A Lil' Update

Writing is fun! I enjoy it so much! Here is the point where I ought to apologise, because I'm sure it's difficult to read some of my posts, but I can't. Although I LOVE it when people read this blog and respond, (thank you, you know who you are) I think I'm going to keep it going for my own sake, as my literary outlet, if you will. I suppose that does not bode well for a would-be author: the readers have to enjoy your work...but I'm an amateur, so I figure I'm exempt! This blog is primarily a forum which allows me to write, and write I shall! I have no lack of books to review, having lately finished 'A Room with a View' by E.M. Forster in addition to all the other books awaiting their turn.
Currently, I am slogging my way through Terry Brooks' 'The Sword of Shannara' which I have (unsuccessfully) tried to read before; although this time, it's actually getting interesting, after a mere 350+ pages. A side note: does anyone else find it extremely annoying when the plot of a book can hold your interest but the author's style is rubbish (Brooks ol' boy, I'm talking about you)? It's so frustrating, because I want to know what happens, but I don't want Terry Brooks to be the one to tell me! I swear, the man uses the word 'hapless' at least once every time I turn the page. Find a new adjective!
*Ahem, rant over.
I have also been enjoying 'The Arabian Nights' as told by Andrew Lang, which is essentially a collection of folklore from the Middle East and Asia. The stories are told by the clever wife of a cruel Sultan who seeks to postpone her death (at his command) by telling him riveting tales, always leaving the end of her stories to the next day, thus buying her time. The tales themselves date from approximately 800AD, and have, naturally, undergone the 'Chinese whispers' treatment; the result being that there are many versions of the same overall narrative in existence today. It's hard to follow at times, and can divert into discussions of Islamic philosophy without warning, but overall it's an engaging read and I look forward to getting through the 1,001 tales.
On another note, I was thinking the other day about how we come to read the books we read. For a time, I was introduced to books by my parents, then by some friends, and then by the book lists behind this blog, and which drives me on my insane quest. How do you choose which books to read? If you're looking for one to read at the moment, start on 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker, or check out my review [see previous post]. I may not 'vant to suck your blooood' but I 'vould' like to read your comments, so feel free to type away.

Review: Dracula

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The legend of Dracula has so pervaded our modern Western cultural consciousness that in reading it, one expects to be denied the suspense, the apprehension, the terror that aught to accompany a genuine horror story. In fact, in our current media climate, vampirism has become almost common, from the teens of “Twilight” to “Vampire Diaries” and “True Blood”, these demons of the night seem to be everywhere in one form or another. Surely this must undermine the strength of our reactions to a book written well over a century ago – a book which contains all of those vampiric clichés: fangs and fiends, castles and crucifixes and blood, blood, blood.

Shockingly, even in 2011, 'Dracula' is surpassingly horrifying.    

Jonathan Harker is a young solicitor on a business trip in Transylvania to confer with the mysterious Count Dracula regarding his latest real estate purchase in Jonathan's native England. The unfortunate Harker soon realises he is a prisoner in the Count's castle. This seems innocuous enough, but consider: Harker has no phone or internet – eliminating all communications that that entails – no car or means of transport, no law enforcement agency to come to his aid. Nothing. He is utterly alone in an isolated medieval castle and at the mercy of the sinister Count. Here, the hapless Harker sees a peasant-woman torn to shreds by wolves at the Count's command, discovers the dungeon where the Count sleeps - glutted on the blood of innocents, and spies his host crawling head-first down the wall of the castle. Once he is eventually free of his incarceration, Jonathan concludes that he must have been suffering from madness, for the evils he had witnessed are too terrible to be real.

Concurrently, Harker's fiancée Mina takes advantage of his absence to visit her dear friend Lucy. Lucy has recently become engaged to the Honorable Arthur Holmwood, having graciously declined offers of marriage from Holmwood's friends Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris. By some disastrous coincidence, Dracula begins his infiltration of Britain in the same area Lucy and Mina are staying, and Lucy becomes his first victim.

Alarmed by Lucy's inexplicable and sudden decline in health, Dr. Seward enlists the aid of his mentor, the wise Dr. Van Helsing, in the hope of saving her. Van Helsing recognises what none other could: the supernatural cause of Lucy's condition and the broader repercussions of the existence of a vampire. Both men are alarmed by the threat such a creature must pose to not only their countrymen but to humanity, and vow to destroy him before he can create more undead monsters like himself. Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, Jonathan and Mina join Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing on their quest to rid the world of this powerful, terrible evil. The group believe Dracula's intent is to establish himself throughout London, and resolve to sterilise each lair, better enabling them to kill the Count. The Count, however, has plans of his own.

The primal horror synonymous with Stoker's Dracula is a product of the author's successful integration of myth, psychology and anthropology. Having spent seven years researching European folklore on the subject of vampires, Stoker was able to take the most frightening aspects of the regional legends and fuse them into one horrific figure of dread. This method of authorship allows him to simultaneously prey on our existing fears whilst adding to the legend to increase its power and potency.

Bram Stoker is our psychological puppet master, twitching the reader's strings at the height of their tension causing them to jump at shadows (I did that a lot). This is particularly impressive when you consider that the author is able to reach across the span of a century to evoke the desired emotional response from his audience! Exploiting this ability, Stoker's most frightening sequences are not filled with vivid descriptions of gory scenes or violent deaths, but from what remains unsaid, the insinuation of evil: the writhing bundle thrown to Dracula's brides, which squirms and screams ... and is later identified as an infant; or the sated appearance of the vampire as he lies in repose with blood still on his lips – whose?

The Count's intelligence and cunning compound his undeniable supernatural advantages (shape-shifting, control of animals and weather, etc,) to make him a formidable figure of dread. Yet for all that is chimerical and inhuman about Dracula, there remains an essence of humanity in him which grounds his character in reality. We believe in him, fear him even, because he seems so real. He is by turns capricous and accommodating, child-like and ancient, a grandfather figure and a twisted killer rolled into one white-faced, ruby-lipped package.

Dracula is a cult classic with good reason. It remains as chilling, heart-stopping and blood-curdling as it was when first published a century ago. You must read this book, and when you do, have a crucifix and some garlic nearby. Just in case.

Rating: * * * * * (5 out of 5 stars)

Chills and Thrills

Dracula.
I finished this book almost a fortnight ago, and I almost wish I hadn't. It was so chilling and frightening and fascinating and compelling and... insert synonyms for 'compelling' here... that I want to keep reading it!

Back In The Blogosphere

Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos surrounding the recent birth of our second beautiful daughter A. (hooray!) I have managed to read six books. Six books in the past eight weeks! Granted, none have been difficult reads

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2011!!!!!
The silly season has come and gone in a flurry of food and festivities and now that I've had a chance to catch my breath, I have realised how long it's been since I last posted anything. Now, admittedly, I wasn't too worried about my extended absence, assuming that not only was everyone likely to be as busy (if not more so) as I have been, and also assuming that no-one was really reading my ramblings.

Blog Post Resurrection

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I hope you're all feeling very fond of me by now! Apologies for the extended hiatus, my excuses include:

For Every Book I Read, I Add Another 3 to My List

'Once and Future King' is finished, closed, done and dusted! And now, naturally, I need to know more about King Arthur, Camelot, the Knights of the Round table (or as my daughter calls them, the 'noses lala table'), Lancelot, Guenever, etc. Whilst the book was a wonderful read it has unfortunately ignited a latent passion for historical-cum-fantasy fiction in the literary heart of yours truly, forgotten since I last read Homer's 'The Iliad' or 'The Odyssey'. Although a story which seems familiar, with familiar characters and a generally well known plot may seem as exciting as watching paint dry, just flesh out the characters, breathe life into the setting and fill in the sketchy details with twists and turns and suprises, and voila! CAPTIVATING!