Not at all what I expected. The biggest disappointment being that Dracula himself is only in maybe 10% of the novel. The rest of it is long, drawn out, rambling diary entries. Van Helsing and Renfield were fascinating, and Mina added a smart, refreshing female character that does more than faint. The rest of the characters were one-dimensional and boring. Being a horror fan I am glad I read it, but wow… that was painful and tedious.