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Dracula's Guest
Dracula’s Guest (1914) is a posthumously published collection of short stories by Bram Stoker, edited by his wife, Florence Stoker. The volume expands on the dark, atmospheric world that made Stoker a defining figure of Gothic horror.The title story follows an English traveler who ignores local warnings and wanders alone into the countryside on Walpurgis Night, a time said to be haunted by supernatural forces. Lost in a storm, he seeks shelter in a deserted cemetery, where he encounters a chilling and mysterious presence. Other stories in the collection similarly explore haunted houses, ominous landscapes, and the consequences of defying superstition.Featuring nine eerie tales, Dracula’s Guest highlights Stoker’s mastery of suspense and the supernatural, offering readers a compelling glimpse beyond his most famous work, Dracula.
128 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2026
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,944 books6,280 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
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August 11, 2026first two stories were the best. stoker is so good at building the mood of his stories, it's very immersive.
August 4, 2026
Would have rated 5 stars but decided on 4, as the last story is a bit lacklustre compared to the first 3.
A collection of 4 short stories by gothic horror master Bram Stoker, I especially love the strong twist at the end of the title story, Dracula’s Guest. While Google searches have stated that it’s not meant to be an earlier 1st chapter draft to “Dracula”, I can’t help feeling that Dracula’s Guest seems to be and makes for a great opening chapter.
The other stories are:
The Judge’s House - ending is actually predictable as there is plenty of foreshadowing here, plus I’d read a similar story in another horror collection (“Who Shot Sergeant Ito?” in “A Mosque in the Jungle)! I suppose it’s either creative coincidence or the latter’s author might have been inspired by Stoker. :)
The Squaw - A pretty chilling read. Its ending is also predictable but no less terrifying. I didn’t foresee the cat’s ending though. This is a cautionary tale to silly humans to treat animals with respect and care, instead of throwing stones at them. 😡 A lot of American slang used here, which makes for some getting used to.
The Burial of the Rats - The least exciting/horrifying tale in spite of the narrator’s close brush with death. This story also has the most lengthy paragraphs which somehow bored me, unlike the fast pacing in the first 3 stories. Anyway, a sort of good ending.
PS. This book is already published; I bought my copy in a retail bookstore just this month. Not sure why Goodreads put it as “not yet published”.
A collection of 4 short stories by gothic horror master Bram Stoker, I especially love the strong twist at the end of the title story, Dracula’s Guest. While Google searches have stated that it’s not meant to be an earlier 1st chapter draft to “Dracula”, I can’t help feeling that Dracula’s Guest seems to be and makes for a great opening chapter.
The other stories are:
The Judge’s House - ending is actually predictable as there is plenty of foreshadowing here, plus I’d read a similar story in another horror collection (“Who Shot Sergeant Ito?” in “A Mosque in the Jungle)! I suppose it’s either creative coincidence or the latter’s author might have been inspired by Stoker. :)
The Squaw - A pretty chilling read. Its ending is also predictable but no less terrifying. I didn’t foresee the cat’s ending though. This is a cautionary tale to silly humans to treat animals with respect and care, instead of throwing stones at them. 😡 A lot of American slang used here, which makes for some getting used to.
The Burial of the Rats - The least exciting/horrifying tale in spite of the narrator’s close brush with death. This story also has the most lengthy paragraphs which somehow bored me, unlike the fast pacing in the first 3 stories. Anyway, a sort of good ending.
PS. This book is already published; I bought my copy in a retail bookstore just this month. Not sure why Goodreads put it as “not yet published”.
Review of advance copy
Almost four stars. Dark and well written stories with protagonists who insist on courting danger. The weakest link are the concepts behind the stories; they are merely okay. Still always somewhat interesting.
This is not a pre-publication review. The date of publication must be erroneous. (As a Librarian, I'd correct it if I had more information.) I bought my copy at a bookseller's table in a convention in Finland earlier today.
This is not a pre-publication review. The date of publication must be erroneous. (As a Librarian, I'd correct it if I had more information.) I bought my copy at a bookseller's table in a convention in Finland earlier today.
October 28, 2026
Draculas guest was great. Found as I read the rest of the stories I became a bit less interested. Very immersive but sometimes gets to be so descriptive you forget what exactly you’re reading about.
November 1, 2026
The Squaw is surprisingly brutal for something written in the 1910s. Stoker would have loved writing for modern horror audiences, I think.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews