Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen ★★★☆☆

So Weirded Out   

Fiction – Fantasy? (so classification of this book is a little shaky)

319 pages

Publication Date: 2009

Literary awards: Goodreads Choice Nominee for Favorite Book & Fantasy (2009), The Kitschies Nominee for Red Tentacle (Novel) (2009)

Pride and Prejudice with zombies, need I say a whole lot more?

Okay, first of all the cover is very disturbing.  So disturbing in fact I had to hide it from my kids.  My husband on the other hand thought it was awesome, so go figure.  I found the

pairing of zombie slaying with early 19^th century manners incredibly interesting and was curious to see how it was handled.  Grahame-Smith did a good job of inserting new scenes and content into the original.  The extra content is more salacious and not just in regard to the sorry stricken, we’re talking about some overt sexual references.  It was a little gross – it is a zombie book after all – but definitely not as graphic as it could have been.  In some ways I found the resolutions in this version more satisfying than the original.  I especially enjoyed Elizabeth kicking Darcy in the face after his first proposal.  A very natural reaction to my way of thinking – I mean who hasn’t wanted to do that.  And the Reader’s Discussion really added an extra element of fun.

On the other hand I had a terrible time slipping into this story.  There were some pretty intense changes to the characters and the overall feel of the book that I personally could never get used to.  Frankly, I had a very surreal feeling during the whole time I read the book and was just so weirded out.  I think someone who admired the original less (full disclosure: I named my youngest Elizabeth after Elizabeth Bennet so you can kind of see my devotion here) or wasn’t quite as familiar with it might have an easier time with this book.

ISBN  1594743347 (ISBN13: 9781594743344)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith ★★★★☆

A Well Done Enthralling Story!

Fiction – Alternative History - Paranormal

433 pages

Publication Date:  March 2, 2010

Literary awards: Goodreads Choice Nominee for Paranormal Fantasy (2010)

This is the "true" story of Abraham Lincoln's life as gathered from his very secret journal.  Seth Grahame-Smith give the first look into the role vampires played in shaping Abraham Lincoln the man; from the death of his beloved mother caused by vampires to his fight against slavery - a vampire enterprise - and finally the confrontation with the whole of the United State's future hanging in the the balance during the Civil War.

While not an action packed adventure story Grahame-Smith does a superbly well done biography, completely comparable to other actually real biographies.  I originally expected something a bit more campy or even some tongue and cheek, but this book takes itself seriously without being pretentious.  The story was enthralling and carried me along with it at a very good pace.

The intro gives the book an air of authenticity and sets the believable tone.  I found the intro to be very comfortable and homie and the narrator someone I could actually know in real life.  While the exquisite detail in the story reinforces it’s validity.  The character Henry was incredibly fascinating and I liked the introduction of Edgar Allen Poe.  I didn’t find Abe very likeable at the beginning with his ridiculous pride and endless search for vengeance, but as the story progressed I became so engrossed in his life that I couldn’t help but understand him.

Okay now a couple of minor complaints.  I must confess on occasion the foray into someone’s thoughts during the writing was a bit jarring and the dream sequences did push me out of the storybook world and broke the reality at times.  Likewise, I was a little disappointed with the last couple of chapters; they didn’t seem to measure up to the quality of the rest of the book.  While I found the sequence of events plausible, the writing was harder to follow than it should have been.   I also really would have liked to see a scene between the author and Henry at the end when he turned over the manuscript.  I was invested in the author – it was his story that first made the Lincoln story feel real – and I just didn’t get the payout I felt would have been pretty easy to achieve.  My displeasure in the ending, however, could in no way overshadow the book as a whole.   It was pretty great and fairly comparable to a majority of the “factual” biographies I have read. 

Now I am on the hunt for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of the Jane Austen novels – talk about hilarious -, but I am really interested in seeing what Seth Grahame-Smith has to contribute to it.

ISBN  0446563080 (ISBN13: 9780446563086)