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A must-read for everyone, of course, being a genre-founder. I should have read it years ago. (Maybe I did; my memory isn't what it used to be.)
Well written, framed as a series of diary entries and letters and a few newspaper clippings. Stands up well in comparison to its thousands of imitators.
Old, of course, but not hard to read. A few obscure cultural references that no longer connect (when someone is described as "sitting in his shirtsleeves, drinking tea from a saucer" I'm obviously supposed to conclude something about his social status or something, but I have no clue what), but it's just amusing, not annoying. Only a few times are the characters so stupid as to be annoying in that Scooby-Doo sort of way (gee, after the men were out chasing the vampire that lives next door, leaving the woman home by herself, she seems a bit tired and pale; poor thing must be tired out from all the stress).
The treatment of gender roles is old-fashioned, and may bother some people enough to detract from enjoying the story (women as weak and to be protected physically, but strong and pure spiritually, inspiring the men to heroism). On the other hand there is significant (if subtle) eroticism in the vampires; that's not a modern addition to the genre.
This web page is licensed under a
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