Amanda Brack - Brick Dracula and Frankenstein

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photo credit by Amanda Brack

ISBN: 978-1-62914-521-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62914-887-8

Printed in China

Editor: Kelsie Besaw

Designer: Brian Peterson

Production manager: Abigail Gehring

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION BY THE A UTHORS

B ram Stokers Dracula and Mary Shelleys Frankenstein are among the best-known horror stories of all time, spawning hundreds of derivative works and inspiring the dark imaginations of storytellers all over the world. As works of gothic fiction in the late Victorian era, these stories share many similarities, as each tell the tale of a fantastic monster and the people who try to defeat him. In both cases, the villain is depicted as not only physically but also spiritually dangerous. In Dracula, the vampires victims have both their souls and their lives at stake, while, in Frankenstein, the title character risks spiraling into madness as he is confronted with the ramifications of trying to play god. These stories highlight our terrified fascination with the consequences of interfering with things beyond our understanding.

While this pair of infamous tales has been retold countless times on stage, in film, on television, in works of art, and through secondary literature, they have never before been told with LEGO bricks. Through artfully crafted scenes and inventive construction, these plastic bricks bring you the humor and horror of Dracula and Frankenstein in one volume. Each novel has been carefully abridged, maintaining the dramatic arcs and most memorable dialogue of both stories. For lifelong LEGO builders, horror-story aficionados, and young readers new to Transylvanian castles and the first mad scientist, we hope you enjoy these harrowing horrors in incredible LEGO form.

Dracula

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION

H umans have always told stories about monsters: undead walkers, super-strong brutes, insidious fairies, and demonic beings. But among these, the vampire has always been different. They look human; they are created from humans; and to stay alive, they must consume humans. They have the power to beguile and trick you, and they also have a strange power of seduction. As modern vampire stories have shown, these monsters somehow seem more attractive than the rest. For that you can thank Bram Stokers Dracula.

Dracula was written in 1897 by Irish author Bram Stoker. It is an epistolary novel, written as a series of letters, diaries, newspaper clippings, and other written exchanges. Stoker did not invent the vampire: the name itself and the monster it described were discussed across Europe during the 1800s, while bloodsucking demons have existed in human mythologies as early as the Mesopotamians. But Stokers vampire is classier than earlier versions, which had often been depicted as walking rotting corpses. Count Dracula uses charm and manners along with his more otherworldly powers to manipulate the people around him as he carries out his plans. He presents himself as a member of the nobility, speaks intelligent but accented English, lives in an ancient and forbidding castle in Transylvania. He is also known to turn into a bat. Thus Stokers Count Dracula became the most recognizable version of the myth, parodied in cereal commercials and childrens shows alike. Stokers formidable Count is met by the equally formidable Professor Van Helsing, a character who has also become part of the vampire myth and is often reimagined as a vampire expert with kung fu skills.

While the story of Dracula has been adapted and readapted on stage, on screen, and on the page, the original is still fresh and delightful as ever. The text thrills and excites readers with its big cast of gallant characters, quaint dialogue, quick pacing, and truly classic story. Once you enjoy it in brick, you might just have to go read the whole thing!

Chapter I Jonathan Harkers Journal (kept in shorthand)

3 May. Bistritz. [...] All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. [...] It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. Being practically on the frontierfor the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovinait has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. [...]

Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking woman in the usual peasant dress...

When I came close she bowed and said, The Herr Englishman? Yes, I said, Jonathan Harker. [She] immediately returned with a letter.My Friend.Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well to-night. At three to-morrow the diligence will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land. Your friend, DRACULA. [...]

4 May ... Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to [me] and said in a very hysterical way: Must you go? Oh! young Herr, must you go? She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all. [...]

She then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me. [...] She saw, I suppose, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck, and said, For your mothers sake. [...]