Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith

in a sentence or so: our favorite Bennet girls have much to learn if they are going to defend themselves against an onslaught of zombies unmentionables that are popping up all over the place.

while attending a funeral in, the man in the coffin - that they were all expecting to put in the ground later that day - started to stir. and then he sat up. and then he started to claw around clearly wanting some tasty brains. Mr. Bennet has seen this all before, of course. having been around for the first rise of the unmentionables and receiving some kick-ass ninja training, Mr. Bennet is ready for round two with the dreadfuls. the thing is, it's going to take a LOT more than Mr. B to take down a horde of undead. time to clear out his dojo and start training the girls!

unfortunately, Mr. B is a bit rusty with his warrior training. so if he wants the Bennet ladies to be the best warriors they can be, then he'll need to find a trainer for them. enter Master Hawksworth. tall, dark, brooding, (sounds familiar, no?), foreign, and possesses a clear interest in Elizabeth Bennett.  the girls busy their days in the dojo while the rest of Meryton welcomes a small, young, and quite insignificant supply of troops to protect them from the reanimated hordes.

Mr B. and the girls will need to rely on some very unusual allies if they have any hope of surviving the dreadfuls.  unusual ally number one: Lord Lumpley, the most high ranking man of the area who just happens to be a huge jerk (i  mean HUGE literally) proves to be much more supportive when he gets to spend time around the sweet and modest Jane.  unusual ally number two: Dr. Kickilpenny (yes! that is his name!), a man trying to understand the zombie existence to help cure the problem at it's roots, who is quirky and the definition of bumbling scientist. Elizabeth finds herself relating to the good Doctor and relaxing around him more than she'd like to admit. unusual ally number three: there's the troops that have been sent to help protect Meryton from being completely devoured...but they aren't exactly open to the idea of women warriors tainting the name of English Women everywhere.

rigorous training, forming alliances with less than desirable characters, and trying repeatedly to shrug off the obvious contempt and disdain for their horribly unladylike behavior, the Bennet sisters have their work cut out for them before the unmentionables can even get within their katana striking range.

this is about as close to fan-fiction as i care to tread. thankfully, i'm a big Austen fan and was more than a little interested in continuing with this series. Hockensmith creates some silly banter and stayed true to who i believe the Bennet family to be. i was bummed it wasn't more 'Austen' feeling in the writing, but not so bummed that it kicked me out of the story. as with PP&Z, the illustrations are silly and awesome. more than a light and silly read, however, Hockensmith weaves some drama and presents some serious decisions for all of the characters to make.

again, as with PP&Z, if you like Pride and Prejudice and you think zombie stories are fun, you'll like this. i did!

fave quote: "'Umm...what if we don't want to be warriors?' 'Then I will disown you, and you will, most likely, be torn apart and eaten by a pack of festering corpses.' Mr. Bennet moved his gaze around the room, looking at each of the other girls in turn. 'Any more questions?'" - exchange between Lydia and Mr. B (27 | 286 Nook)

fix er up: just a tad more of the Austen style i know and love would have been fabulous.

title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
author: Steve Hockensmith
genre: Zombies, Historical Fiction