Powers of Darkness
- Author Bram Stoker, Valdimar Ásmundsson
- Narrator various
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 24 April 2018
- Run Time 7 hours and 27 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Classic fiction, Horror and supernatural fiction.
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What to expect
Powers of Darkness is an incredible literary discovery: In 1900, Icelandic publisher and writer Valdimar Ásmundsson 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 Ásmundsson’s story.
In 2014, literary researcher Hans de Roos dove into the full text of Makt Myrkranna, only to discover that Ásmundsson 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 Ásmundsson’s Makt Myrkranna. With a foreword by Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew and bestselling 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.
Critics Review
“With the discovery of its vast differences from Dracula, [Powers of Darkness] will have a lasting effect on the world of vampire studies.”
“Powers of Darkness is a completely new look at this classic text that fans of the book and genre won’t want to miss.”
“Powers of Darkness is an entertaining story, and during the read, it is easy to forget what it’s supposed to be—a translation—and think of it as an entirely new novel…To quote from the original: ‘There are mysteries men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part.’ Powers of Darkness does exactly that, while offering new mysteries in their place.”
“Stoker’s great-grand-nephew Dacre Stoker writes that he believes his uncle orchestrated the differences between his original version and the Icelandic one, which is shorter, more forceful, and more erotic since it was not subject to English censorship laws…This thoroughly documented work is recommended for Dracula scholars, but general readers of horror will also enjoy the story.”
“Provides an illuminating look at an act of literary interpretation. Icelandic translator Valdimar Ásmundsson was faithful to the basic plot of Stoker’s story, but he took some liberties with its telling, including adding in new characters, having Dracula scheme with the world’s power elite to enslave the masses, and describing in lurid detail a bloody bacchanal…English translator de Roos speculates that Ásmundsson may have been working with an early draft of the novel…The translation, although pulpier than Stoker’s original, is a fascinating gloss on a literary classic.”
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