Stoker's Wilde

It’s set up as a series of letters and journal entries, lending itself to some pretty hilarious diverging views of the same events. Pure wit with interludes of some soap opera-esque subplot. Though it does revolve around vampires and werewolves, it’s not a leave-the-lights-on-when-you-go-to-bed type of read. It started out like a spooky mystery radio program and proceeded to get funnier and funnier.

I listened to the audio version and the narrator was fantastic. There were numerous characters to account for and each had a distinct voice. It was just plain fun to listen to one person do all those voices!

I had so much fun listening to this book...more than I could have anticipated. It made me laugh out loud regularly. The naughty bits made me blush. The ending had me on the edge of my seat. The very end made me sigh in relief that it is set up for a second book. Because I guarantee, you will be sad when the ride is over.

If you’re looking for something fun to read. This is it. Highly recommend.

Here’s A problem: if you’re going to write about historical characters, then you should learn about those historic characters, especially if you want to imitate their writing styles. The so-called letters of Oscar Wilde don’t resemble very much Oscar’s writing style. The letter to Oscars beloved completely lacks Oscar‘s wIt and fluid writing characteristics. Oscar didn’t use clichés, but these so-called letters are full of clichéd phrases. That is, Oscar‘s letters do not even closely resemble the actual writing of Oscar Wilde. In addition, Bram Stoker is completely misrepresented as a kind of stuffed shirt. He was nothing of the kind. Even a cursory reading of the several biographies of Graham Stoker would reveal his adventurous spirit and his openness to experience. Ask to Richard Burton, reading a few biographies of him—or even one—would have been quite helpful. So as a type of historical monster hunt, the book is OK, but it is badly marred by the authors’ lack of knowledge of the people they were writing about.

Content Warning: Racism — there is frequent use of the word “g*psy.”

I love — LOVE — a good pun. This title is so good that, the second I heard it, I became firmly convinced that the authors came up with the title first and then everything else just fell perfectly into place. Obviously there was quite a bit more work involved than that, but Stoker’s Wilde is so fun and so well-executed that it feels like it was just waiting for Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi to pluck it from the ether. The novel follows Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde as they team up to fight supernatural evil in and around Victorian London. Told in an epistolary style, as is only appropriate for its Victorian setting, it weaves alternate history, literary allusion, Wildean wit, and bloody good horror into a funny, frightening adventure that delivers on every front.

Fans of Wilde and Stoker will appreciate the allusions to the authors’ works — the reader quickly recognizes the characters who will go on to inspire The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I think I startled several people nearby when I was reading and suddenly said to no one in particular, “Ah, Renfield!” But the story is so engrossing that you can enjoy it even if you’ve never heard of Oscar Wilde or Bram Stoker. It’s a wild ride (no pun intended, I swear) with a large cast of well-drawn characters, as the title duo and their monster-hunting allies fight vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beasts across Ireland and England. The book is often hilarious, as Wilde’s letters are filled with his trademark deadpan wit, and the eerie settings and inventive kills will satisfy horror hounds looking for a little gore.

Stoker’s Wilde suggests that there is far more going on beneath the surface of this world than most people realize, and that even the stories we thought we knew have a much darker (and much more interesting) background. The use of multiple perspectives shines a light on human nature as our heroes struggle against the constrictive morality and rigid class structure of Victorian society, and the treatment of the female characters shows the reader that women are far stronger and smarter than they’re given credit for — especially in an era when women were viewed as being best suited for staying home to raise children and (chastely) kissing the men as they ride off to fight monsters. Seeing the women come into their own and occasionally even save the day, and watching each character’s development as their predicament becomes more and more horrifying, was a real and unexpected treat.

This is a novel that has a little something for everyone, whether you’re looking for humor, adventure, alternative history, or horror. I didn’t know that I desperately needed a monster hunter buddy comedy slash terrifying cosmic vampire tale starring Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, but I absolutely, positively did. Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi even left the saga of Stoker and Wilde open for a sequel, for which I am very grateful. I’m ready for more bloody, hilarious, and insightful horror, and with Stoker’s Wilde, Hopstaken and Prusi have shown that they’re the right duo to deliver it.

I’d like to thank Flame Tree Press for providing a copy. I am under no obligation to post this review and I do so voluntarily.

Bram Stoker. Author of Dracula. And monster hunter?

Oscar Wilde. Author of The Importance of Being Earnest. And monster hunter?

Written in the fashion of recovered letters and diaries from the time, an unlikely association and eventually friendship grows between two men who find themselves unwilling participants in a war against a vampire plot. In turns warm, witty, and frightening, the novel is a fresh take on the fantasy genre.

Enormously enjoyable tale using real people to lend credence to an incredible, supernatural story. Humor, romance, and complex character portrayals are used to reveal how Stoker and Wilde got their material (presumably) for their stories. I enjoyed reading this book so much. The factual characters, including Johnson the cannibal in America, had me with one foot in belief, and the other in imagination. Skillful writing put icing on the delicious cake. Read it and enjoy!

Being the adventures of Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and several other actual historical people, as they confront and attempt to stop a vampire cult in London and environs: with fairly careful attention to the facts of their lives.

Did you know, for example, that Stoker stole Wilde's fiancee? It seemed like a plot twist (and it was), but by God it turns out to be true.

Anyway: the story begins as the recently-affianced Wilde, his brother Willie, and Stoker - all living in Dublin at this time - are drafted by the great adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton to help him track down and stop the depredations of a werewolf in a small Irish fishing town. Stoker turns out to have a second sight, which allows him to help find the culprit.

A bit later, at Wilde's engagement party, Stoker comes across Wilde in flagrante with Lord Ruthven, who quickly proves to be a vampire. They pursue him, but someone else kills him before they catch up.

Time passes. Wilde takes a long trip to Greece. Stoker marries Miss Florence Balcombe. Stoker takes a position as the manager of Henry Irving's theater in London. Wilde returns.

Stoker starts seeing vampires in London. Wilde, meanwhile, discovers an immortality cult that turns out to involve the drinking of blood.

Stoker and Wilde must put aside their differences and join forces to stop a hideous doomsday cult, run by the man or vampire known only as the Black Bishop. Aided by Irving, the actress Ellen Terry, and Robert Roosevelt of America, they risk their lives (and their families') to stop the Bishop.

Telling their story in letters, journal entries, and the occasional bit of miscellania, the authors expertly recreate the feel and pacing of Stoker's famous novel. (Indeed, much of what occurs here is feigned as inspiration for _Dracula_).

I enjoyed this far too much.

Bram deals with werewolves and vampires, and his friend Oscar Wilde. The story is revealed by documents from many sources, and are first person for all. Makes the reading, and very engrossing. This is a book that I need over and over. Each time I read is more to find.

This is a fascinating book told in a series of letters between the major characters. It sounds awkward, but the author pulls it off. Take your time and savor the language.

Join Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde as they hunt werewolves and the undead. This is a fictionalized, historical account of their journey to defeat a diabolical plot that threatens humanity. Delivered to the reader via journals, letters, and "historical" documents, you will be taken on a ride that will leave you breathless.

We meet the pair at a gathering where they are quickly set on a mission, under the guidance and direction of Britain's own Captain Burton, to defeat a murderous werewolf attacking Ireland. While the two men absolutely loathe each other, we find that they work well together. Oscar is witty, charismatic, and a bit too much of a free spirit for Bram, who is more grounded and even keel. On their first outing together, Oscar learns Bram is hiding a secret. Bram possesses a special power, maybe a curse? As they both, separately, move to London, their lives keep intersecting as evil attempts to take hold of the city. Their relationship takes a worse turn after they both fall for the same woman, Florence, but they must fight on.

They must find the Black Bishop, but who is he? What is his plan? All they know is that the undead are in London and attacking Bram. But why?

For those of you who have read Bram Stoker's "Dracula" or Oscar Wilde’s "A Picture of Dorian Grey" , you will be introduced to the "real" people and situations these books were based on. As a fan of both authors, it was a joy to be able to pick out certain characters. The format of letters, journals, etc. kept the action going and gives you a better ability to get into each character's heart and mind.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book the moment I read the description, and I was absolutely not disappointed. I loved the writing style - journal entries and letters written by the main protagonists that really allowed me to see the events of the book through their eyes.

It was also very funny, even while being creepy and a little bit gruesome. I especially enjoyed the banter back and forth between Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. It was very clever and rang true to what I’ve studied about the two.

I think my favorite parts, though, were the scenes I recognized as being “inspiration” for Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Gray. I love both works and this version of how they came to be written was just such fun to read and experience. I would recommend this to just about anyone, with no hesitation whatsoever.