Tuesday, March 15, 2011

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

Genre:                     Comic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Comedy
Year:                       2009
Pages:                     319
Followed by:          Sense, Sensibility and Sea Monsters
Publisher               Quirk Books, Philadelphia


Description: (from Goodreads)

"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 as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.

Can she 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.

Quotes: 

"The business of Mr. Bennett's life was to keep his daughters alive. The business of Mrs. Bennett's was to get them married."  

"Elizabeth and Darcy merely looked at one another in awkward silence, until the latter reached both arms around her. She was frozen-"What does he mean to do?" she thought. But his intentions were respectable, for Darcy merely meant to retrieve his Brown Bess, which Elizabeth had affixed to her back during her walk. She remembered the lead ammunition in her pocket and offered it to him. 
"Your balls, Mr. Darcy?" He reached out and closed her hand around them, and offered, 
"They belong to you, Miss Bennet." Upon this, their colour changed, and they were forced to look
away from one another, lest they laugh."

"No ninjas! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without any ninjas! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your safety." 



My Thoughts: 

       I've been meaning to pick up some classic books from my TBR pile and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice  was on top of the list. There are always so many great books coming out, especially in YA and paranormal genre, so many amazing stories I want to read.. even though I really WANTED to explore the classic genre   and read all these wonderful, timeless books from 1000 best books ever list, I could never really find enough time to do so! So frustrating! 

        So you can only imagine how delighted and excited I was to find out about this one! Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a mashup of the classic 1819 novel by Jane Austen with elements of modern zombie fiction. 
       I admit, I had mixed feelings when picking this book up. I was intrigued and repelled at the same time! A romance from Regency Period combined with bloodthirsty zombies? The idea fascinated me! As a fan of paranormal genre and a frequent thriller/horror reader I was drawn to this book. I wasn't quite sure how all this is going to work, but nevertheless - I had to read it! 

The Bennet Sisters in a perfect pentacle fight formation.



       
     If you take time to read a few of many hundreds  reviews of this book circulating online, you will find out that many people felt the same way. Some were totally in love with this book, getting a kick out of reading it. Others were complaining, they were enraged and indignant that something like that came to exist! They felt that Seth Grahame-Smith's work was a grotesque and ridiculous "Frankenstein" of the literature world. 
It's the kind of book that you either hate or love, there is no in-between, no so-so. It's not an average creation, it's a daring new idea to "remix" classic novels with modern paranormal/horror fiction. 
 
       I personally enjoyed this book A LOT. It was very refreshing, something totally new, one of a kind! To read a story written with Austen's beautiful language, where every once in a while a zombie pops up and tries to eat someone's brain.. that is just so much FUN!! You can not exactly say that Grahame-Smith wrote a lot.. The text is 85% original + some zombie extras, BUT some of them undeniably ROCKED! (i.e. Lady Catherine being a famous zombie killer and having her own army of NINJAS - how cool is that?! or the match between her Ladyship and Lizzy.. that's just pure awesomeness~!) 
  
       All in all, I loved this book. Reading it made my week and I will definitely read more of the Quirk mashup series :) If you like zombies and your capacity for understanding a satire is somewhat reasonable, then I say: Go FOR IT!!  
       
      ( It was reported on December 11, 2009 that the film adaptation will be financed and distributed through Lionsgate. I am looking forward to watching it! :))


My rating:

 

51 comments:

WildIrishRose33 said...

I absolutely adored this book. Loved the illustrations too. :-P It was hilarious. I'm glad you liked it!

Unknown said...

Haven't read that one yet, and I'm kind of worried that all I'll get from reading it will be only frustration with every next page..unless it's not alike "Anno Dracula" which I hate and gave up somwhere in the middle of it.
Other thing is that I never read anything oryginal from Jane Austen, altough I own one of her books but not sure which one.

disneyfanheather said...

I haven't yet read this yet, but I've wanted to for awhile (and your review really makes me want to read it asap). It sounds so good!

Tricia said...

Who knew Jane Austen could be so much fun?! Def was one of my fave x-mas presents. Also, the graphic novel is amazing.

Lindsay said...

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! OMG. I will never forget the letter that Lydia writes Lizzie...something about "my beloved has soiled himself anew". I die laughing every time I read it.

Sarah said...

Definitely want to pick this one up now!

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I've had this one in my TBR pile foe awhile, thanks for reminding me why.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Soon Hana said...

I have mixed feelings about reading this book. I'm intrigued but on the other hand, I think I'll be more 'Nay' than 'Yay'. Thanks for the review btw, glad you love it :)

ABookVacation said...

I read this book last year and laughed the whole way through!

Jolene and Family said...

I have never read Pride and Prejudice, nor did I ever have an inkling to pick it up, but I sooo want to read this. This sounds like so much fun

Nikita said...

Haha, I bought this book two days ago and I am going for it! I am glad that you like it. I hope it will be fun. :) :)

Nikita
bookworm.nikita@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I loved this book! I was lucky enough to win my own copy recently. have you read the sequel and prequel yet?

Victorique de Blois said...

Who knew that a very serious story can be turned into comedy.

Life's Simple Pleasures said...

I'm afraid of horror so probably will continue to stay away from this one. Loved the original. But the thought of Lady Catherine being that cool is just COOL!

Chey said...

I have this book but it's been sitting on my shelf since the time I bought it. I should really get around to reading it, especially when I'm in the mood for some zombies.

Unknown said...

I'm not sure I'm a fan of zombie fiction but I would read this 'mash-up' purely because of the original (as well as hearing good things about it).
It seems like a hilarious read, and I would pick it up if I had nothing better to do.

Angel Snyder said...

Your review has made me a lot less iffy on picking this up, but I still don't know! :( I just don't want to see my beloved Pride and Prejudice butcher if I don't like it! :( But it wouldn't hurt to try, right? :)
http://909reviews.blogspot.com
-Angel

jen7waters said...

"Your balls, Mr. Darcy?
They belong to you, Miss Bennet." has to be one of the most hilarious quotes ever, and the thing is, every time I watch the movie now (and I watch it a lot) that quote comes to memory and I can't help but laugh out loud when Lizzy and Darcy are on screen xD

It's a funny book ;)

Aneta said...

I bought this book recently and finished it quite quickly... as i have also read the original Pride and Prejudice, i can compare :D
i liked both of them, some quots from the book are awesom but i think i expected a little bit more... it was fun read for me, but also forgettable... so 3 stars!

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

I thought it was a hysterical twist--and I enjoyed the zombie bits so much that I was actually bored when the book went on for long stretches without any mayhem. LOL! And this won't gain me any friends, but I also thought the Elizabeth in this book was slightly better developed than Austen's original. Of course a zombie-slaying Lizzy would be attracted to a man whose skills and prowess are a match to her own. But in the original, all she really falls for is the display of wealth that is his home and the fact that he liked her first.

A few months ago, I came across one Austen die-hard fan who hates the concept of mash-ups with real passion and accused Grahame-Smith of "theft." My rebuttal was that Grahame-Smith is only doing with novels what "Weird Al" Yankovic (one of my favourite artists) does with pop songs. The original doesn't lose anything by such an odd tribute; if anything, it gains new fans and some notoriety!

Hanna @ Booking in Heels said...

I adore Pride and Prejudice so much that I collect different editions, it's my favourite book of all time.

I have to admit, I wasn't that enamoured of this one though. I mean, it was readable and enjoyable to an extent, but I didn't think it captured the personalities of Elizabeth and Darcy properly.

Unknown said...

I have seen these in my local bookstore, I never thought of picking 'em up, but now I really should... They seem funny though....

Unknown said...

Soo ... I've been thinking about reading this for a while but I wasn't so sure because I don't particularly enjoy zombies. I do love P&P though, so maybe I should just check it out of my library or something :3

Janine said...

This book seems so great! I really want to read it :)

Zakiya LadyWings said...

Glad to hear that you enjoyed this one! I just bought it yesterday, so I'm sure I will enjoy it as well. I finished Pride and Prejudice this year and absolutely loved it.!

Erin said...

I'm waiting until I've read the original to read the version with Zombies. However, I'm really excited to get to the zombies! A friend of mine (and HUGE Jane Austen fan) told me the story actually kind of makes even more sense once the zombies are added. I'm intrigued to know what she means by that!

Anonymous said...

I've been wanting to read this book. First of all, I LOVE Pride & Prejudice...secondly...I freaking love zombies too. haha.

Great review! I'll have to go grab it soon! Thanks!

-Em

tfalick said...

this book is AWESOME! I couldn't put it down! seriously wicked! LOVED IT! great review :D

Asheley T. said...

I haven't read this one yet, but I just finished Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter...which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED!! Now I am itching to read this one. I cannot recommend the Abe Lincoln mash-up enough to readers. I've read a mixture of great and not-so-great reviews on the P&P&Z book, so I'm glad to see you loved it.

Literary Chanteuse said...

I have to be honest I'm really not sure about this one. I find it bizarre that anyone would put Jane Austen and zombies in the same book at all. From your review though it makes me curious....

Gigi said...

Lionsgate is going to make the movie!!? Awesomeeeee
I read this book for curiosity and I love it!! I dont know why others say that is lame! It's FUN! And there is another adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!! LOL is one of my To read books!

Paper Cut Reviewer said...

I gotta say I have my doubts about this book but I think my obsession with zombies will overpower the doubt, lol! I'm happy that you enjoyed this mashup and can't wait to read it.

Thanks!
Steph

Anonymous said...

Oh goodness! I think this would be a fun book. I have a lot of books to read! :D

Zakiya LadyWings said...

I absolutely LOVED Pride and Prejudice, so this will be awesome for me! I recently bought it at my library's book sale :D. Can't wait to start it!!!

Chen Yan Chang said...

I was one of the people who loved this book! Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, so reading the book incorporated with zombies was awesome! (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, I did not like at all, but it's also from a different author).

Anonymous said...

I'm just noticing that I am continuing to comment on the zombie posts. Coincidence? I think not. (:

And I'm liking these new versions of the classics. And the second quote made me laugh, lol. I'm hoping the movie directors will not ruin the book once it's released in theatres.

Hmm, I wonder what Wuthering Heights, the zombified version will be like. That'd be neat to read. But, another good review! C:

In Julie's Opinion said...

I just got this in the mail this week and I can't wait to read it! I'm glad to see that you liked it, and since I love satire, I'm pretty sure I'll love this book, too!

jwitt33 at live dot com

Krystal Larson said...

My little sister got this book for her birthday. I heard her laughing while reading...I think I might have to steal it from her room ;)

aurora M. said...

irreverent but I loved all of these books! It's so fun. Thanks for the wonderful chance for others to see the classics in a new light.

therainhouse said...

Catherine de Bourgh a zombie killer?

Haha, can you imagine her hacking zombies' heads off while turning her nose up at them?

Hahaha.

Unknown said...

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and I love satire. I look forward to reading this book.

erin said...

Awesome review! I was super excited when this book was featured in the latest Amazon Kindle sale. I bought it along w/ the others in this "series". Can't wait to start it :)

Yvonne @ The Shadow Realm said...

I can't believe i haven't read this book yet! I may go pick it up :)

annejude said...

I was little bit afraid of this book, cause I love Jane Austen and Pride&Prejudice is amazing! But after reading your review and some other, I think I give it the chance.
I just can't miss Lady Catherine as zombie killer:DD
Thanks.

Unknown said...

Great review! I still need to read this!

Munnaza said...

I've heard SO MANY amazing things about this book, and your review makes me feel like the praise is well-founded. This book sounds refreshing and exciting, and I definitely think I"d be one of the many completely in love with it. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for the review!

Ohana said...

Wow, this sounds really cool. Can't wait for it in my language.

Evil Queen said...

I am currently starting to read Jane Austen and these books are next :D

Unknown said...

I've heard good feedbacks about Jane Austen's books especially Pride and Prejudice. I haven't read it yet so when I came upon this book, I was really intrigued. It sounded modern because of the zombie part. hehe!

~Jennifer~ said...

I absolutely loved this book. I'm not gonna lie...it did take me a bit to get into it just because of the language. I checked on Wikipedia a tiny bit at a time to make sure I understood what was going on, and I was definitely getting it, lol. I have never read Pride & Prejudice originally and wasn't sure if I should read Jane Austen's own book before reading this one. I decided to read this one and was really happy with the outcome. Have you read the other two books, Dawn of the Dreadfuls and Dreadfully Ever After? I love them as well--they're written by a different author. I love how zombies are called "dreadfuls" in these books! :D

Jaime Lester said...

I haven't read any of the classics, shame on me. It is on my must do list, but I can't ever find the time. This is one that I think I might squeeze in, just for the sheer cheesiness of it. Thanks for the review, Evie!

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