The Shoulder of Shasta

'The Shoulder of Shasta' is a touching story interspersed with gothic notes about a middle class English girl named Esse who gradually grows to know and love the swashbuckling American cowboy Dick. A poignant tale set to the backdrop of the picturesque scenery of Mount Shasta in California. Stoker is definitely bringing readers something quite different from his cult classic 'Dracula', starring Bela Lugosi in its film adaptation.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy the intensely vivid descriptions of Bram Stoker's other works, as well as those of his contemporaries Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells and H. P. Lovecraft who also specialised in gothic and horror literature.


Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born in Dublin in 1847. Turning to fiction in his later years, Stoker published his first short story 'The Crystal Cup' (1872) in London Society magazine. In the 1880s and 1890s, he published 'Under the Sunset' (1882) and an adventure novel titled 'The Snake’s Pass' (1890). It was the publication of 'Dracula' in 1897 which launched Stoker into literary stardom.