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Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories
"Dracula's Guest" follows an Englishman on a visit to Munich before leaving for Transylvania.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2015
14 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,661 books5,879 followersIrish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel
Dracula
(1897).
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 1, 2023
Honestly, I didn't like Dracula enough to try and seek out more stuff by Stoker. I'm glad I finally read it, but it was kind of a dull book overall.
However, when this audiobook of short stories popped up as a free borrow from Hoopla, I decided to take advantage of it. Because why not?
Dracula's Guest
4 stars
Unbelievably, this was a scene cut from Dracula. I say unbelievably because this one scene was far more interesting than ANYTHING in the book. Granted, it was a wacky scene and far too much of it was spent with the unnamed Englishman (presumably Harker) arguing with the local driver about going towards the one place everyone is telling him not to go.
But then he gets lost in a hailstorm and ends up in a cemetery for suicides (I think?). Taking refuge in the doorway of a crypt, he sees a vampire bitch rises from the grave and catch on fire. Still not sure why. Naturally, he makes a run for it! A chase scene ensues before a big wolf sits on Harker to keep him safe from zombie vampires - or something like that.
It was a bananas story.
Still, if the rest of Dracula had as much pizzazz as this did, it would have made for a more interesting read.
The Judge's House
4 stars
Scary ghost story about a student who doesn't believe in the supernatural. A creepy rat, a creepier picture, and a judge who kept the hangman's noose in his house make up the frightening elements of this tale.
The Squaw
4 stars
A cat gets a gruesome vengeance on the man who killed her kitten.
The guy didn't really mean to kill the kitten, but he's such a douchecanoe that he seals his own fate in a way that pretty much ensures you don't even feel very sorry for him.
The Secret of the Growing Gold
4 stars
A murderer gets done in by his lover's hair. It's a weird story and it meanders a bit for no reason. The beginning is about this feud between the woman, her brother, and her lover that ultimately didn't make any difference to the story. But it was sufficiently spooky in the end for me to enjoy it.
The Gypsy Prophecy
3.5 stars
A self-fulling prophecy?
A terrible prediction comes true for a couple who are deeply in love, but not in the way they think it will.
PS - Stoker apparently thought women fainted all the damn time. Seriously. Every woman in every story seemed to fall over from the shock of something. By the time I got to this story, it was starting to get funny.
The Coming of Abel Behenna
2 stars
Goofy story about 2 young men who go after the same awful young woman.
She's incredibly obnoxious and they both should have known better. They all got what they deserved, and it was hard to feel any real horror for the characters since they were all equally unlikeable.
The Burial of the Rats
2 stars
Really drawn-out story about a tourist who escapes from old soldiers who have turned to crime in a poor section of Paris. Rats eat dead bodies quickly enough to get rid of the evidence, apparently.
A Dream of Red Hands
3 stars
A repentant murderer has nightmares of being locked out of heaven. The narrator gives the man encouragement and finds out that the man's last act in life is one of incredible self-sacrifice. His heroism earns his redemption and washes his bloody hands clean.
Crooked Sands
4 stars
A rich old English gentleman decides to dress in authentic Highland garb and looks like an idiot. He is warned to stop being foolish and vain by a supposed 'seer' but ignores the advice until he almost dies. He has a religious experience that changes his outlook on life, but there's a funny twist at the end of this book at bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars for me.
Overall a pretty darn good set of old-timey short stories for a horror fan.
Narrated by James Anderson Foster
However, when this audiobook of short stories popped up as a free borrow from Hoopla, I decided to take advantage of it. Because why not?
Dracula's Guest
4 stars
Unbelievably, this was a scene cut from Dracula. I say unbelievably because this one scene was far more interesting than ANYTHING in the book. Granted, it was a wacky scene and far too much of it was spent with the unnamed Englishman (presumably Harker) arguing with the local driver about going towards the one place everyone is telling him not to go.
But then he gets lost in a hailstorm and ends up in a cemetery for suicides (I think?). Taking refuge in the doorway of a crypt, he sees a vampire bitch rises from the grave and catch on fire. Still not sure why. Naturally, he makes a run for it! A chase scene ensues before a big wolf sits on Harker to keep him safe from zombie vampires - or something like that.
It was a bananas story.
Still, if the rest of Dracula had as much pizzazz as this did, it would have made for a more interesting read.
The Judge's House
4 stars
Scary ghost story about a student who doesn't believe in the supernatural. A creepy rat, a creepier picture, and a judge who kept the hangman's noose in his house make up the frightening elements of this tale.
The Squaw
4 stars
A cat gets a gruesome vengeance on the man who killed her kitten.
The guy didn't really mean to kill the kitten, but he's such a douchecanoe that he seals his own fate in a way that pretty much ensures you don't even feel very sorry for him.
The Secret of the Growing Gold
4 stars
A murderer gets done in by his lover's hair. It's a weird story and it meanders a bit for no reason. The beginning is about this feud between the woman, her brother, and her lover that ultimately didn't make any difference to the story. But it was sufficiently spooky in the end for me to enjoy it.
The Gypsy Prophecy
3.5 stars
A self-fulling prophecy?
A terrible prediction comes true for a couple who are deeply in love, but not in the way they think it will.
PS - Stoker apparently thought women fainted all the damn time. Seriously. Every woman in every story seemed to fall over from the shock of something. By the time I got to this story, it was starting to get funny.
The Coming of Abel Behenna
2 stars
Goofy story about 2 young men who go after the same awful young woman.
She's incredibly obnoxious and they both should have known better. They all got what they deserved, and it was hard to feel any real horror for the characters since they were all equally unlikeable.
The Burial of the Rats
2 stars
Really drawn-out story about a tourist who escapes from old soldiers who have turned to crime in a poor section of Paris. Rats eat dead bodies quickly enough to get rid of the evidence, apparently.
A Dream of Red Hands
3 stars
A repentant murderer has nightmares of being locked out of heaven. The narrator gives the man encouragement and finds out that the man's last act in life is one of incredible self-sacrifice. His heroism earns his redemption and washes his bloody hands clean.
Crooked Sands
4 stars
A rich old English gentleman decides to dress in authentic Highland garb and looks like an idiot. He is warned to stop being foolish and vain by a supposed 'seer' but ignores the advice until he almost dies. He has a religious experience that changes his outlook on life, but there's a funny twist at the end of this book at bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars for me.
Overall a pretty darn good set of old-timey short stories for a horror fan.
Narrated by James Anderson Foster
April 11, 2021
I use Poe as my 'measure' of 'old school horror' and was not sure how Stoker would hold up. He has more than exceeded my expectations. Each tale takes the reader to a place of trapped uncertainty; knowing that you have to follow through if you have any slight hope of salvation. My favorite story was The Burial of the Rats - highest recommendation.
September 24, 2020
Published in 1914, “Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories” is a short story collection comprising of nine different stories, written by the Bram Stoker. Although some of these stories were pre-published, the book was published from stories that his wife recovered after his death.
As with all my short story collection reviews, I rate each story individually and then calculate the average rating as the total rating for the book. But, I warn you…. All of the reviews for each individual story include a brief synopsis. Some readers may not want to know as much information that I have provide. I write my short story reviews this way for future reference to remind me of which ones are worth the time re-reading and which ones are not. In this case, there was not one story that I did not enjoy. But, you can avoid learning more than you would like to know about these stories by skipping to the very bottom of the review, where it says “FINAL VERDICT”. That is where my overall review for “Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories” is listed. The stories within the collection include;
DRACULA’S GUEST – This story was adapted for comics by E. Nelson Bridwell for Eerie Magazine…. The narrator, a ballsy Englishman in Munich, is warned by a German fellow named Johann (as well as a hotel Maitre D’) not to journey to a depopulated village where the death by suicide lay…. Naturally, being English and stubborn as hell, his thirst for adventure cannot be overcome and he consequently ignores these pleads and proceeds with his quest nonetheless. This story was very enjoyable and had a slow, yet constant build-up of suspense. Stoker detailed the environment in every aspect, which further added to the entertainment.
THE JUDGE’S HOUSE – Malcom Malcolmson is a man looking for some solitude to concentrate on his work. He decides to rent a rat infested house in Benchurch for three months. It is a place known as the “Judge’s House” and is said to have been vacant for at least the past one-hundred years…. Ignoring all warnings and pleads from the townsmen, Malcom moves right in and immediately makes himself at home. Upon his arrival, he notices the house is equipped with an alarm bell, located on the roof, that has a rope attached to it which travels down next to the fireplace in the room where he works. It is believed that this is the very rope which the hangman used for the victims of the Judges judicial rancour…. How lovely! Although the ending is of no surprise, this was another awesome story and well worth the read. The writing is brilliant, the environment is incredibly detailed, and the suspense grips you from start to finish. I can’t say enough good things about this story.
THE SQUAW – This story was adapted for comics by Archie Goodwin for Creepy Magazine and is about a dude walking on a street, sided with a high retaining wall, and means to scare a kitten he sees traveling below by dropping a rock right beside it. Of course this was meant to be a prank, but the uncoordinated idiot ends up crushing the kitten’s skull and killing it on accident. His wife is not pleased and neither is the kitten’s mother, who was at the scene and now sees her offspring’s brain seeping out of its head. The cat goes apeshit and follows the prick, his wife, and their friend (who tagged along) and wants revenge. Although, this was a great story, it had a predictable (and also unrealistic) ending.
THE SECRET OF THE GROWING GOLD – This is a ghost story about Margaret Delandre and her brother Wykham…. The pair have a quarrel over a man named Geoffrey Brent, who has captured Margaret’s attention, and Wykham ends up throwing her out of the house as a result. She is later seen around town in the presence of Geoffrey and the town gossip eventually gets back to Wykham that the two have developed a relationship. After looking to make amends, Margaret ignores Wykham’s attempts to reconcile and so does Geoffrey. After a year passes, Wykham hears word that both, Geoffrey and Margaret have been in an accident while travelling abroad. It is soon learned that Geoffrey survived the accident, but Margaret is missing and presumed dead. In the midst of plotting an act of revenge on Geoffrey for his sisters death, Wykham is greeted by Margaret’s ghost, who has her own act of revenge in mind for Geoffrey. Although this was a typical ghost story, it was a really fun read and recovered well from its slow start. I would highly recommend it to any fan of ghost stories and vengeful acts.
A GIPSY PROPHECY – Joshua Consadine and his friend Gerald set out to a gipsy camp for a reading of the stars, but do not receive the information they had hoped. When the gipsy Queen sees tragedy in Joshua’s palm, she warns him that if he truly loves his wife, Mary, he will leave her. If he refuses to believe what the stars have revealed, his wife will be murdered by his own hand. Upon hearing this news, Mary does not take this well and heads for the gipsy camp, only to find it empty. This was another terrific story, but had a familiar ending…. The ending would have been more impactful in the early 1900’s, of course, but it was still good.
THE COMING OF ABEL BEHENNA – A gold-diggin’ bitch of a mother is trying to marry-off her smokin’ hot slut daughter, Sarah…. Sarah is torn between two gentlemen, who are both in love with her. On one side, you have a back-stabbing shit bag named Eric…. On the other, you have a righteous saint named Abel. The mother tells both boys that in order to win the approval of her daughter’s hand in marriage that they must combine their life savings and put it all on the line in a winner-take-all scenario. The deal is, the man who wins a coin toss has to take all the money that both men have and bring it to Bristol to trade with it. He spends one year over there and then comes back to marry Sarah, living off whatever there may be as a result of the trading. While the winner is away trading, the loser gets to stay back and pork Sarah…. Sounds like the loser is actually the winner in more ways than one to me…. I will say that this story was probably my favorite one in the collection and I would recommend it to anyone.
THE BURIAL OF THE RATS – This story was adapted into film in 1995 by the same title, as well a comic book, and is about an English dude travelling in Europe to burn time while he waits for his probation to end so he can head back to England to after his chick. The guy has a thing for Paris and ends up running for his life. I can’t say I enjoyed this story. The pace was too slow for me to get into and by the time it picked up, it was just about over. I can’t say Ill be reading this one ever again, if I can help it.
A DREAM OF RED HANDS – The narrator has formed a friendship with a dude named, Jacob Settle. A man who has kept himself in confinement as punishment for a crime he had committed long ago. The nightmares he has experienced since the crime took place are a constant reminder that Heaven’s gate will remain closed for his sin and he lives with believing that every day. Sad story that went by quickly. It was also the perfect length. Definitely worth returning to this one in the future. I highly recommend it in those moments when you are looking for a depressing read.
CROOKEN SANDS – Some English dude goes to Scotland with his family and takes an interest in the dress those Highland Chiefs wear and the guy, for some odd reason, wants to wear one. Everyone, including his own family, laugh in his face…. The quicksand shall swallow those who do not repent for showering in vanity. This story got much better as it progressed, but I was in Bored City through the first half of it. The dialog was sometimes difficult to follow, as well…. It was the weakest stories in my opinion and I am disappointed with its place in the collection. It didn’t exactly wrap things up on a high note.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. There are some amazing stories in this collection. For once, I did not find one story that I did not enjoy and would read a second (or even a third) time. Even the “Crooken Sands” is a story that is worth a second read. I will definitely be reading more stories by Bram Stoker in the future.
As with all my short story collection reviews, I rate each story individually and then calculate the average rating as the total rating for the book. But, I warn you…. All of the reviews for each individual story include a brief synopsis. Some readers may not want to know as much information that I have provide. I write my short story reviews this way for future reference to remind me of which ones are worth the time re-reading and which ones are not. In this case, there was not one story that I did not enjoy. But, you can avoid learning more than you would like to know about these stories by skipping to the very bottom of the review, where it says “FINAL VERDICT”. That is where my overall review for “Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories” is listed. The stories within the collection include;
DRACULA’S GUEST – This story was adapted for comics by E. Nelson Bridwell for Eerie Magazine…. The narrator, a ballsy Englishman in Munich, is warned by a German fellow named Johann (as well as a hotel Maitre D’) not to journey to a depopulated village where the death by suicide lay…. Naturally, being English and stubborn as hell, his thirst for adventure cannot be overcome and he consequently ignores these pleads and proceeds with his quest nonetheless. This story was very enjoyable and had a slow, yet constant build-up of suspense. Stoker detailed the environment in every aspect, which further added to the entertainment.
THE JUDGE’S HOUSE – Malcom Malcolmson is a man looking for some solitude to concentrate on his work. He decides to rent a rat infested house in Benchurch for three months. It is a place known as the “Judge’s House” and is said to have been vacant for at least the past one-hundred years…. Ignoring all warnings and pleads from the townsmen, Malcom moves right in and immediately makes himself at home. Upon his arrival, he notices the house is equipped with an alarm bell, located on the roof, that has a rope attached to it which travels down next to the fireplace in the room where he works. It is believed that this is the very rope which the hangman used for the victims of the Judges judicial rancour…. How lovely! Although the ending is of no surprise, this was another awesome story and well worth the read. The writing is brilliant, the environment is incredibly detailed, and the suspense grips you from start to finish. I can’t say enough good things about this story.
THE SQUAW – This story was adapted for comics by Archie Goodwin for Creepy Magazine and is about a dude walking on a street, sided with a high retaining wall, and means to scare a kitten he sees traveling below by dropping a rock right beside it. Of course this was meant to be a prank, but the uncoordinated idiot ends up crushing the kitten’s skull and killing it on accident. His wife is not pleased and neither is the kitten’s mother, who was at the scene and now sees her offspring’s brain seeping out of its head. The cat goes apeshit and follows the prick, his wife, and their friend (who tagged along) and wants revenge. Although, this was a great story, it had a predictable (and also unrealistic) ending.
THE SECRET OF THE GROWING GOLD – This is a ghost story about Margaret Delandre and her brother Wykham…. The pair have a quarrel over a man named Geoffrey Brent, who has captured Margaret’s attention, and Wykham ends up throwing her out of the house as a result. She is later seen around town in the presence of Geoffrey and the town gossip eventually gets back to Wykham that the two have developed a relationship. After looking to make amends, Margaret ignores Wykham’s attempts to reconcile and so does Geoffrey. After a year passes, Wykham hears word that both, Geoffrey and Margaret have been in an accident while travelling abroad. It is soon learned that Geoffrey survived the accident, but Margaret is missing and presumed dead. In the midst of plotting an act of revenge on Geoffrey for his sisters death, Wykham is greeted by Margaret’s ghost, who has her own act of revenge in mind for Geoffrey. Although this was a typical ghost story, it was a really fun read and recovered well from its slow start. I would highly recommend it to any fan of ghost stories and vengeful acts.
A GIPSY PROPHECY – Joshua Consadine and his friend Gerald set out to a gipsy camp for a reading of the stars, but do not receive the information they had hoped. When the gipsy Queen sees tragedy in Joshua’s palm, she warns him that if he truly loves his wife, Mary, he will leave her. If he refuses to believe what the stars have revealed, his wife will be murdered by his own hand. Upon hearing this news, Mary does not take this well and heads for the gipsy camp, only to find it empty. This was another terrific story, but had a familiar ending…. The ending would have been more impactful in the early 1900’s, of course, but it was still good.
THE COMING OF ABEL BEHENNA – A gold-diggin’ bitch of a mother is trying to marry-off her smokin’ hot slut daughter, Sarah…. Sarah is torn between two gentlemen, who are both in love with her. On one side, you have a back-stabbing shit bag named Eric…. On the other, you have a righteous saint named Abel. The mother tells both boys that in order to win the approval of her daughter’s hand in marriage that they must combine their life savings and put it all on the line in a winner-take-all scenario. The deal is, the man who wins a coin toss has to take all the money that both men have and bring it to Bristol to trade with it. He spends one year over there and then comes back to marry Sarah, living off whatever there may be as a result of the trading. While the winner is away trading, the loser gets to stay back and pork Sarah…. Sounds like the loser is actually the winner in more ways than one to me…. I will say that this story was probably my favorite one in the collection and I would recommend it to anyone.
THE BURIAL OF THE RATS – This story was adapted into film in 1995 by the same title, as well a comic book, and is about an English dude travelling in Europe to burn time while he waits for his probation to end so he can head back to England to after his chick. The guy has a thing for Paris and ends up running for his life. I can’t say I enjoyed this story. The pace was too slow for me to get into and by the time it picked up, it was just about over. I can’t say Ill be reading this one ever again, if I can help it.
A DREAM OF RED HANDS – The narrator has formed a friendship with a dude named, Jacob Settle. A man who has kept himself in confinement as punishment for a crime he had committed long ago. The nightmares he has experienced since the crime took place are a constant reminder that Heaven’s gate will remain closed for his sin and he lives with believing that every day. Sad story that went by quickly. It was also the perfect length. Definitely worth returning to this one in the future. I highly recommend it in those moments when you are looking for a depressing read.
CROOKEN SANDS – Some English dude goes to Scotland with his family and takes an interest in the dress those Highland Chiefs wear and the guy, for some odd reason, wants to wear one. Everyone, including his own family, laugh in his face…. The quicksand shall swallow those who do not repent for showering in vanity. This story got much better as it progressed, but I was in Bored City through the first half of it. The dialog was sometimes difficult to follow, as well…. It was the weakest stories in my opinion and I am disappointed with its place in the collection. It didn’t exactly wrap things up on a high note.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. There are some amazing stories in this collection. For once, I did not find one story that I did not enjoy and would read a second (or even a third) time. Even the “Crooken Sands” is a story that is worth a second read. I will definitely be reading more stories by Bram Stoker in the future.
June 8, 2025
Unfortunately, these were all a bit 'meh'. Lesser known works are usually lesser known for good reason. Settled on 3 because it's Bram Stoker, but Le Fanu was better at this kind of thing IMO.
February 17, 2022
Not bad. It was nice reading something of his, again. I also think that the title is correct in naming these stories "weird" and not scary, because most of them were just quite bizarre.
I did take notes on each and every story, but those thoughts are not in my possession and I think that the fact I forgot most of them and remember only key moments after only a month, even if I enjoyed my reading experience, speaks for itself.
I did take notes on each and every story, but those thoughts are not in my possession and I think that the fact I forgot most of them and remember only key moments after only a month, even if I enjoyed my reading experience, speaks for itself.
February 14, 2017
Las historias son muy dispares: hay historias clásicas de fantasmas vengativos, de casas embrujadas, de doppelgangers. Algunas son graciosas, otras de terror, otras bastante religiosas... Hay un par medio flojas, pero a The Judge's House, por ejemplo, le pondría cinco estrellitas.
Además, hay un par de cuentos en los que las mujeres se desmayan mucho.
Además, hay un par de cuentos en los que las mujeres se desmayan mucho.
July 4, 2023
4.4 ⭐️
October 30, 2024
4.5 stars. Posthumous collection from 1914 compiled by Stoker and published by his widow. Bear in mind, as she says, “Had my husband lived longer, he might have seen fit to revise this work, which is mainly from the earlier years of his strenuous life.”
——————————
“It was almost broad daylight, and to the north a red streak of sunlight was reflected, like a path of blood, over the waste of snow.”
Dracula’s Guest—this one was included by the widow: an excised chapter of Dracula, perhaps the first, though if so it would have been a curious prologue, one of those opening head-scratchers. I guess it must have been written not long before 1897. Touches on the battle between vampires and werewolves. Rather striking, visually, like blood in snow.
——————————
“Then it was that he began to notice for the first time what a noise the rats were making.”
The Judge’s House (1891). Another Englishman gets too cocky and doesn’t heed the warnings of the superstitious commoners. Fun.
——————————
The Squaw (1893). Obnoxious American tourist in Nuremberg accidentally kills a kitten and incurs the wrath of its mother. There’s a horrific humor to the absurd situation, similar to the arch-enemy rat from the previous story. The scene in the torture chamber, with the reckless cowboy getting inside the Iron Virgin for a lark, and the museum custodian straining on the pulley to keep the heavy door from slamming shut, is fine. By the time you see the cat in the room you’re ready for what’s coming. Some gross-out gore in this one too, an early instance of it in horror as far as I know.
——————————
“The inscrutable laws of sex have so arranged that even a timid woman is not afraid of a fierce and haughty man.
The Secret of the Growing Gold (1892). Tell-Tale Heart without the humor and insanity, in which a murdered girl’s hair keeps growing out of her burial place, like a recurring nightmare to the guilty man. Conventional characters and setting. Also, did I miss what big news the brother had?
——————————
A Gipsy Prophecy (1885). I liked this one. Picturesque and suspenseful. The young wife was clever in trying to test the gypsies. One of those close-call endings that was perhaps more effective in its day.
——————————
“…and he ground his teeth and clenched his hands in a wild way as though some taint of the old Berserker fury of his ancestors still lingered in his blood.”
The Coming of Abel Behenna (1893). A love triangle, a murder, a ghastly and nicely constructed end.
[As a New Haven local, it was cool to see that the first US publication of the story was in the New Haven Register].
——————————
“They knew also, as I did, that I was an Englishman and would make a fight for it.”
The Burial of the Rats (1896). A young man in Paris, idle and lovesick, decides to explore neighborhoods neglected by the guidebooks and enters an almost literal dustbin of French history, a sort of town dump where elderly veterans of the revolution camp out.
“…hunted men turn always to the left.”
The tale is like a nightmare from the First Republic. Being chased by an army of decrepit old people also made it feel like a zombie story. The tension and paranoia leading up to the ambush reminded me of Benito Cereno. Good one. Good action scene, if overdone. I liked the idea of the main character using the fortifications of Paris to his advantage. Cool title, too. Not what you think it means.
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A Dream of Red Hands (1894). Simple morality tale. Corny but moving. Great image of the gates of heaven, steel bars thick as masts, close together, and reaching into the clouds.
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“It seemed incredible that he, an elderly commercial man, who had passed a long and uneventful life in the pursuit of business in the midst of roaring, practical London, should thus find himself enmeshed in mystery and horror…”
Crooken Sands (1894). I adored this story about quicksand and doppelgängers. It was quaint and genuinely humorous, despite the horror plaguing the poor main character.
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“It was almost broad daylight, and to the north a red streak of sunlight was reflected, like a path of blood, over the waste of snow.”
Dracula’s Guest—this one was included by the widow: an excised chapter of Dracula, perhaps the first, though if so it would have been a curious prologue, one of those opening head-scratchers. I guess it must have been written not long before 1897. Touches on the battle between vampires and werewolves. Rather striking, visually, like blood in snow.
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“Then it was that he began to notice for the first time what a noise the rats were making.”
The Judge’s House (1891). Another Englishman gets too cocky and doesn’t heed the warnings of the superstitious commoners. Fun.
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The Squaw (1893). Obnoxious American tourist in Nuremberg accidentally kills a kitten and incurs the wrath of its mother. There’s a horrific humor to the absurd situation, similar to the arch-enemy rat from the previous story. The scene in the torture chamber, with the reckless cowboy getting inside the Iron Virgin for a lark, and the museum custodian straining on the pulley to keep the heavy door from slamming shut, is fine. By the time you see the cat in the room you’re ready for what’s coming. Some gross-out gore in this one too, an early instance of it in horror as far as I know.
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“The inscrutable laws of sex have so arranged that even a timid woman is not afraid of a fierce and haughty man.
The Secret of the Growing Gold (1892). Tell-Tale Heart without the humor and insanity, in which a murdered girl’s hair keeps growing out of her burial place, like a recurring nightmare to the guilty man. Conventional characters and setting. Also, did I miss what big news the brother had?
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A Gipsy Prophecy (1885). I liked this one. Picturesque and suspenseful. The young wife was clever in trying to test the gypsies. One of those close-call endings that was perhaps more effective in its day.
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“…and he ground his teeth and clenched his hands in a wild way as though some taint of the old Berserker fury of his ancestors still lingered in his blood.”
The Coming of Abel Behenna (1893). A love triangle, a murder, a ghastly and nicely constructed end.
[As a New Haven local, it was cool to see that the first US publication of the story was in the New Haven Register].
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“They knew also, as I did, that I was an Englishman and would make a fight for it.”
The Burial of the Rats (1896). A young man in Paris, idle and lovesick, decides to explore neighborhoods neglected by the guidebooks and enters an almost literal dustbin of French history, a sort of town dump where elderly veterans of the revolution camp out.
“…hunted men turn always to the left.”
The tale is like a nightmare from the First Republic. Being chased by an army of decrepit old people also made it feel like a zombie story. The tension and paranoia leading up to the ambush reminded me of Benito Cereno. Good one. Good action scene, if overdone. I liked the idea of the main character using the fortifications of Paris to his advantage. Cool title, too. Not what you think it means.
——————————
A Dream of Red Hands (1894). Simple morality tale. Corny but moving. Great image of the gates of heaven, steel bars thick as masts, close together, and reaching into the clouds.
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“It seemed incredible that he, an elderly commercial man, who had passed a long and uneventful life in the pursuit of business in the midst of roaring, practical London, should thus find himself enmeshed in mystery and horror…”
Crooken Sands (1894). I adored this story about quicksand and doppelgängers. It was quaint and genuinely humorous, despite the horror plaguing the poor main character.
May 27, 2015
Loved this short story by Bram Stoker. A very tense, scary story that is well-written with a twist I should have seen coming.
November 2, 2025
I finished up reading in full Dracula's Guest And Other Weird Stories (for some reason under the title Dracula's Guest And Other Weird Tales here), a collection of spooky stories from Bram Stoker. Published posthumously in 1914 with a preface written by Bram Stoker's wife, this compendium of the macabre feels like the perfect middle point for any reader who has already browsed through all of Edgar Allan Poe's work and wants to jump into H.P. Lovecraft. Bram Stoker is the perfect segway.
I've already read "Dracula's Guest" more times than I can count since I was a teenager. It's a story many people express disdain for but I don't understand why. Maybe because Dracula isn't the central villain this time. I've always loved it and found some of the imagery represented in the story to be even creepier than anything found in the actual Dracula novel. "The Judge's House" is the only other story I was familiar with; I had read it only once as a teenager. It's a fairly scary read, having a haunted house setting, descriptions of nasty rats, and a ghost. It's another story I enjoyed even if it's not of the same caliber as "Dracula's Guest".
Okay, everything else forward was my first time reading it. "The Squaw" can basically be called "The Black Cat Part 2" as it features a devilish feline, this time who's out for revenge against an asshole American character. Next story up was "The Secret Of The Growing Gold", followed by "A Gipsy Prophecy", two decent tales, nothing special. "The Coming Of Abel Behenna" was the only one I didn't care so much for. "The Burial Of The Rats" is a classic, "A Dream Of Red Hands" was alright, and "Crooken Sands" had a cosmic horror tone to it. Overall, a grand slam collection.
I've already read "Dracula's Guest" more times than I can count since I was a teenager. It's a story many people express disdain for but I don't understand why. Maybe because Dracula isn't the central villain this time. I've always loved it and found some of the imagery represented in the story to be even creepier than anything found in the actual Dracula novel. "The Judge's House" is the only other story I was familiar with; I had read it only once as a teenager. It's a fairly scary read, having a haunted house setting, descriptions of nasty rats, and a ghost. It's another story I enjoyed even if it's not of the same caliber as "Dracula's Guest".
Okay, everything else forward was my first time reading it. "The Squaw" can basically be called "The Black Cat Part 2" as it features a devilish feline, this time who's out for revenge against an asshole American character. Next story up was "The Secret Of The Growing Gold", followed by "A Gipsy Prophecy", two decent tales, nothing special. "The Coming Of Abel Behenna" was the only one I didn't care so much for. "The Burial Of The Rats" is a classic, "A Dream Of Red Hands" was alright, and "Crooken Sands" had a cosmic horror tone to it. Overall, a grand slam collection.
October 16, 2024
The overall rating is the average of the following ratings.
Dracula’s Guest
2 stars - It was ok
This was a very short story and was clearly supposed to be the first chapter for Dracula, but was cut for some reason. It felt like a little tease of a potential different version of Dracula.
The Judge’s House
3 stars - I liked it
This was a creepy tale of a rat infested house that isn’t what it seems. The whole idea of living in a rat infested house and being watched by rats is quite chilling. The twist with the judge and the bell rope was quite cool. I enjoyed this one.
The Squaw
1 star - Not for me
TW: graphic animal death; racist language
I couldn’t finish this one. There is a violent death of a kitten right at the beginning then the guy starts saying some very racist things about Native Americans that just was too much after the cat died.
The Secret of Growing Gold
2 stars - It was ok
A story of the aristocratic Brent family and revenge. The beginning and the end were the best, the middle was just fine.
The Gipsy Prophecy
2 stars - It was ok
TW; racism towards Roma people;
This is a story about a woman who instantly believes a fortune told by a Roma woman and thinks her loving husband will kill her. It was a bit ridiculous but the ending was a surprise since she didn’t die.
The Coming of Abel Behenna
2 stars - It was ok
This story was a bit annoying because its two men fighting over a woman and an indecisive woman. This leads to a bet which will end in one of them marrying her. I was just annoyed by all of these characters and wasn’t surprised when there was sabotage leading to the death of one of the men.
The Burial of the Rats
2 stars - It was ok
This was ok for me. If you go to a risky area, it's no surprise people would try to rob you and possibly kill you.
A Dream of Red Hands
2 stars - It was ok
This was just another ok story. A man trying to come to terms with his past and dealing with nightmares. I was expecting more.
Crooked Sands
3 stars - I liked it
This was an interesting story. At first I wasn’t really seeing how a guy going all out in highland dress would lead to a horror story but it quickly brought out the horror. This was cool because we have a guy who thinks he is losing his mind and has a split personality. But in the end he finds out that wasn’t true and now he will have to live with that horror. I liked the twist at the end a lot.
Dracula’s Guest
2 stars - It was ok
This was a very short story and was clearly supposed to be the first chapter for Dracula, but was cut for some reason. It felt like a little tease of a potential different version of Dracula.
The Judge’s House
3 stars - I liked it
This was a creepy tale of a rat infested house that isn’t what it seems. The whole idea of living in a rat infested house and being watched by rats is quite chilling. The twist with the judge and the bell rope was quite cool. I enjoyed this one.
The Squaw
1 star - Not for me
TW: graphic animal death; racist language
I couldn’t finish this one. There is a violent death of a kitten right at the beginning then the guy starts saying some very racist things about Native Americans that just was too much after the cat died.
The Secret of Growing Gold
2 stars - It was ok
A story of the aristocratic Brent family and revenge. The beginning and the end were the best, the middle was just fine.
The Gipsy Prophecy
2 stars - It was ok
TW; racism towards Roma people;
This is a story about a woman who instantly believes a fortune told by a Roma woman and thinks her loving husband will kill her. It was a bit ridiculous but the ending was a surprise since she didn’t die.
The Coming of Abel Behenna
2 stars - It was ok
This story was a bit annoying because its two men fighting over a woman and an indecisive woman. This leads to a bet which will end in one of them marrying her. I was just annoyed by all of these characters and wasn’t surprised when there was sabotage leading to the death of one of the men.
The Burial of the Rats
2 stars - It was ok
This was ok for me. If you go to a risky area, it's no surprise people would try to rob you and possibly kill you.
A Dream of Red Hands
2 stars - It was ok
This was just another ok story. A man trying to come to terms with his past and dealing with nightmares. I was expecting more.
Crooked Sands
3 stars - I liked it
This was an interesting story. At first I wasn’t really seeing how a guy going all out in highland dress would lead to a horror story but it quickly brought out the horror. This was cool because we have a guy who thinks he is losing his mind and has a split personality. But in the end he finds out that wasn’t true and now he will have to live with that horror. I liked the twist at the end a lot.
November 14, 2025
The Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories audiobook on Chirp is a great gothic read/listen from beginning to end. Each story is steeped in rich, atmospheric tension, exactly the kind of mood you hope for when diving into classic horror. The collection offers a great variety of tales, each with its own flavor of the uncanny, yet all unified by that signature Bram Stoker sense of creeping dread.
What makes this book/audiobook especially enjoyable is the steady rhythm of twist endings and eerie turns. Even knowing Stoker’s style, many of the stories still manage to surprise, offering clever reveals and lingering chills. It’s the kind of collection where you look forward to each new tale because you know you’re in for something strange and memorable.
The narration by James Anderson Foster enhances the experience beautifully. The performances capture the gothic tone, amplifying the suspense and immersing you fully in each unsettling vignette. Listening feels like being pulled into a candlelit library on a stormy night.
Atmospheric, classic, and endlessly enjoyable, this audiobook is a must for fans of gothic horror and timeless weird tales.
What makes this book/audiobook especially enjoyable is the steady rhythm of twist endings and eerie turns. Even knowing Stoker’s style, many of the stories still manage to surprise, offering clever reveals and lingering chills. It’s the kind of collection where you look forward to each new tale because you know you’re in for something strange and memorable.
The narration by James Anderson Foster enhances the experience beautifully. The performances capture the gothic tone, amplifying the suspense and immersing you fully in each unsettling vignette. Listening feels like being pulled into a candlelit library on a stormy night.
Atmospheric, classic, and endlessly enjoyable, this audiobook is a must for fans of gothic horror and timeless weird tales.
March 23, 2025
2,5⭐ rounded down.
December 10, 2025
Els relats breus, una delícia. La majoria amb algun detallet que recordava a Dracula. El Cuc Blanc una mica pesat i enrravessat, i força imperialista, però força bé
December 26, 2025
I don’t personally love horror or thriller, but reading this around Halloween at night was great fun!
January 23, 2015
The variety of this collection is it's real strength, there's nothing here I would term an absolute masterpiece, but the stories are consistently good, and for that alone the collection is worthy of praise.
I list them here, my favorites first:
"Dracula's Guest" is a great story about an Englishman who doesn't heed warnings about an abandoned German village full of vampires.
"The Judge's House" is another great story, a classic haunted house tale full of cozy, yet creepy atmosphere about a student staying in the house haunted by the spirit of a cruel judge.
"The Burial of the Rats" was one I really loved. There's nothing supernatural going on here, just a really good adventure/chase story. The first half sets up a nice feel for the place with it's urban grittiness and squalor. An Englishman ventures into the poorer districts of Paris, full of rag-pickers, ravenous rats and villains who want to rob and kill him.
"The Coming of Abel Behenna" is a nasty little Gothic tale with a bit of a conte cruel feel to it. It follows two young men in love with the same girl, one is chosen to take the fortunes of both and go off for a year to improve his lot, while the other will marry her if he never returns. The one waiting at home decides to see to it that the one abroad never returns.
"The Secret of the Growing Gold" feels like Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" about a man who murders his wife, buries her, but discovers that her hair continues to grow from under the floor where she was buried.
"The Squaw" is a story which I've heard re-told many times before, but I still enjoyed it. It's also got the flavor of a conte cruel, with hints at weird reincarnation theme. After a man accidentally kills a cat's kitten, he seems to see in her face the same hate he saw once in that of an Indian squaw he killed. She gets revenge in a horrific way.
"The Gypsy Prophet" is a decent little tale of ill omens, frankly though I thought it was mostly a comedy, some parts are quite funny. The story follows a man who is told by a gypsy that he's going to murder his wife.
"Crooken Sands" is a good story, but a bit odd. Once it gets going it has a neat setting and ghostly feel with an ending that throws in a creepy twist. The story follows a Londoner on holiday to Scotland who insists on wearing a highlander costume, much to the chagrin of his family. A local with second sight warns him it will lead him into trouble.
"A Dream of Red Hands" is the only really minor story here I thought, about a man whose dreams are telling him because of something he did in his past he will never enter heaven.
I list them here, my favorites first:
"Dracula's Guest" is a great story about an Englishman who doesn't heed warnings about an abandoned German village full of vampires.
"The Judge's House" is another great story, a classic haunted house tale full of cozy, yet creepy atmosphere about a student staying in the house haunted by the spirit of a cruel judge.
"The Burial of the Rats" was one I really loved. There's nothing supernatural going on here, just a really good adventure/chase story. The first half sets up a nice feel for the place with it's urban grittiness and squalor. An Englishman ventures into the poorer districts of Paris, full of rag-pickers, ravenous rats and villains who want to rob and kill him.
"The Coming of Abel Behenna" is a nasty little Gothic tale with a bit of a conte cruel feel to it. It follows two young men in love with the same girl, one is chosen to take the fortunes of both and go off for a year to improve his lot, while the other will marry her if he never returns. The one waiting at home decides to see to it that the one abroad never returns.
"The Secret of the Growing Gold" feels like Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" about a man who murders his wife, buries her, but discovers that her hair continues to grow from under the floor where she was buried.
"The Squaw" is a story which I've heard re-told many times before, but I still enjoyed it. It's also got the flavor of a conte cruel, with hints at weird reincarnation theme. After a man accidentally kills a cat's kitten, he seems to see in her face the same hate he saw once in that of an Indian squaw he killed. She gets revenge in a horrific way.
"The Gypsy Prophet" is a decent little tale of ill omens, frankly though I thought it was mostly a comedy, some parts are quite funny. The story follows a man who is told by a gypsy that he's going to murder his wife.
"Crooken Sands" is a good story, but a bit odd. Once it gets going it has a neat setting and ghostly feel with an ending that throws in a creepy twist. The story follows a Londoner on holiday to Scotland who insists on wearing a highlander costume, much to the chagrin of his family. A local with second sight warns him it will lead him into trouble.
"A Dream of Red Hands" is the only really minor story here I thought, about a man whose dreams are telling him because of something he did in his past he will never enter heaven.
January 22, 2019
Some of the stories were good, but the rest weren't the usual ghastly Bram Stoker fare. I found the first few stories downright gruesome that there was one instance I just scanned the words because I could anticipate how bloody the death scene would be (hint: the iron torture casing in the dead kitten story).
The later ones seemed to get tamer and tamer, but the variety of themes made up for the lack of chills. I still don't get the final story about the old gentleman who liked to wear a Scottish kilt. Seems like such a harmless eccentricity that doesn't warrant the mental torture he had to experience.
The later ones seemed to get tamer and tamer, but the variety of themes made up for the lack of chills. I still don't get the final story about the old gentleman who liked to wear a Scottish kilt. Seems like such a harmless eccentricity that doesn't warrant the mental torture he had to experience.
June 11, 2022
I bumped into this collection and couldn’t help picking it up. It is an easy read that will leave you with some shivers going down your spine. While some stories lean more towards suspense than terror the ones that shone best in my opinion deal with horror. In a style that reminded me of Lovecraft, Stoker sets up brave young unafraid Englishmen to see that there are almost kernels of truth to the folk tales told by the locals. Definitely a fun romp through a style of writing quite rewarding to the reader.
April 2, 2010
I'm preparing to read Dracula the novel, so I thought I'd check out the first story in this collection (haven't read the others). Enjoyed the imagery and color of the language, although the story wasn't particularly engrossing.
I read the Gutenburg ebook (don't see it listed on Goodreads). As I've always been interested in manuscript history, I'd love to find a free copy of "The Dream in the Dead House" from Midnight Tales; it's apparently another addition to the novel.
I read the Gutenburg ebook (don't see it listed on Goodreads). As I've always been interested in manuscript history, I'd love to find a free copy of "The Dream in the Dead House" from Midnight Tales; it's apparently another addition to the novel.
August 1, 2011
It's interesting to see how horror stories have evolved in 100+ years. They were not particularly scary and usually the "twist" at the end was predictable or at least not unexpected, but I attribute that to reading a loooot of that type of stories since many writers have emulated it over the years, obviously.
Definitely enjoyed learning about all kinds of words that aren't really used anymore though.
Definitely enjoyed learning about all kinds of words that aren't really used anymore though.
October 21, 2023
I had no idea Bram Stoker also wrote short stories. What a perfect collection for this Halloween season! I listened to these as an audiobook, and was thoroughly immersed in the poetic Victorian language of the storyteller. It is such a lost art and not always easy to interpret on first pass, but so fun. These reminded me so much of the collected short stories of Edgar Allen Poe. Looking for some quick reads this Halloween? You might want to dip into some Bram Stoker 'weird stories'!
July 12, 2011
This book is a collection of short storeis some with a twist in some predictable, some with deeper supernatural motifs than others. The title story is an abandoned chapter from the Dracula story and I have to admit to being somewhat dissapointed when compared to the much better known work. Alltogether it is a good mix of somewhat spooky tales but not something I would strongly reccommend.
November 7, 2011
More horror from the author of Dracula! Now in the public domain, with a free electronic copy available here.
January 16, 2016
5 audio discs
My favorite was Dracula's Guest
You just can't compete with the aristocratic vampire.
I found some short stories more interesting than others.
They had elements of the supernatural , physical terror and always an unsettling
aura.
My favorite was Dracula's Guest
You just can't compete with the aristocratic vampire.
I found some short stories more interesting than others.
They had elements of the supernatural , physical terror and always an unsettling
aura.
April 7, 2015
Good old-fashioned Gothic stories. Not so scary but mostly entertaining. One can see how the world has changed after Abraham Stoker wrote these short stories.
February 15, 2021
Great collection of short stories reminiscent of Poe’s work. Very enjoyable.
October 14, 2021
I had heard that these stories weren't very good, so I had put off reading them for several years. I enjoyed every story in this collection and regret not having read them sooner.
October 15, 2021
Dracula’s Guest and other stories was just meh for me. After a few stories I just wanted it to be over.
October 17, 2021
Romantic Horror
October 28, 2023
2 Stars
A series of short stories featuring baleful rats, vengeful cats, prophetic gypsies, murderous courtship, evil dreams, and quicksand death, yet still relatively meh.
A series of short stories featuring baleful rats, vengeful cats, prophetic gypsies, murderous courtship, evil dreams, and quicksand death, yet still relatively meh.
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