in a sentence or so: well...the title says it all really. the classic pride and prejudice with brain-gobbling zombies tossed in for humor's sake!
with the same plot as Pride and Prejudice, PP&Z begins with a pretty darn fantastic opening line that sets the reader up with what to expect while on this literary journey - "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains" - a playful integration of the classic Austen writing with the silliness of zombies. Grahame-Smith experiments with acidity of tone with the dialogue from time to time more directly than Austen did. this helps match the overall witty and playful tone of the book, while keeping the demure and regent writing style. status, in addition to being denoted by wealth and family, is determined by one's abilities to slay the unmentionables. needless to say, the Bennet girls are quite known for their zombie-slaying techniques...and still known for their ridiculous mother and sometimes-noticeable lack of propriety.
since this is at it's core the same book as Pride and Prejudice, let me discuss what stuck out to me as i was reading. the characters, other than Jane, Elizabeth, Bingley and Darcy were all exaggerated for comedic affect. and well done too. from Charlotte to Miss Bingley to Mr. Bennet, the characteristics which Austen develops subtly are exploited (much to the joy of the reader) to enhance the satire. while Grahame-Smith does integrate zombies, brain eating, violence, and NINJAS, it is sometimes noticeably forced. but that's okay, because really, who would read this expecting anything shy of at least a bit ridiculous?
overall, Grahame-Smith does a solid job staying true to the original beauty and fantastic-ness that is Pride and Prejudice. his integration of the zombies as a theme provided a fun twist to the classic. even if you have less-than-zero interest in reading this book, at least flip through it to see the illustrations - quite worth your time! a zombie fighting Elizabeth Bennet was something i didn't even realize i was missing in my life, until i saw the illustrations. thank you Seth Grahame-Smith.
fave quote: "'Spoken like one who has never known the ecstasy of holding a still-beating heart in her hand', said Darcy" (directed at an overly-obnoxious Miss Bingley on pg. 44)
fix er up: just fine as it was. it wasn't taken too seriously, and kept true enough to the plot that i was pleased as a Pride and Prejudice die-hard.
title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
genre: Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Classic, Romance
to invoke one of the best things that happened this summer:
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