This is a re-read and this time I'm listening to the story. The voices are first-rate and thankfully they gave Mina a sensible voice.
Dracula is at the same time more melodramatic and slower paced than I recall. I understand now why the Hollywood version took ample liberties with the storyline though I much prefer Stoker's depiction of Lucy.
The story is told entirely through different characters' journals and the “voice” of Dr Van Helsing is indeed distinctive, not just in auditory terms but in word choice and sentence construction.
The ending had a very long build up and a very short climax. But the author built up the rules of vampyr very well, weaving in the many bits and pieces of local folklore and myth to start the Canon of the Vampire.
The Audible edition is excellent and brought to life the original Dracula.
It started slow at first but after the first few chapters, the sense of menace grew. It's not such a whodunit as a why the murder took place.
The setting is an English countryside and most of the story takes place during WW2. Faith recounts the personalities of her aunts and the events that led to the murder.
Ruth Rendell's characters are fascinating individuals and it's through her sharp portrayals of them that a scene involving women and a child can become as suspenseful as an action thriller.
This was a quiet family drama-tragedy, laying open ugly conflicts and the cruelty that exists within relationships - overt and subtle.
A real page-turner, with a tough-cookie female DI as protagonist who I found to be a tad too tough at first but whose emotional state and reactions became clearer throughout the story. Her backstory packs a lot of emotional punch.
The story itself, while on the surface a serial killing, brings to the fore some serious issues: social welfare, abandoned / neglected children and the adults responsible for their care. Plus, some feminist threads as bonus.
I started this story on a Friday and couldn't put my Kindle down for the next two days! A very addictive serial killer thriller with some interesting characters, the lead female character included, and a setting in England's West Midlands.
I am rather glad I purchased this book (despite my reservations) though this does mean I have to read the author's other books now...
Highly recommended, if you are looking for a smart, fast-paced thriller.
Fast, furious, fun read! Dragons in China, a country used to having everything and everyone under control. Whatever could go wrong in a secret zoo of dragons?
If you loved Jurassic Park, you'll enjoy this one.
Ps: and if you can be patient with the author's love of exclamation marks and italics (fortunately, less than in his previous works). He spins a great yarn. Love the premise.
3.8 stars.
A good treatise on AI's development, promise, and perils, offering both an enticing view of the benefits of super-(artificial)intelligence and the horrors. If you're looking for balanced arguments as well as basic ideas of where AI is and where it's heading, this is a good read.