Bram Stoker | Lecturia

Bram Stoker: Gibbet Hill

“Gibbet Hill” is a short story by Bram Stoker, published on December 17, 1890, in the Daily Express of Dublin. On an autumn day, a traveler explores the hills of Surrey. As he admires the beauty of the place, three figures catch his attention: two girls of exotic appearance, who seem to have come from India, and a fair-haired boy with an angelic smile. After speaking with them, they climb together to the summit of Gibbet Hill, a place of breathtaking views where a cross stands in memory of the execution of a former criminal. Intoxicated by the landscape, the traveler wanders into a wood and falls into a brief sleep. Upon waking, he will witness a disturbing scene.

Bram Stoker: The Coming of Abel Behenna

Bram Stoker - El regreso de Abel Behenna

“The Coming of Abel Behenna” is a romantic and dark short story by Bram Stoker, published in 1893 in Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper. In the peaceful port of Pencastle, two young men who have been inseparable since childhood, Abel and Eric, share not only a deep friendship but also a love for the beautiful Sarah Trefusis, the most sought-after young woman in the village. When she is forced to choose between them, an unusual proposal gives rise to a risky agreement that will keep her away from her fiancé for a year. While chance determines the future, jealousy, ambition, and uncertainty begin to cloud the bond between the former comrades.

Bram Stoker: Dracula’s Guest

“Dracula’s Guest” is a short story by Bram Stoker, published in 1914 in the collection Dracula’s Guest and Other Weird Stories. Originally conceived as the first chapter of the novel Dracula, it was discarded by the author and published independently after his death. Set in the vicinity of Munich, the story follows a young Englishman who, ignoring the warnings of his coachman, ventures into a desolate landscape on Walpurgis Night. As the snow falls and the surroundings become increasingly threatening, the traveler finds a forgotten mausoleum and begins to sense strange presences that herald the approach of a dark power.

The Stories of Bram Stoker

The best short stories by Bram Stoker. Complete stories to read online or print in PDF format.

Bram Stoker: The Secret of the Growing Gold

“The Secret of the Growing Gold” is a disturbing Gothic short story by Bram Stoker, published on January 23, 1892, in the magazine Black and White. The story takes place at Brent’s Rock, an old country mansion where the arrival of Margaret Delandre scandalizes the community. After breaking up with her family, Margaret moves in with the aristocrat Geoffrey Brent in a relationship that many consider inappropriate. The relationship between the two is stormy and violent. In an atmosphere of resentment and overflowing passions, an intrigue full of secrets develops, in which the past threatens to resurface in unexpected ways.

Bram Stoker: The Burial of the Rats. Summary and analysis

In The Burial of the Rats, a young Englishman who spends a year in Paris, separated from his fiancée by his parent’s wishes, decides to explore the city’s outskirts to take his mind off things. Intrigued by the life of the chiffoniers (garbage collectors), he enters the garbage dumps of Montrouge, a sordid and dangerous place, where an older woman and an older man set a trap to kill him and let the rats devour his body. Surrounded by a group of silent and cruel criminals, he manages to escape through hostile terrain full of piles of garbage, swamps, and canals. After an agonizing nighttime chase, he swims across a river and arrives exhausted at the fortress of Bicêtre, where French soldiers rescue him. Together with them and a police commissioner, he returns to the place to look for his attackers. They find human remains eaten by rats and arrest a group of veteran ex-soldiers who live in the rubbish dumps. The story, narrated in the first person, mixes suspense, horror, and social criticism and shows how human degradation can reach extremes of almost animal brutality on the forgotten margins of the city.