Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

What it's about: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." And with that we have the striking first line of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a unique adaptation of Jane Austen's classic work. While preserving most of the original text and the story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, this version also adds in a zombie subplot. A plague has beset England, causing zombies to walk the earth, and the five Bennet sisters are trained warriors who keep their part of the countryside safe. Elizabeth must deal with the conflicts of her proud warrior's nature with the desires of her heart.

What I thought: While I had feared this book would be gimmicky, it actually stands up pretty well. It helped that I was familiar with Pride and Prejudice, I think. The zombie scenes are pretty well integrated into the flow of the story, and there's a lot of new background given to various characters. For instance, it's established that Elizabeth and her sisters trained in the deadly arts under a Shaolin master in China. Elizabeth also has more of a violent streak than in the original story. The language is always kept close to Austen's original style. And the drawings in this edition are pretty much the cherry on top.

Overall: If you like Pride and Prejudice and silly zombie stuff, this will be heaven.