People tend to overlook Bram Stoker’s list of novels. Bram Stoker wrote a mixture of different genres, but they all seem to overlap in the horror category. He had mild success before Dracula’s release, and after the publication, he received massive recognition. Here are five other books you should look into if you are a vampire-loving fan!
1. The Lady of the Shroud
Stoker is a creative man, to say the least, so it’s not shocking that this novel is a bit unconventional. Like Dracula, The Lady of the Shroud is composed as an epistolary– letters and diary entries carry this adventure story. In this dark tale, we meet the protagonist Rupert Saint Leger. After Leger inherits his uncle’s costly estate, strange things begin to happen in the dead of dusk. One night, as he is sleeping in his bed, he is met by a pale woman wearing a wet shroud. A shroud is a sheet usually laid on a dead person. Ghost story or something more sinister?
2. The Snake’s Pass
This was Stoker’s first novel published. We get a mixture of gothic horror, drama, and some romance in The Snake’s Pass. Arthur Severn receives wealth and a title from his aunt, so he decides to travel to Ireland to tour his new land. However, as he reaches this new town, he realizes this village is cursed! Many new problems arise, so it’s up to Severn to face them. A deeper reading of this tale reveals a complex analysis and critique of British and Irish politics.
3. Under the Sunset
This was Stoker’s first short story collection. It was supposed to be for children, but unfortunately, these tales might be too frightening for the kiddies. All of these tales are accompanied by illustrations. These spooky stories are a subtle reminder of dark fairytales. The Grimm Fairytales ring a bell? If that’s your cup of tea, then this a collection you need as soon as possible!
In this series, we have the following titles:
Under the Sunset
The Rose Prince
The Invisible Giant
The Shadow Builder
How 7 Went Mad
Lies and Lilies
The Castle of the King
The Wondrous Child
4. The Man
Stephen Norman married Margaret Rowly. They have a baby girl, but Margaret died during the birth. He promises Margaret he will love the baby as much as if she were a boy. Weirdly enough, they name the baby Stephen, and Norman raises her as a tomboy. As you journey into the story, you realize the importance of gender and the discussion of “the new women” of this era. See the story unfold with this father-daughter duo.
5. Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Tales
It would be a crime if I didn’t mention this Dracula extension. Shortly after Stoker died in 1912, his wife published deleted scenes from Dracula, entitled Dracula’s Guest. Also in this book are other peculiar narratives. The list includes:
Dracula’s Guest
The Judge’s House
The Squaw
The Secret of the Growing Gold
A Gipsy Prophecy
The Coming of Abel Behenna
The Burial of the Rats
A Dream of Red Hands
Crooken Sands
Thank you, Bram Stoker, for giving us your work! He definitely was into intermixing horror and romance, so many of his stories take charge of this genre. Want to read how horror romance came to be? Click here! What about vampire romance? Click here!