Dracula in Love

by John Shirley

The book's protagonist discovers (at age 33) he is the son of the being upon whom so many tales are based, but this creature is even more powerful and frightening than the myths have made him to be. Ignore the stereotypical shtick cover, Shirley's updated Dracula possesses (or is possessed by) a sexual organ with eyes and inhabited by its own predatory spirit as well as an appreciation of the contemporary submachine gun.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Audiobook, Novels

283 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

John Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and A SORCERER OF ATLANTIS.

He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.

His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.

He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.

John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.

John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Grady Hendrix · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adventures of a vampire in love and his living, prehensile penis with yellow glowing eyes.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 2 out of 5]

⚠️ NOT A ROMANCE THIS NOT A ROMANCE THIS NOT A ROMANCE THIS NOT A ROMANCE THIS NOT A ROMANCE⚠️
THIS IS YOUR WARNING ITS NOT A ROMANCE LIKE IT DESCRIBES ITSELF AS .. LIKE I THOUGHT IT WAS
uh... this book is weird. I don't know how to put it there are good parts and wtf parts. Its not a romance. I got it thinking it was, boy was I wrong. The main character is dracula's son, Vald. There's a lot of rape in this book, AND I MEAN A LOT. no ones likeable. my first reaction to finishing it was to shrug my shoulders throw up my arms doing so, so that the book flew out of my hands and say "WHAT??" So uh... Yeah... it takes place in the 70s but nothing really happens or stands out that dates the book to that time period.
uh.. it's a weird book.
draculas dick has eyes and a mind of its own. .................................................... and then he crawls into satans lady crotch ... oh you thought a wooden stake and cross? HAHAHA-NO
NO I'M NOT GOING MORE INTO IT... THIS BOOK IS NO LONGER IN MY LIFE. I couldn't donate it to the library after I vaguely described it to them. It's gone thats all I care about.

[Ghoulfriend_pls · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2.5 ⭐️
My expectations were tailored going into this. It was about what I expected…mostly. Weird. Definitely weird. I am not sure I love this take on Dracula haha but I appreciate the strange creativity that went into this. It’s definitely different and there’s a lot of “climatic” events caused by or involving sex organs. This is a book that I could definitely tell was written when it was written. I would not read this if you are looking for a completely serious read. I would not read this if you’re looking for an actual romance. I would not read this if you’re looking for a classic vampire tale or a serious take on Dracula. But if you’re open to a lot of weird, wont shy away from strange phallic descriptions, and are looking for something completely off the wall this might be for you. Overall I am glad I experienced this book, it felt like something I needed to read for myself but once was enough for me I think. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either.
I would not recommend this unless you meet the criteria I mentioned above. This is definitely not for everyone.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good. I saw a blurb stating this was one of the most disturbing books ever written. Possibly one of the most boring books ever written. Yes there’s a rapist and a sentient Dracula manhood, but that actually features very little in the book. This was one of those books I dreaded every time I picked it up.

[David Agranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've waited along time to read this novel. John Shirley is my favorite author in many ways. This novel while published second I believe it was it was his first completed novel. It is one of the few early novels that Shirley has not put back into print so I have spent years combing used book stores looking for a copy. I finally found one in Minnesota at the famous Sci-fi bookstore Dreamhaven. But it was in perfect shape so I put it on the shelf and protected it. I was not able to read it until I found a second reading copy at Smith's family books in Eugene.

I am excited to finally read it. Certainly I can as a long time Shirley fan see the imense growth he has made as writer but I was impressed with how strong of a novel it was for his first effort. The novel starts off with a very Stoker feel, Shirley is a master at matching styles. He completed a unfinished Poe story “The Eye” with several others in a collection and Shirley's was one of of the versions that sounded the most like Poe.

This is important as the first two chapters have a very Stoker feeling to then as Shirley sets up the main character Vladimir Horescu, who was raised wealthy but with out parents. The novel kicks with a letter Vlad receives from a man claiming to not only to be his father but the infamous Count Dracula. His father is coming to San Francisco, it seems he has been hanging out in NOLA as vampire have a habit of doing. Vlad is not exactly excited about dad. The most interesting part of the story is when Lucifer shows and wants Vlad to help him destroy Dracula.

This is an early work for Shirley and he is clearly not as refined of an author as we saw in book he wrote soon after like City-come- Walkin.' That said it is still really good. The characters are well developed with massive dumps of backstory that some authors bog books down with. Had This book come later in Shirley's career I think the characters' motivations might have been more clear. Lucifer came as a far more interesting and frightening character to me.

An interesting aspect of the novel is the effect Dracula has on the community, with his presence coming to an almost city-wide blood ending in an increase in sexual violence. This is a very interesting part of the novel that I think a more season Shirley might have explored. Being an early novel I wondered if the early drafts had more exploring this issue that editors might have toned down.

That may be crazy talk as this novel has its share of extremely graphic violence and sexuality. There is one moment that involves a person impaled that really had me cringing. This is out of print and hard to find so I suggest that huge Shirley fans make the effort, if you are new to Shirley you should stick to the classics still in print.

[Сергій · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to believe the novel was written by an 18-year-old guy! But it just serves as a proof how talented John Shirley is, a natural born writer.
I loved the cross-cultural references and how freely Shirley treated the image of Dracula, but in this freedom he managed to preserve the classic feel to him -- it is the Dracula we know, although he looks a bit different and is sporting military fatigues :)
I loved the lengthy baroque descriptions and the potent imagery -- Dracula crushing the crucifix and squeezing blood from the tine Christ on it, for example. And I was amazed how close Lucifer's revelation of his true looks was close to Arthur Machen's description of Pan.
It's not flawless (Vlad sounded too young for an adult and the climax begged to be more intense and violent), but I thoroughly enjoyed the book -- it's a daring and imaginative novel that predated a lot of splatterpunks.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: Picked it up at a library book sale thinking it was a cheesy vampire romance based on the name and cover but my god it is not. Easily in the top five worst things I’ve ever read. Pretentious, overwritten, absurd (prehensile demon penis...) and just a wreck all around. Made it close to end but just couldn’t do it anymore.

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vlad Horescu, an employer at a computer company, is contacted by his long lost father, who happens to be none other than Count Dracula. John Shirley’s Dracula is kind of like a Bond villain. He wants his son to exploit his position in and knowledge of the tech industry to help him secure a foothold in Brazil, from which he can extend his influence over the world. Things become even more complicated when a supernatural being known as Lucifer—but you can call him Bill—also enlists Vlad’s aid in a cosmic struggle against the vampire. This book is weird and messy and rapey, but it’s certainly not boring. Despite his geopolitical ambitions, Shirley’s Dracula is a horrific and powerful figure. Other distinguishing features include a penchant for dressing in military garb and wielding a machine gun, not to mention his unique manly member, which gives new meaning to the term “trouser snake”—you have been warned. My favorite part of the novel is Dracula's minions, the revenants, zombified servants who have a hellish existence. The finale is a metaphysical psychosexual mess, but it’s quite a ride getting there.

https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book but a bad title! John Shirley ratchets up Dracula to brutal levels.

[Think-On-It]

If you'd like to know what I thought of this book, please contact me directly and I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

All the best,

- TB

[Katia Lyng · Rating 2 out of 5]

.....I don't even know