stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
Among bibliophiles, I think there are fans of the orderly, rational, logical world & there are more loosey-goosey types who are fans of the unexplained or hard to believe. I got a real taste of that last year with Verne's [b:An Antarctic Mystery|719181|An Antarctic Mystery|Jules Verne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347912560s/719181.jpg|2434448] (orderly, rational, logical) vs. Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|25789936] (loosey-goosey at best, lol).
So, in The Castle in Transylvania, we are heading into 'supernatural' territory with Jules Verne. Except, being the orderly, rational, logical author that he is, we're *not* really heading into supernatural territory at all. His characters thought they were in supernatural territory, but Verne consistently dismissed their concerns in little asides about their superstitious ways & other hints. Pshaw! Even though I'm not one to try to figure out the story ahead of time, I could see where he was going with this one from fairly early in the story. (Perhaps it helps that I live in a modern age? His scientific explanations might have been more unusual during the late 1800s, whereas they are not unusual now.) Mostly, I just had to chuckle at Verne's Felix Unger-ish, OCD-level behaviors in explaining everything through rational thought. And, as you might suspect, the story is brought to a complete, rational conclusion, with all story arcs neatly concluded at the end.
When I'm reading something supernatural, I guess I'm in the loosey-goosey camp. I want unbelievable things; I want the author to be fully invested in those unbelievable things; I like odd occurrences & strange happenings & things that can't easily be explained. Edgar Allan Poe does that well; Bram Stoker does that well; H.G. Wells successfully melds the scientific with the unbelievable. But, since Jules Verne doesn't seem to be a believer in the odd/unexplainable/supernatural, he's just not invested in that weird suspension of disbelief that goes along with a supernatural tale (imo). So, I would recommend The Castle in Transylvania for rational thinkers (perhaps Mr. Spock would be a fan) who want a non-supernatural supernatural tale. Lol!
So, in The Castle in Transylvania, we are heading into 'supernatural' territory with Jules Verne. Except, being the orderly, rational, logical author that he is, we're *not* really heading into supernatural territory at all. His characters thought they were in supernatural territory, but Verne consistently dismissed their concerns in little asides about their superstitious ways & other hints. Pshaw! Even though I'm not one to try to figure out the story ahead of time, I could see where he was going with this one from fairly early in the story. (Perhaps it helps that I live in a modern age? His scientific explanations might have been more unusual during the late 1800s, whereas they are not unusual now.) Mostly, I just had to chuckle at Verne's Felix Unger-ish, OCD-level behaviors in explaining everything through rational thought. And, as you might suspect, the story is brought to a complete, rational conclusion, with all story arcs neatly concluded at the end.
When I'm reading something supernatural, I guess I'm in the loosey-goosey camp. I want unbelievable things; I want the author to be fully invested in those unbelievable things; I like odd occurrences & strange happenings & things that can't easily be explained. Edgar Allan Poe does that well; Bram Stoker does that well; H.G. Wells successfully melds the scientific with the unbelievable. But, since Jules Verne doesn't seem to be a believer in the odd/unexplainable/supernatural, he's just not invested in that weird suspension of disbelief that goes along with a supernatural tale (imo). So, I would recommend The Castle in Transylvania for rational thinkers (perhaps Mr. Spock would be a fan) who want a non-supernatural supernatural tale. Lol!
a_chickletz's review against another edition
5.0
I was recommended this book by a friend who was doing a dissertation that compared Dracula to The Castle in Transylvania. He also had reason to believe that this book was the inspiration for Gaston Leroux publishing 22 years later, The Phantom of the Opera. Seeing that I have read both books, I can honestly attest that this book has many similarities to the famous book and that my friend was not far off.
I do admit that the book is somewhat boring at the beginning, but fear not. Once you get past the chapter describing the Carpathian Mountains, you are instantly thrust into a story that reminds one of a Hammer Horror film. A small village lives in terror that the resident (or residents, believing them to be ghosts) of the neighboring castle are terrorizing them. The town doctor and a young lad go to the castle to discover if these claims are true, instead, are met with unfortunate accidents. This propels the idea that there are indeed ghosts and the supernatural running amok.
I would go into detail of how much this book could remind one of Phantom, but it is somewhat of a mystery and if one was to spoil even just a little… you could easily guess the end. So I won’t do that, but I will tell you that there is a Raoul character, a Christine character, and a man that could easily be alluded to as the Phantom character.
As the book says, well, it is a ‘zombie’ story… in account that the Christine character is rumored to be dead. Is she really dead? Or perhaps she is still alive, waiting to be rescued? If you are looking for a mystery, chiller, or a light read – pick this book up!
I do admit that the book is somewhat boring at the beginning, but fear not. Once you get past the chapter describing the Carpathian Mountains, you are instantly thrust into a story that reminds one of a Hammer Horror film. A small village lives in terror that the resident (or residents, believing them to be ghosts) of the neighboring castle are terrorizing them. The town doctor and a young lad go to the castle to discover if these claims are true, instead, are met with unfortunate accidents. This propels the idea that there are indeed ghosts and the supernatural running amok.
I would go into detail of how much this book could remind one of Phantom, but it is somewhat of a mystery and if one was to spoil even just a little… you could easily guess the end. So I won’t do that, but I will tell you that there is a Raoul character, a Christine character, and a man that could easily be alluded to as the Phantom character.
As the book says, well, it is a ‘zombie’ story… in account that the Christine character is rumored to be dead. Is she really dead? Or perhaps she is still alive, waiting to be rescued? If you are looking for a mystery, chiller, or a light read – pick this book up!
annewithabook's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
An interesting classic, blending the horrifying inspiration to the original Dracula with science vs. superstition. I really enjoyed this book. It is a bit heavy on the descriptions at times, but I found the ending very unexpected. The ominous feel to who or what is up the castle as all the terrifying Transylvanian villages watch on is intriguing. Not one of my favorites by Jules Verne, but it is enjoyable.
More...