"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.
I found myself laughing and smiling through this entire kooky, cunning and amusing adaption of Jane Austen’s most famous work. You could say that a lot of unnecessary gore, sex and scandal invade a perfectly readable book. Or you could take it as one massive joke, and enjoy the little alterations, the subtle plot changes, and the ultraviolent zombie mayhem that make it something new and special.
What I liked: I had to read the text very closely to track the smallest changes to the original P&P. I was able to enjoy some of the minute details that I otherwise would have skimmed in a reread. I also think (shun me if you will) that this unique book will appeal to a broader audience than the original. Including teenage boys (and possibly grown men). Anything that will get a non-reader to pick up a classic gets an A+ in my grade book. Did I mention that it made me laugh aloud? And that the illustrations were ridiculous and hilarious?
What I didn’t like: Nothing comes to mind. Seriously.
If you’re planning on reading and reviewing the book, visit vvb32’s blog for a zombie bag o' goodies giveaway.
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If you’d like to win your own copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I’m holding a giveaway for one (1) book, PLUS a hand-made zombie bookmark crafted by my sister Ginny. The bookmark may look something like this:
To Enter:
Leave a comment on this post answering the question, “Zombies are attacking. Why are you afraid?”
Please include your email address. Giveaway is open internationally. Comments will close on July 26 at 11:59pm EST, and I will notify the randomly selected winner via email.
Good luck!
