Dracula - Bram Stoker

Some of you may have noticed that recently I've been reading the classics on and off. Pride and Prejudice was the first classic (other than Shakespeare) that I read, and that was a few (FIVE) years ago now. God I feel old. In the past year or so, I've read George Orwell's '1984', Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World', Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', and at some point soon I'll be setting my eyes on H G Wells's 'The Time Machine'.

Generally speaking, I've found the classics pretty difficult to read, and none more so than 'Lord of the Rings'. It was like trudging through sticky mud that goes right up to your waist. Though 'Dracula' is (along with Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein') one of the most well-known horror stories ever, it is extremely difficult to read and to keep reading. I ended up reading Dracula in 30 minute bursts, usually ending up with my eyes blearily blinking away sleep. It wasn't that the story is boring, but more that the way it is written does not offer too much attention in this day and age.

Written in a diary form, the book follows a group of people whose lives are severely affected by a certain Count Dracula. It all starts when we follow Jonathan Harker to the Counts castle in Transylvania for a business transaction. Instead, he endures a terrifying ordeal, in which he discovers the Count is not a man, but some kind of monster. The Count has more planned, though, and leaves for England while Jonathan is still stuck in the castle.Soon, the Count has hurt many more people, and the lives and souls of Jonathan's friends and fiancee are at stake.

I had seen the 1992 film adaptation of the novel (featuring a good few excellent actors) before I had read the book, so I knew the story well. It does make a few adjustments to the book that I am not entirely sure about. However, I must admit that the book is not nearly as action-packed and therefore I found it a little lacking. Instead, it relays the feelings and personalities of each of the characters whose diaries we read. it displays the character relationships impeccably and eloquently shows the love that they all feel for one another.

The thought behind this story is evident in the writing and the detail to which Dracula has been given.The idea of vampires has captivated people for years and so the research had to be excellent to provide a character that would fit in with everyones take. And has it worked? I think that the fact it is so well-known 115 years after it was published is proof to that. The in-depth explanations as to why the Count can and cannot do certain things is definitely lacking in the adaptation.

However, it is with some regret that I have to say that a lot of modern audiences would find this book a little dull. There is a lot of conversation, and the events seem to be gone over many times when switching to different speakers. The going is slow, and some diary entries may seem almost pointless. if you're looking for something a bit easier on the mind and with a bit more excitement, I would watch the film.

A good read, but clearly showing its age.6 out of 10

Birthday Books

So it was my 21st Birthday on Friday, and of course I got a lot of books. That's the beauty of an Amazon Wishlist - no thinking required apart from which item to give on their part, and I get the books I'm interested in reading.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be reviewing them, so I thought Id list them for you:

Bumped - Megan McCafferty
0.4 - Mike Lancaster
Runemarks - Joanne Harris
Wither - Lauren DeStefano
Green Rider - Kristen Britain (I also got The High King's Tomb, which is actually the third book in the series)

Three out of these books are dystopian, which is suspect is becoming a little bit of a pattern with me. But there is something about dystopian literature that really sits well with me at the moment. maybe it's because I feel the need to read something about a world that is entirely different to my own. I think that might be why I also like fairytales, sci-fi and fantasy so much. They are so different, and normally almost entirely a fabrication from someone's mind. It's a perfect chance to really see who an author is.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to reading these books and reviewing them for you. With any luck, they won't be too difficult to read and I'm sure they will be as interesting and enjoyable as their blurbs sounded to me.

Avengers: Assemble (The Avengers) (2012)

This film is based on Marvels comic: The Avengers, and sees our more well-known heroes - The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) team up with The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to fight against and intergalactic invasion. At the forefront of this plan is Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's adopted brother, who we last saw falling into space after the Bifrost was destroyed (luckily Odin was able to send Thor back to earth for this film).

Unfortunately as I have not read the comic books, I have absolutely no idea if the film is in any way relevant to the comics, but I hope so. There's nothing better than seeing a good film adaptation of something you already love.

The most impressive part of this film is that way that the plot ties in nicely with the other films, particularly with Thor (2011) and Captain America (2011) (and so I've been told, Iron Man 2) - the most recent ones to join the Marvel film collection. But this story has been building for a while now, ever since we first saw a S.H.I.E.L.D. worker and Nick Fury back in Iron Man (2008). We've seen enticing clips of Mr Fury ever since and have been dying to know what it all culminates into. Speaking of the Marvel collection, I also think that the references given to them are very good, and the combination of the characters is actually nicely realistic. After all, you can't have too many ego's in one room without someone having a clash.

Another good thing about the film is the way that it is not all action. Mind games are afoot, and the characters display a nice wittiness - something you don't see in the likes of the recent Batman movies. Iron Man s a particularly good source of laughter. I love his utter frankness. But I have to say that everyone has their moment.

Of course, the action is great. the special effects are faultless as far as I could see. The 3D was realistic and didn't ruin it for me - something that can happen if the fighting is too dense or if the shots are too fast in my case. But I really do admire the acting. After all, they do have a stellar cast with many accomplishments and credits to their names. The story gripped me enough, but I think it was the acting that really brought it to life and made me care. I don't even know who to credit as the best.

One bad note that i feel should be addressed: the actual story. In its most basic sense, it comprises of one of the most generic plots. The aliens are invading earth and the earth people need to defend it. BORING. But shove a group very skilled and super-powered people into the mix (and a couple of Gods) and you've got a hit. The film manages to carry off the storyline with a lot of back story.. not just your typical invasion after all.

This film deserves a 9 out of 10. I still prefer Captain America.

Sleep, Pale Sister - Joanne Harris

This book is a totally different genre to what we know Joanne best for, and so some readers may be shocked to learn that she dabbles in a bit of Gothic ghost stories, or murder, or the Internet. This is the second book she wrote, and while it didn't sell too well initially, I hope it will make a nice comeback soon.

The book blurb reads:
'Henry Chester, a domineering and puritanical Victorian artist, is in search of the perfect model. In nine-year-old Effie he finds her. Ten years later, lovely, childlike and sedated, Effie seems like the idea wife. But something inside is about to awaken. Drawn by her lover, Mose, into a dangerous underworld of intrigue and blackmail, she meets Fanny Miller, the brothel-keeper, and her shadowy daughter, Marta - murdered ten years ago on the day of Henry's weekly visit... And as friendship becomes possession and Henry's secret past is revealed, Effie and Marta plan their revenge together.'

Now, this sounds very interesting to me, but unfortunately the blurb makes the book sound better than it is and gives most of the story to the reader at the same time. I've only quoted it to you because you're bound to read the blurb anyway.

The storyline is pretty interesting, but to me it does take a while for things to get going. The intrigue at the beginning of the novel is really nice though. We get a real sense of Henry as a character. His guilt is palpable, and we only feel sorry for him to begin with, albeit a little weirded out. The story is told well, and is confusing in such a way so that you don't really understand what is going on until she tells you.

The multiple first person narrative can be a bit tricky, but luckily each character has a specific personality so usually you can figure out how it is rather quickly. This is very effective as we really get a sense of how the characters think and feel, and know everything that is going on. Considering this is a story where three main characters are completely oblivious of one fact or another at certain times, I feel that this is a good thing.

I think what Joanne Harris is good at is giving us a perfect sensory experience. At some points, I was truly a little scared. While at others I could perfectly imagine the effects of the drugs that the characters were taking.

Overall, the book is a good read, but not up to scratch with her usual work. I'd give it the benefit on the doubt, though, as it was only her second book.

Despite the fact that she is my favourite author, it's a 5 out of 10 from me.

Wrath of the Titans

CAUTION: SPOILERS

The sequel to 2010's Clash of the Titans in now in our cinemas - following the Greek Mythology trend once again. And it truly does follow in its predecessors' footsteps with non-stop adventure and stunning effects.

Perseus has chosen to live his life as a human - he has a son now, but his wife, Io, is dead. The Gods are weakening as humans pray to them less and less; soon, all their work will be undone and the Titan, Kronos, will be free to destroy the earth.When Zeus is captured and taken to the Underworld, it is Perseus's duty to bring him back before Kronos is unleashed.

What follows is an unrelenting stream of action that is filled to the brim with Greek Myth, all of which doesn't even happen to Perseus in the stories. It may help to read up beforehand if you don't know it too well, as some things can be difficult to understand. You may need to know, for example, that Poseidon fathered the cyclopes'. The mixture of mythology is interesting, too. In the first film, the mythology simply pertained to Perseus. But here, we see ideas that come from the stories of Theseus, Jason, Orpheus and Hercules too. I think the writers of the film have real skill to combine so many elements into one flowing narrative, and I think they work extremely well together.

Sam Worthington returns in his role as Perseus, but I felt that the character lost some of his personality in this sequel. One point that i found frustrating about the film was the way that Perseus seemed much weaker and less able to fight. In fact, in most of the fight scenes, he seems to be getting beaten up. Yes, he is meant to be about 10 years older, but that does not mean he wouldn't have retained his strength through fishing every day.

Rosamund Pike, who you may have seen as Jane in Pride and Prejudice, is the replacement actress for the part of Andromeda. She does it so well, I think you can hardly tell the difference (apart from that her hair is blonde now). With the likes of Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Bill Nighy as supporting actors, the film stand up extremely well. One surprising performance was found in the virtually unknown actor, Toby Kebbell, who played Agenor - the son of Poseidon. His portrayal was different to that of the other actors, and he injected a sense of comedy and fun into what could have been all too serious. You may have seen him in Prince of Persia as Prince Garsiv.

The concepts of the film were extremely interesting. For example, it includes a labyrinth that is quite unlike any that I have seen before. However, the best setting is undeniably the Underworld, especially that of Tartarus - the prison of Kronos and the other Titans

Overall, I think the film delivers and entertaining sequence that has been well thought through, if not so well acted at times. It clearly leaves us with the message that family, brotherhood and father-son dynamics are far stronger than anything else that can be thrown at you. Mythology buffs will love this take - as long as they're not too intent on having the story correct. I give it a 9/10