The most recommended Dracula books

Who picked these books? Meet our 36 experts.

36 authors created a book list connected to Count Dracula, and here are their favorite Count Dracula books.
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Book cover of On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Wade Walker Author Of Bite of the Wolf

From my list on the Gothic-espionage connection.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a writer based in Wisconsin. I write in a genre that exists much like its subjects: lurking in the shadows. It's something I call Gothic Espionage, which is the intersection of the Gothic and Espionage/Spy genres. My first novel, Bite of the Wolf, was the first synthesis of these two worlds, and continues with the follow up, slated for release in September, Operation Frankenstein. Appropriately enough, spies are often referred to as ā€œspooks,ā€ and these selections will highlight both the spooky and the spooks of Gothic Espionage, and Iā€™ll highlight why both horror and spy novels can both be described as ā€œthrillers.ā€

Wade's book list on the Gothic-espionage connection

Wade Walker Why did Wade love this book?

A man is sent to visit a mysterious count in his secluded mountaintop fortress, where a diabolical plot unfolds, involving an attack on England using his Angels of Death, women under his hypnotic command. The man finds himself slowly becoming a prisoner, leading to his planning an escape and a race to stop the Countā€™s plot from unfolding.

Sound familiar? It is, essentially, the plot of Dracula. It is also the plot of Ian Flemingā€™s On Her Majestyā€™s Secret Service, the tenth James Bond novel. If Count Dracula is the king of vampires, then James Bond is inarguably the king of spies.

By Ian Fleming,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On Her Majesty's Secret Service as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2002 Penguin PB ed. Blue and black jacket. James Bond shiver and shakes SPECTRE at Stavro Blofeld's arctic base.


Book cover of Vampyres: Genesis and Resurrection: From Count Dracula to Vampirella

Richard Gadz Author Of The Eater of Flies

From my list on Dracula and other vampires.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always loved horror stories. At the age of 7 or 8, Iā€™d be reading The Pan Book Of Horror Stories or Aidan Chambersā€™ Haunted Houses by flashlight with the bed sheets pulled over my head (not because I should have been asleep, but to guard against vampires creeping up on me!) I always found these stories strangely comforting, a world of adventure into which a shy kid like me could retreat. Ghosts and monsters became part of my cultural DNA, constant companions through life. Thatā€™s why I write horror today, to make my own tiny contribution to the genre, which has given me so much.

Richard's book list on Dracula and other vampires

Richard Gadz Why did Richard love this book?

If youā€™re interested in the literary roots of vampires, and Dracula in particular, Iā€™d heartily recommend this nonfiction title. It delves into the origins of characters like the Count in earlier 19th-century texts and examines how and why Dracula became such a long-lasting cultural influence. Itā€™s also very good on Bram Stokerā€™s life and less famous works.

By Christopher Frayling,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Vampyres as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Christopher Frayling has spent 45 years exploring the history of one of the most enduring figures in the history of mass culture - the vampire. Vampyres is a comprehensive and generously illustrated history and anthology of vampires in literature, from the folklore of Eastern Europe to the Romantics and beyond. Frayling recounts the most significant moments in gothic history, while extracts from a huge range of sources - including Bram Stoker's detailed research notes for Dracula, penny dreadfuls and Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber , new to this edition - are contextualized and analysed.
This revised and expanded edition bringsā€¦


Book cover of Anno Dracula

Richard Gadz Author Of The Eater of Flies

From my list on Dracula and other vampires.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always loved horror stories. At the age of 7 or 8, Iā€™d be reading The Pan Book Of Horror Stories or Aidan Chambersā€™ Haunted Houses by flashlight with the bed sheets pulled over my head (not because I should have been asleep, but to guard against vampires creeping up on me!) I always found these stories strangely comforting, a world of adventure into which a shy kid like me could retreat. Ghosts and monsters became part of my cultural DNA, constant companions through life. Thatā€™s why I write horror today, to make my own tiny contribution to the genre, which has given me so much.

Richard's book list on Dracula and other vampires

Richard Gadz Why did Richard love this book?

This is the first in a series of alternate history stories, set in 1888 (later volumes run right through the 20th century), in a world in which Count Dracula triumphed over his arch-enemy Professor Van Helsing. Heā€™s now married to Queen Victoria and ruling over a London full of bloodsuckers!

A very clever idea which neatly ties in all sorts of vampire-related fictional strands.

By Kim Newman,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Anno Dracula as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Genevieve Dieudonne and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.

Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history. Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London.


Book cover of Dracula Park

Patricia Furstenberg Author Of Dreamland: Banat, Crisana, Maramures, Transylvania, 100-WORD STORIES, Folklore and History

From Patricia's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Blogger Mother FlĆ¢neuse Coffee addict

Patricia's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Patricia Furstenberg Why did Patricia love this book?

As a Romanian-born reader who is fascinated by Vlad the Impaler's life and folklore I was drawn to Grigorcea's presentation of the ancestral homeland and Dracula's haunting legacy. Her portrayal of a post-communist society still grappling with its past echoed my own experiences and observations. 

The atmosphere is eerie, dreamlike in places, and the lines between history and fiction are blurred. But Grigorcea's exploration of fate and the enigmatic figure of Dracula adds depth and complexity to the story. Yet it is not a bloodthirsty vampire novel or a modern Dracula Ć  la Bram Stoker - which I appreciated.

It's a novel that delves not only into the historical and supernatural, but also into the enduring power of Romania's cultural heritage. Overall, a captivating and evocative read that held my attention.

By Dana Grigorcea, Imogen Taylor (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dracula Park as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In post-Communist Romania, on the border with Transylvania, the sleepy little town of B. is losing its young people to the West.

A young painter returned from Paris and her eccentric great-aunt seem unconcerned with the decline of the town, until a mutilated corpse is found in the family crypt of Prince Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula.

As the world's attention turns to B., the mayor and his son take advantage and turn the town into a vampire-inspired theme park. Tourists flock, but beneath the surface ancient horrors live on.

This is a breathtaking, atmospheric tale of revenge,ā€¦


Book cover of This Thing of Darkness

Karen Ullo Author Of Jennifer the Damned

From my list on horror with Catholic themes.

Why am I passionate about this?

At about age fifteen, I fell in love with nineteenth-century Gothic horror. I read all the classics in just a few months: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Edgar Allen Poeā€¦ And then I ran out. Most twentieth-century horror lacked the understanding that evilā€™s true target is not the body but the soul. Horror fiction, more than any other genre, is the laboratory of the soul, the place where we can experiment with good and evil to follow the consequences of each to their fullest and therefore truest conclusions. And since I ran out of such books to readā€”I wrote one.

Karen's book list on horror with Catholic themes

Karen Ullo Why did Karen love this book?

After Bram Stoker and Vlad the Impaler, the real person most closely associated with vampires has to be Bela Lugosiā€”so why not write a horror novel with him as the villain? This book underscores the important role that unsettling and dramatic occurrences can play in shaking us out of our own accustomed vices, as well as the difficulty we often face when trying to discern the difference between the works of evil and the truly mundane. After all, Bela Lugosi is nothing more than a tired, sad old man still pining for his glory days on the silver screenā€”isnā€™t he?

By K.V. Turley, Fiorella De Maria,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Thing of Darkness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hollywood, 1956. Journalist and war widow Evangeline Kilhooley is assigned to write a ";star profile" of the fading actor Bela Lugosi, made famous by his role as Count Dracula. During a series of interviews, Lugosi draws Evi into his curious Eastern European background, gradually revealing the link between Old World shadows and the twilight realm of modern horror films.

Along the way, Evi meets another English expatriate, Hugo Radelle, a movie buff who offers to help with her research. As their relationship deepens, Evi begins to suspect that he knows more about her and her soldier husband than he isā€¦


Book cover of Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen

Hans C. De Roos Author Of Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula

From my list on dive deeper into Dracula.

Why am I passionate about this?

I saw Francis Coppolaā€™s movie Bram Stokerā€™s Dracula in 1992, but studied the novel only after I created a photo story, The Ultimate Dracula (Munich, 2012). Next to the images, my book presented the true location Stoker had in mind for his fictitious Castle Dracula (No, not Bram Castle), and the historical person he referred to while speaking about Count Dracula (No, not Vlad the Impaler). The next steps were discovering the true locations of Carfax and the Scholomance, unraveling the backgrounds of the Icelandic and Swedish versions of Dracula, and unearthing the first US serialization. I simply love to solve riddles. By now, I am organizing international Dracula conferences.

Hans' book list on dive deeper into Dracula

Hans C. De Roos Why did Hans love this book?

This book is key to understanding the ā€œtransmediationā€ of Dracula: the metamorphosis of Stokerā€™s story by adapting it for new media, such as theatrical and movie versions. As Bram Stoker died in 1911, his widow Florence played a key role in negotiating the rights for such modifications, and fighting the pirated screen version of Nosferatu created in Germany by Prana Film. As David Skal put it, Dracula is very much a story about control, and the subsequent developments show how Bram and then Florence tried to keep the lid on the unauthorized dissemination and adaptation of the Dracula novelā€”but failed in the end. Highly recommended reading for all who are interested in the question of how Dracula became so popular all over the world.

By David J. Skal,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hollywood Gothic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The primal image of the black-caped vampire Dracula has become an indelible fixture of the modern imagination. It's recognition factor rivals, in its own perverse way, the familiarity of Santa Claus. Most of us can recite without prompting the salient characteristics of the vampire: sleeping by day in its coffin, rising at dusk to feed on the blood of the living; the ability to shapeshift into a bat, wolf, or mist; a mortal vulnerability to a wooden stake through the heart or a shaft of sunlight. In this critically acclaimed excursion through the life of a cultural icon, David Skalā€¦


Book cover of Dracul

L.W. King Author Of Carrie's Legacy

From my list on supernatural with a sprinkling of realism.

Why am I passionate about this?

From an early age, I have been fascinated with anything supernatural and occult. My Aunt would read my palm, and then, as a teenager, I would visit clairvoyants to see what the future held for me. As I grew older, I found I had an ability, a gift of seership, and after reading many books, embarked on my pagan journey, from which I have never looked back, and am now studying Druidry,which is very much nature-based. I hope you love the books on this list as much as I do!  

L.W.'s book list on supernatural with a sprinkling of realism

L.W. King Why did L.W. love this book?

I love this book because, after a period when I could never find the time to read, I picked it up in my local supermarket, and my love affair with reading began all over again. Being a huge fan of Dracula, I was intrigued to discover if this title would carry the same level of eeriness, and I was delighted to find that it did!

The story provokes thoughts of ā€˜Could this be real?ā€™ I finished it early one winter morning and found myself a little nervous to step outside into the darkness to call my dog in, which is a rarity for me. It was a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit jumpy, read.

By Dacre Stoker, J.D. Barker,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Dracul as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Scary as hell. Gothic as decay' Josh Malerman

'Reading Dracul is like watching a classic vampire film . . . a terrifying read' R. L. Stine

Inspired by the notes DRACULA's creator left behind, Dracul is a riveting, heart-stoppingly scary novel of Gothic suspense . . .
___
Dracul reveals not only the true origins of Dracula himself, but also of his creator, Bram Stoker . . . and of the elusive, enigmatic woman who connects them.

It is 1868, and a 21-year-old Bram Stoker has locked himself inside an abbey's tower to confront a vile and ungodly beast. Heā€¦


Book cover of The Holmes-Dracula File

Christian Klaver Author Of Sherlock Holmes and Count Dracula

From my list on Sherlock Holmes mash-ups.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Christian Klaver, and Iā€™ve had, in turn, many different jobs as a bookseller, martial arts instructor, and bartender before settling into a career in internet security. Books have always been a passion of mine, with science fiction, fantasy, and mystery as my main focus. Iā€™ve been a lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes and am a proud member of two different Sherlock Holmes Societies.

Christian's book list on Sherlock Holmes mash-ups

Christian Klaver Why did Christian love this book?

The story unfolds with sections both from Watson and Count Dracula and is just a great deal of fun.

Saberhagen wrote an entire series starring Dracula, but this one, with Holmes in it, is the best of the lot and Saberhagen does some really fun, fun things with the conflict between the two.

By Fred Saberhagen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Holmes-Dracula File as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1887, London, Victoriaā€™s Jubilee -- criminals threaten to release thousands of plague infested rats on the day of celebration. The extraordinary powers of the Count and sharp mind of the Master Detective team up to avert a catastrophic public disaster. (And, the reader discovers more than a deerstalker hat and an Invernes Cape in Holmesā€™ family closet.)


Book cover of Tsalmoth

Krista Wallace Author Of Gatekeeper's Key

From Krista's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Fantasy writer Jazz singer Gran Lover of pie and single malt Scotch Reader of Fantasy, Mystery and Romance

Krista's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Krista Wallace Why did Krista love this book?

Ah... we finally learn what happened to Vlad's memory about his relationship with Cawti! I love his youthful giddiness, but it's also quite sad, really, that he's forced to make a choice about what to remember.

By Steven Brust,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tsalmoth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tsalmoth is the next installment in Steven Brustā€™s bestselling Vlad Taltos seriesā€•hold on to your hats and get ready for another swashbuckling adventure!

First comes love. Then comes marriageā€¦

Vlad Taltos is in love. With a former assassin who may just be better than he is at the Game. Women like this donā€™t come along every day and no way is he passing up a sure bet.

So a wedding is being planned. Along with a shady deal gone wrong and a dead man who owes Vlad money. Setting up the first and trying to deal with the second isā€¦


Book cover of Bram Stoker's Dracula Starring Bela Lugosi

Micky Neilson Author Of Skinner

From my list on horror that will haunt you to the grave.

Why am I passionate about this?

Scary books and movies hooked me early in life and never let go. Iā€™m fascinated by the themes that are explored in all of the various sub-genres of horror. Iā€™m intrigued by the lore thatā€™s created, and Iā€™m impressed with the imagination of so many horror creators. Horror remains and always will be one of the most popular genres of storytelling.

Micky's book list on horror that will haunt you to the grave

Micky Neilson Why did Micky love this book?

This graphic novel adaptation of Bram Stokerā€™s novel incorporated an idea that I thought was brilliantā€”ā€œcastingā€ Bela Lugosi once again as Dracula, with the blessing of the Lugosi family. The adaptation is faithful to the book, and the artwork is a loving and beautiful rendition of Lugosi as the vampire who started it all. 

By Bram Stoker, Robert Napton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bram Stoker's Dracula Starring Bela Lugosi as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

For the first time ever Bram Stokerā€™s gothic masterpiece is being united with the definitive screen Dracula, Bela Lugosi, in an all new graphic novel.



Bram Stoker. Bela Lugosi. Two names forever bound byDracula.

15 years after the novelā€™s publication,Dracula creator and author Bram Stoker passed away. He never got a chance to see how actor Bela Lugosiā€™s ground-breaking stage and screen portrayal of his character electrified and terrified audiences in the late 20s and early 30s. This performance became iconic and set the standard by which all actors taking on the caped mantle would be judged. With a storyā€¦


Book cover of On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Book cover of Vampyres: Genesis and Resurrection: From Count Dracula to Vampirella
Book cover of Anno Dracula

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