Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Dawn of the Dreadfuls #1)

Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Quirk Books 2009

Genre: Classics; Horror

Pages: 359

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an audacious retelling of English literature's most enduring novel. This expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem begins when a mysterious plague falls upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. It's the perfect read for literature lovers, zombie fans, and anyone who loves a reanimated Austen.

Technically this is a reread for me, but it was chosen as a Nerdy Bookish Friends selection. After we picked it, we realized that there are two different versions: the original and a reissue with 30% more zombies. Apparently I read the original, but own the new deluxe edition. So this was basically a new read for me. To be clear, this is not high literature. Sure it’s Jane Austen’s writing for 90%. But then we thrown in random zombie phrases and scenes. It create a mishmash of genres. But I enjoyed every page of it. I love Austen and zombies, and this was the perfect read for me. I suspect that this won’t be a favorite amongst my Nerdy Bookish Friends, but I still really loved it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2011

Genre: Paranormal; Alternative history?

Pages: 336

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampire; Support Your Library loan; Book2Movie

How I Got It: Library Loan

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

I love these mixes of history and fantasy.  I think I've found my second favorite genre (after zombies, of course).  This book reads like a historical biography.  Except in this case, Smith added the elements of vampires throughout the history of Lincoln's life.  If I didn't know any better, I would think this was nonfiction.  Every addition feels unnatural.  I loved the pacing, breaking his life into "boy, vampire hunter, and president."  Through it we get a sense of Lincoln (even if half of it is make believe).  I've never been a huge fan of Lincoln's; I prefer the Roosevelts and Jefferson.  But this book made me a fan.  I heartedly recommend!

Movie Review: 

I finally got around to seeing the movie.  A was pretty disappointed.  While the book has a gravity, the movie makes it too cheesy, too modern.  That ridiculous fight scene among the horses was almost too much to watch.  But I will admit that I loved the scene in the plantation.  It was a very modern fight scene done well.  The character of Will was a great role.  I loved the inclusion.  I was very upset that the movie excluded so much from the book.  We only got to see Abraham's struggle at the end, after the Civil War started.  Random note: How amazing was Alan Tudyk as Stephen Douglas!  An uncredited role, but so great.