I think that's classic chicken and egg. I've read it a few times over the years. It's a good story and fairly well written. And it obviously inspired movies and

I think that's classic chicken and egg. I've read it a few times over the years. It's a good story and fairly well written. And it obviously inspired movies and countless other works early on (as early as the 1920s). I don't think it has really been surpassed by other books or authors. Though there certainly have been some good ones. It both defines and leads the genre. Despite generations of literary critics trying to deconstruct and dismiss it, nobody has really done a better vampire story. Thematically it is of course a dogs breakfast of repressed sexuality, homosexuality, etc. All of which were taboo topics in the Victorian age. Which is precisely why the story works so well. And even today it still works. If you can get over the Victorian era biases, it's a surprisingly fresh and modern story. Which is why modern takes on the story are still interesting. And of course, these topics are still playing a role. Just look at the current election round in the US where things like abortion and gay rights are still being challenged. And it's not just the US where these topics are used by populist politicians to gain votes.