Dracula: by Bram Stoker.

Today is World Dracula Day.

I only found out about that yesterday, or I would probably have gone to the trouble of reading the book. Well, I have read some of it - I've trudged through the first few chapters on a couple of occasions - but never made it further. 

Still, lots of people say it's really good.*

Ah well. Perhaps I'll manage to get through the blasted book before the next World Dracula Day. 

(Why on earth is there a World Dracula Day???)

Still, as so many professional critics regard reading the actual book as a sad curb on their creative flights I invite you to do as they do, and make up your own mind, even if you are, like me, in a state of blissful ignorance.

One thing no one can deny about Dracula, though, is that it's seminal. Films, TV, computer games, T shirts...there's a very funny and well-written Man from UNCLE book by David McDaniel called The Vampire Affair that refers constantly to the Dracula legend. It came out in 1966 and is available on Amazon.

I can thoroughly recommend that, at least.

Word To Use Today: Dracula. Dracula was (or may have been) the son of Vlad II Dracul. Dracula means son of Dracul, and dracul means dragon in Romanian.


*On the other hand Jamo's review on Amazon says: The whole thing is about a bunch of privelidged people talking about how amazing eachother are! that realy is 90% of the book. I found the characters so intensely unlikable that I realy was rooting for old Dracula to just turn up and kill them all sharpish.