vampire who decides to spill the beans to a writer about his personal history is a truly emotional ride, that I think you might both love and hate... And trust me when I say that I rarely find myself getting emotional about books, but this one is just truly awesome!

In the end, if you haven't read this book yet, and happen to be home this Halloween, then check this one out, you might end up really liking it!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="305"] Interview With The Vampire... A great read this Halloween![/caption]

Well Fright fans, that's all I got for the time being, but I hope you enjoyed this list, and if you do happen to be home alone this Halloween, then I hope this list helps!

Dracula (1897) Bram Stoker - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Dracula... What can I say, this book maybe the most prolific book about Vampires and Vampirism ever written, I mean if you consider it, almost all Vampire movies that have ever come out have in some ways found their origins with this book that was written by, Bram Stoker, but besides that I would go on to say that in a lot of respects that most forms of what could be best described as, 'dark' forms of life style, including: Being a goth, loosely being a grundge rocker, heavy metal in all of it's incarnations, and even a lot of artists that work in the horror genre have gotten in some capacity their inspiration for some of their works from this novel by Bram Stoker!

Now I am not saying that all forms of darker artistic expression are based largerly on this novel, but I am saying that this novel is so profound because since it's release over 100 years ago, there has been so many amazing works of art that can be said to be either directly or indirectly inspired from the works of Bram Stokers, Dracula (1897)!

Now before I go in to the actual story for this novel, let me say that this novel's main character is loosely based on a 15th century Prince who was the leader of a small but violent country near Austria and Hungary... And this leader's name of Vlad Tepes Dracula (1431 - 1476) who was known for impaling his enemies on pikes as well as for dipping his meat in the blood of his enemies!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="401"] A portrait done of, 'Vlad Tepes'![/caption]

But, and this is where the real, 'Dracula's' story get's interesting... What I mean by this is the fact that centuries later when Dracula's tomb was excavated, it turns out that there was no evidence (with the exception of rabbit skeleton) that anything dead had ever resided in that coffin!

And there you have it folks... Dracula!

In Bram Stoker's novel though, Dracula has been living in Castle Dracula for the last several centuries and ends up looking to make a change and enlists Jonathan Harker to find him a new place in England... When young Harker makes his way to Transylvania though, Dracula's women try to make him a quick meal... So Dracula leaves him in their care and takes off for his new home at Carfax Abbey in England...

When he gets there  though he ends up enlisting his new eternal slave, 'Renfield' to work as his assistant.

During this time he ends up falling in love with Harker's fiancee and uses every means at his disposal to try and win her over to his life... The only problem for him, is that as Harker's fiancee ends up making his way over to Dracula's world, the men and surviving women (Her best friend, 'Lucy' ends up being turned in to a Vampire,) rally around her to do everything that they can to stop Dracula, before Dracula can turn their beloved, 'Mina' (Harker's fiancee) in to one of his kind, including enlisting the help of noted Vampire Hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing!

In the end this book really was not what I expected from seeing the movie, most of it almost seemed like it was written as if it was like a diary... which does have it's plus points, but for me I was not the largest fan of this novel being written that way, (But I suspect that at least to some capacity that this is because I was anticipating more of a standard novel just because the movies that I had seen were more closely like that!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Dracula (1897)![/caption]

Regardless though, this book is a timeless classic, and despite what I said above, it is a fun one, and if you are a horror fan, then I would say, check it out, I think you might find that you like it!

Interview With The Vampire (1976) Anne Rice - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

Now here is another terrific writer of horror, Anne Rice!  I mean this woman is just a truly terrific writer that has painted a world of horrors, myth and wonder the likes of which I would honestly say that haven't been seen (with her brand of horror writing) since H.P. Lovecraft!

Now the first time I had actually heard of this amazing writer's work was actually not in the books that she had written, but in the fact that when I was just barely out of the single digits that I had gone to see the movie, Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), (which as it turns out was a pretty awesome movie that starred, Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible), Brad Pitt (World War Z) and a young Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) to name a few of the truly awesome actors and actresses from this movie!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This movie was truly amazing... But no where near as good as the book![/caption]

Well you know what? This movie was a truly amazing masterpiece of horrific drama, that hearkened back I feel to the concepts that Bram Stoker tried to instill when he wrote, Dracula (1897)! But in all truth, as good as this movie was, the book was even better! You see this book is based on a narrative as being told to a writer, by an actual Vampire  by the name of, 'Louis de Pointe du Lac', and how Louis takes the reader through his life, from when he was still alive and a wealthy but bitter and depressed man, through being changed in to a Vampire by, 'Lestat de Lioncourt', and the rest of his journey through out his immortality!

 This book is truly awesome, and as a matter of fact was so well written that I couldn't put it down... As a matter of fact, after reading this novel not long afterward I spent a couple of months collecting up the whole series... (which are all, also really cool, but we will get to those in later reviews...)

You might be wondering why these books are so good... Well simply speaking, I think the truest sign of a great author is their capacity to keep the reader engaged and interested through out the story... And not only does Anne Rice do that through out, 'Interview With The Vampire' but she keeps you enthralled! I mean you almost kind of follow the story as if Louis is really reciting his life to you!

[caption id="attachment_759" align="aligncenter" width="199"] A truly amazing book![/caption]

The only other thing that I would say about this novel is that this novel has a fair amount of strong sexual overtones, and if you find that to be offensive, then this may not be the series for you, but if you can either get passed it, or don't have a problem with it, then I think that you might find that this one is a pretty solid novel, and is a strong backing for a great series to follow!