
Powers of Darkness
The Lost Version of Dracula
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Narrated by:
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Adam Verner
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Robertson Dean
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Ralph Lister
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Derek Perkins
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R.C. Bray
About this listen
Powers of Darkness is an incredible literary discovery. In 1900, Icelandic publisher and writer Valdimar Asmundsson set out to translate Bram Stoker's world-famous 1897 novel Dracula.
Called Makt Myrkranna (literally, 'Powers of Darkness'), this Icelandic edition included an original preface written by Stoker himself. Makt Myrkranna was published in Iceland in 1901 but remained undiscovered outside of the country until 1986, when Dracula scholarship was astonished by the discovery of Stoker's preface to the book.
However, no one looked beyond the preface and deeper into Asmundsson's story. In 2014, literary researcher Hans de Roos dove into the full text of Makt Myrkranna, only to discover that Asmundsson hadn't merely translated Dracula but had penned an entirely new version of the story, with all new characters and a totally reworked plot. The resulting narrative is one that is shorter, punchier, more erotic, and perhaps even more suspenseful than Stoker's Dracula.
Incredibly, Makt Myrkranna has never been translated or even read outside of Iceland until now. Powers of Darkness presents the first ever translation into English of Stoker and Asmundsson's Makt Myrkranna. With a foreword by Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew and best-selling author, and an afterword by Dracula scholar John Edgar Browning, Powers of Darkness will amaze and entertain legions of fans of Gothic literature, horror, and vampire fiction.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2018 Hans Corneel de RoosA different look at Dracula
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If you’re a die-hard Dracula fan it will be an interesting though inferior read, otherwise I can’t recommend it.
Only for those particularly interested in Dracula
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I honestly found the story behind Asmundsson’s adaptation much more fascinating than the story itself however I can imagine Dracula fans would love his unique take on Stoker’s creation.
For Dracula Completionists
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Best alternative Dracula.
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Dracula as you have not head
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Essential Listening for Drac Addicts
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I can only recommend it for those who've already read Bram Stoker's Dracula. The quality of characters and plot points lost would be greater than those they gain if the reader chooses Powers of Darkness before Dracula.
Different but very much the same
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The reader of this version is also terrible. He uses the exact same voice for everything, only ever altering his speed and volume.
Amateurish
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It starts off with about an hour and a half of forewords and introductions and explanations which are a challenge to get through if you’re waiting for the actual story.
The story is weirdly done. Firstly a lot of the names are changed for no good reason. The first four hours are a long, repetitive and unnecessarily dragging account of “Thomas” Harker’s time at Castle Dracula. This is told with absolutely no sense of sinister atmosphere, suspense or drama and at times sounds like it was written by a child.
When we finally get back to England, the story glosses over the rest of the events in an hour, as if none of it was very important.
I know this is a translation of a translation/ interpretation, somewhat like running things through google translate a few times just to see what comes out, but the result is one of the least exciting stories I’ve ever read.
Also the narrator is ok, I think it would be impossible for him to insert a sense of drama into a story that doesn’t have any.
If you’re a Dracula nerd your only reason for reading this is completeism, and if you’re not, just don’t bother. Even though it’s currently free on Audible…
Very odd book.
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