Friday, May 29, 2009

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Quirk Books, 2009. 319 pgs. Fiction.

The dead are no longer resting peacefully underground throughout the English countryside and I am pretty sure neither would Jane Austen if she were aware of this plagiaristic and irreverent adaptation of her classic romance. This book is exactly what the title claims it to be. “Pride and Prejudice” with some zombie action thrown in. The Bennet sisters have all been trained in the deadly arts and are required to use their skills when social events are interrupted by the undead.

For some reason I had expected a story somehow based on the plot of “Pride and Prejudice” which included zombies and gory violence. What I found was “Pride and Prejudice” almost word for word…but with a few violent swordfights and a whole host of zombies popping up randomly throughout the text. I forced myself to finish just to say I had and actually liked the ending quite a bit.

I think reading this book is a lot like watching “Napoleon Dynamite”. While you are watching it for the first time, you are not sure what is so funny or why you continue sitting there. But after you finish watching it, you find it’s a lot of fun to discuss with friends and you randomly find yourself giggling when you remember different portions. If you are in the right mood, this book might be for you….I’m just not sure what would be considered the ‘right mood.’

2 comments:

scott said...

I am pretty sure I would never be in the right mood for this book!

Jeff said...

My mom gave me that book for my birthday. Even before I ever get around to reading it I think it will be excellent for starting discussions so I'll keep it as my coffee table literature.