Dracula in London

by P.N. Elrod (Editor / Contributor), Elaine Bergstrom (Contributor), Bradley H. Sinor (Contributor)

How did Dracula occupy his time in London when he wasn't stalking Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker? Today's top authors take the infamous nosferatu on a tour of 1890s London--in sixteen wonderfully inventive stories.

Genres: Vampires, Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

263 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Patricia Nead Elrod is an American fantasy writer specializing in novels about vampires. Her work falls into areas of fantasy and (in some cases) mystery or historical fiction, but normally not horror, since her vampires are the heroes. -Wikipedia

Reviews

[Mia Darien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been burnt recently by professionally promoted 'fanfiction' by well-known authors, I only jumped into this one because P. N. Elrod is among my favorite authors and I trusted her a little more than I might others.

While I cannot say I "loved" any of the stories, I was right to trust Elrod because I felt that no story in this anthology was disrespectful to what I consider the true spirit of the original "Dracula" and thus I am not disappointed.

Not really any of the tales are quite worth, to me, raving about. I didn't like the historical name-dropping. Barrett's "A Most Electrifying Evening" and DeWeese's "An Essay in Containment" struck me as attempting to be clever but only succeeding in being pointless.

The story by Elrod and Bennett as well as Yarbro were, to be expected, well done. Despite my dislike of the name-dropping, I did like how Yarbro referenced Jack the Ripper who held his own rein of terror just a few years before the events in "Dracula." Nye's tale amused me.

I'm still debating what I think about "Curtain Call," however. I disliked the use of Stoker as a player, but I liked the concept of it. So, jury's still out there.

Otherwise, only Kilpatrick's "Berserker" stood out to me. The rest were average and kind of forgettable, but I thought hers unique and the most enjoyable of the anthology.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly horrific compilation, but not at all in a good way. I came across this in a box of old books from the late 90s/early 2000s. Don't even remember buying it, much less reading this, although I may have just repressed the memory out of trauma. There were a literal handful of decent stories in here, but mostly, the pages were wasted with unreadable entries. Not a single one captured the essence of Dracula, while a few tried to turn the lore on its head to dubious results. My advice: avoid this book at all costs, especially if you're a fan of the original.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any short story collection from a group of authors you will find some you prefer to others, in this collection I felt 3 or 4 were the weak ones. However, for any Dracula fans it's worth a read, entertaining and enjoyable.

[Cindy Toy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oct. spooky read #6. This book appeared in my little free library recently so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a mixed bag as short story collections often are. A few were really good, several were okay, and a couple were awful.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad anthology, but I wouldn't read it a second time.

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best anthologies I have ever read. I am not really a fan of horror, and my vampire books tend to be the Urban Fantasy type, so it surprised my that I liked this book so much. The stories mostly stay away from the blood and guts stuff, and mostly deal with Dracula the Man as opposed to Dracula the Monster.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are all short stories by authors who write novels about vampires. The best vampire authors. They each write a story that is a take on Dracula in London during his times. It's fascinating the different creative takes on him, from he's really a hero to he's really stupid.

[Rachel Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. Pretty neat to have so many different authors writings on what Dracula was up to in London in his spare time. I didn’t like every story of course but the majority were interesting.

[Kingsgrave]

Another Elrod anthology. In this one, I teamed up with Amy Gruss, to write a trickster tale about Dracula and a teenaged Alistair Crowley.

[Ashraf Malik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Bram Stoker has nothing to do with this book,he features in the best story 'A Curtain Call' in the book.it was a good attempt at Dracula's whereabouts while he was in London but sadly some stories like the last one on Renfield are absurd to say the least.
Some authors have tried their imagination to run wild but most of the plots have been based around the original classic Dracula.go for this if you are actually interested in what Dracula's rendezvous were with different folks of London.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I enjoyed the idea of reading about Dracula when he was "LIVING" in London. Some of the stories were interesting and some were different. All the authors definitely had an unique thought process and that was what makes this novel. Reading how different people saw and took Draculas story and intertwined them with the original and the inclusion of the characters from the original was awesome as well along with new characters. Definitely worth reading at least once if you are a Dracula fan.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a short story fan, but husband tossed this my way, with an "in case you're interested" so I took it. Some good authors ("name brand") in the collection. I prefer my Dracula served Stoker style, though.

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe how much I enjoyed reading this anthology of 16 short stories revolving around Dracula and his adventures during the time in London when Van Helsing is on his mission to destroy Dracula. The stories are unique and well written making for excellent reading.

[Daniel M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very solid collection of stories of the Count while he was in London during the original Stoker tale. The stories all feel very cohesive and include the same version of the character. I did not care for the last story in the collection, but the rest I found to be quick and enjoyable reads.

[Jessie Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right up till the last story, I would have rated this collection a 5 star. The last story, was about Renfield and "Spoilers" - children were damaged.

[exxcentrica]

I don’t know why I didn’t finish this (1/5/09) but I got 74 pages in

[Msoneworld4me · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction to writers you may not be familiar with. All the stories were well written and there is something for everyones taste.

[Loki · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of short stories inspired by, and mostly set during Dracula (not all during its London stretches, despite the title). Mostly fun disposable tales that don't out-stay their welcome.

[Henry Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly lackluster stories of what Dracula was up to in London when offstage in the novel. Promising premise that does not live up to the potential of the idea.

[Bart Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection of Dracula tales.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea for this anthology definitely has promise, but sadly it doesn't quite live up to it. I've often thought it would be interesting to explore what Dracula gets up to when he's not seen in London - especially because there's potential for him to have left behind vampires and other threats the Band of Light know nothing about. This collection, however, mostly focuses on the Count meeting up with famous people and some of the author's fictional characters. The latter tends to feel rather self indulgent and grating, since the authors who do it want to have their characters show up the Count but the constraints of canon mean they can't just kill him. Some of the historical figures were fun, though, especially the story in which Dracula meets a young Aleistair Crowley. I did also enjoy the sheer ridiculousness of Places for Act Two, in which Dracula thwarts a plot to assassinate the heir to the throne of Great Britain and gets to be the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance. The best story in terms of putting a new twist on the original novel was definitely The Dark Downstairs, which gives the servants' perspective on Dracula's attacks on Lucy. Servants are often effectively invisible, and so it's fun to see what they got up to during the novel. There was also a strange story about Dracula becoming real thanks to Stoker, which was an interesting idea, but didn't really fit in with the theme of the collection. It did give me an interesting historical author to look into, though. Finally, I was frustrated by Berserker, which gets Dracula's character almost as appallingly wrong as Fred Saberhagen's novels. All in all, I have to say that there's a lot that could be done with the idea of what Dracula got up to during his time in London, but this anthology isn't really the place to look for it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

♦"To Each His Own Kind" by Tanya Huff collected in Relative Magic 5/2/2006 reread 3/31/2015
Box Number Fifty by Fred Saberhagen 3/11/2004 re-read 5/3/2006
Wolf and Hound by Nigel Bennett and P. N. Elrod 5/4/2006
The Dark Downstairs by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad 6/8/2004 re-read 5/8/2006
Dear Mr. Bernard Shaw by Judith Proctor 5/9/2006
The Three Boxes by Elaine Bergstrom 5/10/2006
Good Help K. B. Bogen 5/11/2006
Everything to Order by Jody Lynn Nye 5/13/2006
Long-Term Investment by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro 5/14/2006
"Places for Act Two!" by Bradley H. Sinor 5/15/2006
Beast by Amy L. Gruss and Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein 5/16/2006
A Most Electrifying Evening by Julie Barrett 5/17/2006
An Essay on Containment by Gene DeWeese 5/18/2006
Berserker by Nancy Kilpatrick 5/19/2006
Curtain Call Gary A. Braunbeck 5/20/2006
Renfield or, Dining at the Bughouse by Bill Zaget

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an anthology of short stories about (gasp) Dracula in London, and what he might have been doing when not caught up in the action of Bram Stoker's Dracula . The genre of the stories ranges from comedic to creepy, sometimes presenting Dracula as the perfect gentlemen, and other times showing off his more monstrous side. In a few stories, Dracula does not make an appearance at all, but is instead mentioned by the main characters.

Despite not being a fan of short stories, I really enjoyed this book. The variety of tales is excellent, as is the writing. I didn't enjoy all of the stories, but most of them, especially ones where Dracula is portrayed more sympathetically. Some famous historical figures make cameo appearances in the story (although I am not familiar with most of them), including Bram Stoker himself.

I'd recommend this for anyone who likes vampires, but not vampire romances, and those who are fans of Dracula. As claimed by the book, the stories do pay homage to the style of Stoker's original tale.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these shorts. It is rare that I like everything in an anthology, but P.N. Elrod does an exceptional job of choosing and coaxing authors to put together a great package. The only story I didn't like was the last, featuring Renfield, and it was just too annoying to finish.

Note, this is not a collection geared to Vampire or Paranormal Romance readers. All of these stories relate to the original Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I mean the book, not the movie. To fully understand and appreciate them, one should read this classic first. (And all the better if you've had the wonderful opportunity to visit Whitby, a very charming seaside resort dominated to this day by the abbey ruins and cemetery Stoker so vividly described.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice if somewhat narrow collection of stories about Dracula in London, just as the title promises. The selection is somewhat up-and-down, with particularly enjoyable stories from Tanya Huff, Fred Saberhagen, and Gary Braunbeck.

[Chere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love vampire fiction, and Dracula remains for me one of the most fascinating figures -- both seductive and repulsive. This collection serves up interesting tales about the most (in)famous vampire, sometimes putting him in a sympathetic light and other times depicting him as a beast.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Dracula in London' is an interesting series of short stories about "Dracula in 1890's London". Each story is written by a different author. The short stories were good to not so good in their likeability.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection includes several stories that tie in with Stoker's novel and do so well. In other words, you can tell the editor and authors have read Dracula more than once.

[Unicorn-san · Rating 3 out of 5]

A random pick that turned out good.

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy, breezy bus reading material.