Stoker's Wilde: Fiction Without Frontiers

By: Steven Hopstaken, Melissa Prusi

Narrated by: William Hope

Years before either becomes a literary legend, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde must overcome their disdain for one another to battle the Black Bishop, a mysterious madman wielding supernatural forces to bend the British Empire to his will. With the help of a European vampire expert, a spirited actress, and an American businessman, our heroes fight werewolves, vampires, and the chains of Victorian morality. The fight will take them through dark forests in Ireland, the upper-class London theater world, and Stonehenge, where Bram and Oscar must stop a vampire cult from opening the gates of Hell.

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Critic reviews

"Stoker's Wilde is immensely entertaining and engrossing.... This novel was an utter delight." (The Haunted Reading Room)

Supernatural Fun and Adventure… with Real Folks!

Wow! That was a lot of fun! I will be honest, I considered stopping this audiobook as soon as I realized that it was presented via correspondence. I know that some of the most classic pieces of literature were presented in such a way, but I had never been a huge fan of that method. I am very glad that I continued, however, because this was a… Wilde ride! (I was compelled to pun, as if controlled by an outside force!)

This novel is an adventure that revolves around several real life people, the most famous of which were our heroes: authors Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. In Stoker’s Wilde, this pair is forced to team up against the forces of darkness while navigating marriage, society, theatre, and a very rocky friendship. To say much more would only serve to offer spoilers, but fans of each man’s real life work will be putting pieces of the puzzle together as they listen.

The story was fun and exciting, and it never took itself too seriously. “Romp” is a word that comes to mind. It is imaginative and witty, and the links to real life and the works of Stoker and Wilde have been placed with surgical precision.

The performance was excellent. The narrator not only did a fantastic job of making each individual person seem unique, but he succeeded in capturing emotion and personality for all. Accents, tones, attitudes… they were all displayed for the listener’s pleasure.

I highly recommend this book. If you like the supernatural, or conspiracies, or the Victorian Era, or adventure, then this book is for you. Please enjoy!

Hugely entertaining

Probably the funniest and thrilling vampire book you will ever hear. The narrator uses authentic accents for Wilde and Stoker. This is a must for any lover of the macabre

Good blending of fact and fiction

I enjoyed the weaving of fact and fiction. Using the same narrative structure of Dracula ties well with Stoker’s diary, letters, journals, … approach I did not expect to like this as much as I did.

Sexy, witty, and a fun ride!

It is set up as a series of letters and journal entries, lending itself to some pretty hilarious diverging views of the same events. Pure wit with interludes of some soap opera-esque subplot.

Though it does revolve around vampires and werewolves, it’s not a
leave-the-lights-on-when-you-go-to-bed type of read. It started out like a spooky mystery radio program and proceeded to get funnier and funnier.

I listened to the audio version and the narrator was fantastic. There were numerous characters
to account for and each had a distinct voice. It was just plain fun to listen to one person do all
those voices!

I had so much fun listening to this book...more than I could have anticipated. It made me laugh out
loud regularly. The naughty bits made me blush. The ending had me on the edge of my seat.

The very end made me sigh in relief that it is set up for a second book. Because I guarantee, you will be sad when the ride is over. If you’re looking for something fun to read. This is it. Highly recommend.

Tons of Fun

Set in the gloriously artistic late Victorian England, this epistolary novel--well, not just letters, but journal and diary entries--from a variety of fascinating real characters including Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Richard Burton, Robert Roosevelt, Ellen Terry, and others, all very fictionalized--is a fine romp. William Hope does a brilliant job of keeping the characters straight. This is a very amusing listen as different characters describe events differently and other historical figures walk in and out of the narrative. Werewolves and vampires center the plot as most of the characters are actively engaged in monster hunting, and there is a search for a specific villain, but their personal interactions are realistic and often hysterical, as are their mishaps. Not only the Dracula mythos is involved, but other literary bits, ie The Picture of Dorian Grey gets a hint or two. An excellent listen, and pure joy for anyone who is either a Dracula fan or has interest in the historical period!