Jane Austen's and Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ~ Reviewed

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2009

Quirk Productions, Inc.

978-1-59474-334-4

Back Cover Copy:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen 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.

Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.

Review:

I was a zombie virgin until I read this book. I went into it with a 1960’s black-and-white Saturday afternoon horror movie mindset, but honestly, this book was so much more vivid. Seriously. If you’re squeamish about innards—namely brains or guts—you might want to avoid this story. I, however, was mildly entertained.

The humor was sometimes a bit tongue-in-cheek and other times in your face, but overall I loved the quirky storyline and the way zombies were blended into this classic. **spoiler alert** What’s not to love about Charlotte contracting the dread disease and Mr. Collins not even noticing his languishing wife is turning into a zombie?

Austen lovers will either hate the author for adding in some unexpected twists to the story or smirk as they might at a naughty puppy, for indeed, there are a quite a few liberties taken within the Bennet family. Loved, loved, LOVED what happens to Wickham, the scoundrel. Elizabeth comes off as an even stronger heroine, and Darcy’s prowess with a sword is positively drool-worthy.

Set aside your prim and proper teacup and give this book a chance if you’re hankering for a fun zombie book.

Reviewed by: Michelle Griep