Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Review for PRIDE & PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES by Seth Grahame-Smith

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES
by Seth Grahame-Smith

published
April 4th 2009 by Quirk Books
Paperback, 317 pages

Placement in the Pile:
Bottom of the Barrel

Summary:

The Classic Regency Romance-Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! "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—& 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 & arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—& 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 & thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read. (goodreads)

Review:

Halloween is just around the corner, so here is a book full of gruesome horror - if that's your thing. It's not mine...

I just didn't like this book much at all. There were moments that I laughed at, but overall, it was just too gory and gruesome for me. My friends know what a weak stomach for horror I have, so maybe those of you who like that stuff will enjoy this better than I did! ;-) The writing was witty, and like I said, it did have really funny moments. But it just couldn't override the gross, gross stuff that kept getting described at length and in detail. Blech. It could be an interesting discussion though - especially about the plotlines he changed completely (hello Charlotte and Mr. Collins!). I felt like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy lost much of their appeal with how bloodthirsty they were. At times it was truly funny, but other times it was just disgusting (like what happens with Wickham).

If you enjoy gore, and gruesome zombie fests, this is the book for you.

4 comments:

Aubrey said...

I have heard lots of mixed reviews about this one...thanks for your honest opinion!

C.R. Evers said...

Well, I don't normally like zombie stories, but then I read The Forrest of Hands and Teeth, and I loved it. I'll keep this book at the bottom of my pile too. I'll read it if I can't find anything else to read. Thnx for the heads up.

Guinevere said...

I actually really loved Forest of Hands and Teeth (except the ending, grrrr!) - even though I decided to read it hesitantly. It was amazing how she mixed zombies with such beautiful lyricism. I've actually spoken with her editor, Krista Marino, and she said that was the exact reason why she bought Forest. It was so unique. But this one was awful. I think Forest was a definite exception in the "zombie" genre.

Write2ignite said...

I am huge P&P fan - but not into Zombies. I thought, though, that I might give this one a shot b/c of my literary infatuation with this book. But I have a weak stomach for horror, too. SO, thanks for the head's up. Not sure I want to know what happens to Wickham.