#55 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (Original text by Jane Austen)
When I first heard that someone had decided to take the original text of Pride and Prejudice and spice is up with some zombie 
mayhem, I was a bit skeptical. I had no idea how someone could take a 19th century classic tale of sisterhood and marriage and turn it into a horror film without it coming off as choppy and uneven. Well, apparently it is quite possible, because Seth Grahame-Smith does a pretty good job here.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies takes us to the well known tale of Elizabeth Bennett, a spirited, intelligent young women with four unmarried sisters. During a local ball, Lizzy meets the compassionate Mr. Bingley, who immediacy falls in love with her older sister Jane, and the proud Mr. Darcy, who insults Elizabeth in a way that she cannot forgive. The storyline is the same as the classic we all know and love, expect for the fact that England is infested with the zombie plague, and our heroes must fit romance and balls between the beheadings of the unmentionables, and the slaughtering and infection of the innocents. The Bennett sisters are recast as expect zombie fighters, trained in China by a master of combat, and Mr. Darcy is an equally capable warrior.
Although Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is not the timeless masterpiece that Pride and Prejudice has proven to be, it succeeds at being a highly humorous parody. I found myself smiling and at times laughing out loud at memorable scenes that were made hilarious by the inclusion of horror movie antics (for example, the scene where Elizabeth rejects Mr. Darcy’s proposal is turned into a lengthily fight sequence). What I enjoyed the most was the fact that I didn’t have to suspend that much disbelief to see Elizabeth as a zombie slaying warrior who tears out the still beating hearts of ninjas (although casting Kitty or Lydia in the same role was… strange). One thing I did struggle a little bit with was some of the more sexual humor. Yes, I can see the characters fighting the undead, but the multiple references to Mr. Darcy’s… most English parts, seemed a little out of place.
From other reviewers, I have heard quite a few complaints about inconsistencies of spellings, but as I listened to the audiobook, this was not a problem for me. The narrator for this audiobook did quite a good job with the story, managing to portray both the “proper” descriptions of English society as well as the action sequences. After finishing this volume, I find myself wondering if this will be the last time Seth Grahame-Smith will dip into the world of Austen. What’s next? Sense and Sensibility and Ninjas? Persuasion of Pirates? Seeing as the horror genre is famed for their numerous (and often unnecessary) sequels, I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar titles hit the shelves in the future.
Rating: four stars
Length: the print version is 320 pages
Source: theaudiolibrary
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: None that I'm aware of
Other books I've read by this author: For Seth Grahame-Smith, this is my first. For Jane Austen, I have read Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Northhanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
mayhem, I was a bit skeptical. I had no idea how someone could take a 19th century classic tale of sisterhood and marriage and turn it into a horror film without it coming off as choppy and uneven. Well, apparently it is quite possible, because Seth Grahame-Smith does a pretty good job here.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies takes us to the well known tale of Elizabeth Bennett, a spirited, intelligent young women with four unmarried sisters. During a local ball, Lizzy meets the compassionate Mr. Bingley, who immediacy falls in love with her older sister Jane, and the proud Mr. Darcy, who insults Elizabeth in a way that she cannot forgive. The storyline is the same as the classic we all know and love, expect for the fact that England is infested with the zombie plague, and our heroes must fit romance and balls between the beheadings of the unmentionables, and the slaughtering and infection of the innocents. The Bennett sisters are recast as expect zombie fighters, trained in China by a master of combat, and Mr. Darcy is an equally capable warrior.
Although Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is not the timeless masterpiece that Pride and Prejudice has proven to be, it succeeds at being a highly humorous parody. I found myself smiling and at times laughing out loud at memorable scenes that were made hilarious by the inclusion of horror movie antics (for example, the scene where Elizabeth rejects Mr. Darcy’s proposal is turned into a lengthily fight sequence). What I enjoyed the most was the fact that I didn’t have to suspend that much disbelief to see Elizabeth as a zombie slaying warrior who tears out the still beating hearts of ninjas (although casting Kitty or Lydia in the same role was… strange). One thing I did struggle a little bit with was some of the more sexual humor. Yes, I can see the characters fighting the undead, but the multiple references to Mr. Darcy’s… most English parts, seemed a little out of place.
From other reviewers, I have heard quite a few complaints about inconsistencies of spellings, but as I listened to the audiobook, this was not a problem for me. The narrator for this audiobook did quite a good job with the story, managing to portray both the “proper” descriptions of English society as well as the action sequences. After finishing this volume, I find myself wondering if this will be the last time Seth Grahame-Smith will dip into the world of Austen. What’s next? Sense and Sensibility and Ninjas? Persuasion of Pirates? Seeing as the horror genre is famed for their numerous (and often unnecessary) sequels, I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar titles hit the shelves in the future.
Rating: four stars
Length: the print version is 320 pages
Source: theaudiolibrary
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: None that I'm aware of
Other books I've read by this author: For Seth Grahame-Smith, this is my first. For Jane Austen, I have read Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Northhanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds