Dracula's Guest and Other Stories

by Bram Stoker

'On top of the tomb, seemingly driven through the solid marble - for the structure was composed of a few vast blocks of stone - was a great iron spike or stake. On going to the back I saw, graven in great Russian letters: The Dead Travel Fast' In this rich collection of thirteen macabre tales, Bram Stoker, creator of the Gothic masterpiece, Dracula, and one of the greatest exponents of the supernatural narrative, presents us with a weird and chilling variety of unsettling stories. Stoker's dramatic scenarios, from the opening tale of vampires, Dracula's Guest, which was omitted from the final version of Dracula, will thrill and engage the modern reader. In these pages you will encounter the devilishly dangerous haunted room in The Judge's House, the fatalistic tragedy in The Burial of the Rats, the terror of revenge from beyond the grave in The Secret of Growing Gold and the surprising twist in the tail in The Gypsy's Prophecy, amongst other strange and frightening episodes. This unique collection of Stoker's short fiction provides a feast for those who like to be unnerved as well as entertained.

Genres: Horror, Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, 19th Century, Fantasy, Vampires

224 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2006

About the author

Irish-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

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of nine outlandish and macabre short stories from Bram Stocker was originally published in 1914 with the title Dracula's Guest & Other Supernatural Tales. It was published as an anthology after Stocker's death by his widow and contained some of his previously published short stories along with an unpublished tale named Dracula's Guest - which was discovered in manuscript form from Bram Stocker's papers in 1912.

In the preface to the anthology, Florence Bram Stocker, the widow of Bram Stocker, points to the possibility that the story titled Dracula’s Guest included in this compilation was originally written by Stocker as part of the novel Dracula and was later deleted before publishing to make the novel more compact.

To his original list of stories in this book, I have added an hitherto unpublished episode from Dracula. It was originally excised owing to the length of the book, and may prove of interest to the many readers of what is considered my husband's most remarkable work.

Not all the short stories in this anthology are equally riveting yet most of the tales in this collection has all elements of good Gothic horror. They are not that dense and gripping like the original ‘Dracula’ still they can be enjoyed as easy to read tales of terror. Stories like Dracula's Guest, The Judge's House, The Squaw and The Gypsy's Prophecy are quite gripping, chilling and satisfying to read.

If you are a fan of Poe’s short stories, then these old fashioned tales of terror and supernatural from Bram Stocker will keep you absorbed.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a review, but a brief discussion about a cool experience reading this book in a spooky old library can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

[Valerie Book Valkyrie-on Holiday Semi-Hiatus]

Pre-Read Notes:

"Dracula's Guest", originally published in 1914, 2yrs after Stoker's death was an episode from Dracula that was excised due to the novel's length. It was out of print for many years. Goodreads lists only the editions published from 2006 to 2025.

You can read this collection of short stories by the creator of Dracula for free at Project Gutenberg.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10150...

I'd sure enjoy reading any of the stories in this collection with the SHORT STORY GROUP of the LBC 🧚‍♀️🙋🏼.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I ventured to end my sojourn into literature that bore tales of the supernatural and with a presage of dread, in an effort to diversify my reading habits, I tread not farther than the writers who had earlier bought me great joy with their superior penmanship. And with the end of Halloween for the year was drawing to a close, I chose this collection of stories written by the writer who had romanced me with the gothic allure of Dracula.

Published posthumously by his wife, the primary in the collection, if so can be assumed by the name so given: Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories told of a harrowing incident encountered by a traveller who is presumably Jonathan Harker. It is believed that this particular incident, presented in the form of a short story in the present collection, was initially written by Stoker as part of the tale of ‘Dracula’ but was later removed by him. Though many argue the validity of that, my own feelings rest with Stoker’s wife who in the introduction makes a point in favour of the former, for the story could neatly nestle in the greater story. However, for the purposes it lacked refinement and much of the inspired gruesome that made Dracula such a favourite. The story itself had not much to do with Dracula, but was rather a vague indication at the monster. Not quite gripping, and sufficiently lacking in funds of sensationalism.

Even the other stories in the collection do seem to lack that very essential spice. Among them, The Judge’s House and The Burial of the Rats do credit some merit. The former is a story of a student who in an effort to do away with all distractions of a mundane life, sets out seeking a place that would afford him tranquil environs to pursue his study ends up discovering the Judge’s House. Disregarding the warnings of the locals, including those of a very weak hearted lady who is given to frequent fainting spells at the prospect of anyone taking up abode in ‘that’ house. On the other hand, the latter although twined its story through and among objects that turn my stomach, it provided a much needed respite from the languor pace of the rest.

All in all, the collection fails to live up to the pedestal of Stoker’s most celebrated work, although each has its redeeming qualities. However, the similarity in thought, structure and even to a marked extent the plots that seem to veer to a similar hanging crusade, all very familiar to the writer as the pages were turned but drawing back in distinction, left me very dissatisfied.

P.S.: I was kept from reading The Squaw by my abhorrence of reading anything gruesome to the fate of felines. Frankly, I am terrified at the prospect of anything happening to the feline extension of the Paul family, and would rather not add to the grim scenarios that plague me at the smallest chance of anything unpleasant befalling them.

[Liberty {LittyLibby} · Rating 4 out of 5]

October is for the macabre. 😊

[Murat Dural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Büyük üstadın öykülerini okumak ayrıcalık. Böyle önemli bir yazarın bir ihtimal Dracula'yı üreten ön üretimlerini ya da Dracula sonrası oluşan öykülerine şahitlik etmek, izlerini takip etmek bir okur, özellikle bir yazar için büyük önem taşıyor. Haddimi çok aşmadan gotik, korku edebiyatı severlerin muhakkak bu kitabı kütüphanelerinde bulundurması gerektiğini söylemeliyim. Dikkatimden kaçmayan bir unsurdan bahsetmeden geçemeyeceğim; Stoker'ın naif finalleri gerçekten ilgi çekici. Dönemin sert, kan revan, keskin üslubuna tezat yumuşak bitirişler Stoker'a ait birer imza sanki.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ο προσκεκλημένος του Δράκουλα και άλλες παράξενες ιστορίες", εκδόσεις Αίολος.

Η συγκεκριμένη συλλογή διηγημάτων είναι η δεύτερη επαφή μου με το έργο του Μπραμ Στόουκερ, μετά το κλασικό και πολύ καλό "Ντράκουλα" που διάβασα τον Οκτώβριο του 2014. Έτυχε να την βρω πέρυσι τέτοια εποχή σε παλαιοβιβλιοπωλείο με ένα τάλιρο, αν και ήταν από τα βιβλία που θα τσίμπαγα έτσι και αλλιώς από κανονικό βιβλιοπωλείο. Τέλος πάντων, χρειάζεται και λίγη τύχη.

Λοιπόν, έχουμε να κάνουμε με εννιά διηγήματα που ανήκουν στο είδος του τρόμου και του παράξενου. Πρώτο διήγημα της συλλογής είναι το "Ο προσκεκλημένος του Δράκουλα", που μας εισάγει τόσο στον μυστηριώδες και τρομακτικό κόσμο του πασίγνωστου μυθιστορήματός του, όσο και στον σκοτεινό κόσμο του συνόλου του έργου του. Πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, καλογραμμένη και άκρως ατμοσφαιρική, σε φτιάχνει για την συνέχεια. Τα επόμενα διηγήματα μου φάνηκαν, όλα τους, ιδιαίτερα ατμοσφαιρικά και φυσικά καλογραμμένα, με μπόλικες ανατριχίλες, ωραία σκηνικά και δυνατές πινελιές μακάβριας φαντασίας. Από αυτά ξεχώρισα κυρίως το "Το σπίτι του δικαστή" και το "Η ταφή των αρουραίων". Η γραφή σε όλα τα διηγήματα είναι πολύ καλή και ευκολοδιάβαστη, με ωραίες περιγραφές γεγονότων και τοπίων. Δείχνει τα χρόνια της, με την καλή έννοια όμως.

Κάποιες ιστορίες είναι καλύτερες από κάποιες άλλες, σίγουρα όμως σαν σύνολο η ποιότητα του βιβλίου είναι σε πολύ καλό επίπεδο. Όλες οι ιστορίες μου προσέφεραν ψυχαγωγία και ανατριχίλες, ήταν ό,τι έπρεπε για δυο χειμωνιάτικα βράδια. Με λίγα λόγια πρόκειται για μια συλλογή κλασικών ιστοριών τρόμου, ενός μεγάλου συγγραφέα του είδους, που αξίζει την προσοχή των τρομολάγνων.

[Cat Tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great stories in this; the one about the kitten ("The Squaw") is eye-squeezingly and shoulder-tensingly horrific, "The Judge's House" left me nervous about being alone in the house, and "A Gipsy Prophecy" and "A Crystal cup" were no less horrific for highly tragic. Others, like "The Red Stockade", left me more confused than scared, but overall this is a good read.

[Octavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

En general buenos relatos.

[blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party, you might get the impression that Stoker didn't know quite how to write a short story, but this is as solid and professional a collection of horror/ghost stories as you might wish for. One of the strongest stories is the title one, "Dracula's Guest," which is a section that was removed from the book for length and—I'm not sure (from an artistic standpoint) whether that was a good choice or not.

It presumably takes place before the opening of Dracula with Jonathan Harker (no name is given in this) traveling through Germany on his way to Transylvania, only to find himself in a freakin' town of vampires on Walpurgis Night which, as we all know, is the WORST time to be caught in Vampire City. And he is saved from certain doom by Dracula, his old bad self! One of the nice things about the novel is how quickly it gets down to business on the one hand, on the other, this is kind of bad-ass. So I'm torn.

Ultimately, Stoker was a bit of a soft touch as a "horror" writer, and so a number of these stories had happier endings, with "A Dream of Red Hands" being a straight up redemption story, and "A Gipsy Prophecy" having a much nicer ending than it might have (which on some level undermines the prophecy, when you think about it).

Good stuff which has as an advantage brevity, and I think it's much better than the "earlier" Snowbound because the stories were actually written before Stoker's stroke.

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

With Dracula, Bram Stoker produced an undisputed masterpiece, arguably the greatest horror novel ever. But sadly, many of his other works are not just inferior but are flat-out poor. There are a few highlights in this collection of short stories, like the often anthologized ghost story "The Judge's House," the less well-known but excellent suspense tale "The Burial of the Rats," and the amusing doppelganger story "The Crooken Sands" (which shows Stoker's humorous side). But most of the other stories run from mediocre to poor.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't sure whether to give this book 2 or 3 stars (maybe 2 and a half would have been appropriate). While there were some stories in the collection that I really enjoyed (notably Dracula's Guest, The Judge's House, The Gypsy Prophecy and The Burial of the rats), I felt that they were outweighed by the weaker stories in the collection. I settled on 2 stars in the end because I felt that if someone asked me to describe what I thought of the book in a word, I would say it was 'okay'.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooooh! Some eerie stories in here.

My favourites were "A Dream of Red Hands" and "The Chain of Destiny".

"The Crystal Cup" was a very different type of story from the rest of the collection; haunting, tragic, and so well described I could picture each scene.

[Mikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've only read, or never read, Bram Stoker's long famous full tale of Dracula, I highly, highly recommend this collection of shorter but equally engaging, vividly detailed stories! If possible, I also strongly suggest doing so by way of the audiobook superbly narrated by Rupert Degas.

[Reena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Roald Dahl’s tales in Someone Like You were twisted but this macabre collection from Bram Stoker are seriously weird. Delightful to revisit Dracula!

[Mariann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tracy Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having a penchant for spookier things plus reading the epistolary book, Dracula, was an easy read, I thought I’d give another Bram Stoker a go. It reminded me of reading Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw in that the language is more formal from the end of the 19th century through the early 29th century.

I can often read books with other things going on around me. These short stories I often had to stop and reread the text. First, this is just a series of short stories which from today’s standards aren’t particularly ghoulish. H.G. Wells, The invisible Man fits in this category. This end of the Victorian period language makes me think of Monty Python’s “The Holy Grail” where the priest talks of the “Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch”:

“Four shall thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou need to proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbyist thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.”

These stories sometimes got bogged down in language overshadowing a storyline that wasn’t that complicated. These are a good few quick stories from the man who brought us one of our most iconic creatures of horror, so it had spots of interest.

[Binxoxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories more than the actual Dracula book. It felt like it satisfied the expectation of creepy, thrilling and gore that I felt was missing in the actual Dracula book. I think some of the stories were a bit dragging but overall this was the type of dark macabre vibe that I was expecting from the actual book. I’m saddened that for whatever reason Bram Stoker decided to omit this from the actual storyline because it would have made the actual Dracula book more exciting in my opinion.

[Corinne Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dracula’s guest - 3 stars. A bit atmospheric, good scene setting.

The judge’s house - 4 stars

The squaw - 4.5

The secret of growing gold - 3.5

A gipsy prophecy - 2

The coming of Abel Behenna - 3.5 stars

[Zardoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories from Braun Stroker horror and adventure. Dracula’s guest is a chapter that was cut out of Dracula. They hold up well for the modern reader.

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say this was a bit of a slog. I did like some of the stories but with the others my mind wandered and I lost focus often.

[Federica Maiolico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finali troppo tragici e senza significato.

[Gonzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it was fun and easier to read than what i thought

[Doodles McC · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a young teen I enjoyed this classic story from the well known author.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a cool set of tales that includes what would eventually grow into Dracula Honestly, I like the first three stories, but the rest are boring. Stoker adds too much setup to the last several stories, and they just go on for too long. Also, there’s a ton of racism and classism, so be warned.

"Dracula's Guest" (1914) 3 Stars
This has a great atmosphere and some really cool, weird stuff. It works better as a Dracula prequel than on its own, though.

"The Judge's House" 3 Stars (Dec. 1891)
Some cool stuff with the rats and manifestations, and I like the added skepticism. However, many of the scares are somewhat stock, even in the 19th century.

"The Squaw" 3.5 Stars (Dec. 1893)
A great cat revenge story, partially foiled by some racism and the ending…

"The Secret of the Growing Gold" 2.5 Stars (Jan. 1892)
Needed more suspense and less extended opening where they explain too much.

"A Gipsy Prophecy" 2.5 Stars (1914)
It’s an interesting take on the concept. Unfortunately, it traffics in several tired Romani stereotypes.

"The Coming of Abel Behenna" 2 Stars (1914)
The end is cool, but it comes after way too much set up.

"The Burial of the Rats" 2.5 Stars (Jan. 1896)
It’s an action packed chase, but it’s a straightforward classist mess. The unwashed masses are essentially zombies, and the fears of the paranoid narrator are unfortunately justified.

"A Dream of Red Hands" 2 Stars (July 1894)
I suppose it’s spooky, but I didn’t care for the execution.

"Crooken Sands" 2.5 Stars (Dec. 1894)
Kinda creepy, but once again, a little long.

[Anja]

Dracula's Guest 3/5
The Judge's House 5/5
The Squaw 5/5
The Secret of the Growing Gold 3/5
The Gipsy Prophecy 2/5
The Coming of Abel Behenna 3/5
The Burial of the Rats 4/5
A Dream of Red Hands 5/5
Crooken Sands 3/5

[Damian Serbu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly did not know what to expect from this collection when a friend gave it to me. I was recently on a two week vacation, and figured it would be a good, long collection to keep me occupied, though I worried it would get old or that I would need to start another novel to keep me going. Nope - I could hardly put this down! There were stories I had never read. The selection was extraordinary. This was an entertaining read. I recommend it!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read-listened to anything written by Mr Stoker. I wasn't disappointed. His writing has just enough to keep you entertained but not so much that you are biting your fingernails and your skin coming off your skeleton. Some of his stories are a bit more scarier than others of course; some are just weird verses scary. But all were good. I did tag these Halloween but they would be nice to read anytime of year if you enjoy these types of stories.

[Reba · Rating 3 out of 5]

So..I am only on the introduction and I am intrigued by the fascinating life of Bram Stoker. I think I might need to do a whole biography on him.

However, the actual collection of stories is quite gruesome and unpleasant. I am only about 4-5 stories in, and they are not comforting reads, to say the least.

This whole collection was biazzaro-pants. Some stories were creepy, some cloying, some terrifying, and some downright disturbing. I honestly am not sure how I feel about the whole thing.

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ���

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.
Since Bram Stoker wrote a number of novels and many short stories, I'll search for more.

5 AUDIO DISCS