As someone who has struggled to write for years, it is my opinion that the hardest part about writing fiction is developing your own "little world" -- characters, locations, story arcs, etc. I feel like lifting those developments from an established writer or fandom is almost "cheating", as it is. So I would never have picked up Seth Grahame-Smith's "adaptation" of Jane Austen's famous bestseller, had it not been free on Kindle a few months ago. And I would probably never even have read it, if I had not been without a book to read one day, far from home and a wireless connection to download new material. So here we are -- Book #79 for the year, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Early-nineteenth-century England is plagued with an infestation of zombies, or "unmentionables". Their sad fate is transferred via a deadly plague, and England's wealthy elite have taken to seeking ninja training in the far East, in hopes of surviving the outbreak. The five Bennett sisters are such accomplished warriors, the greatest of them being Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennett, the second-eldest at 21. Lizzy entertains no greater wish in her life than to fulfill what she feels is her destiny: to become a great warrior and executioner of zombies. But when she meets dashing and proud Mr. Darcy, and immediately dismisses him as vain and pompous, Elizabeth can hardly foresee the impact that he is going to have on her family's happiness and status, the zombie outbreak in England, and especially on herself.
I have a love-hate relationship with Austen. I read Mansfield Park in late December of 2010 and I loved it. I tried fighting my way through Emma and finally gave up. Austen is one of those writers who has a compelling story and wonderful characters, but whose writing just doesn't do it for me. That is why I loved PPZ. All of the delicious characters and settings that Austen is known for, with a zombie outbreak, murders, vengeance, and action thrown in. I wondered how the author had even come up with the idea to intersperse Austen's classic with a zombie tale -- turns out that he got his inspiration from the encampment of soldiers that is present around the Bennett family's estate. Why would soldiers suddenly be camping in the country during England's Regency period? And thus, the tale was born.
The idea that the Bennett sisters -- and all other wealthy individuals in England -- were trained in the art of combat in the Far East was a little too far-fetched for me. The constant talk about the wealthy having private dojos and personal ninjas was bizarre and went over into the ridiculous. But I loved how seamlessly the story was woven in. SPOILER ALERT: In the original Pride and Prejudice, Darcy convinces his friend, Mr. Bingley, not to marry Elizabeth Bennett's sister Jane because he believes her to have no interest in him after a bad cold forces her into an extended visit at his estate. In PPZ, Darcy believes that the cold is indicative of Jane's infection with the deadly virus responsible for the zombie outbreak, so he tells Bingley that Jane is disinterested, in the hopes of saving both his friend's life and heartbreak.
All in all, I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the film that's coming out in 2013. David expressed an interest, so maybe we'll go see it together:)
Rating: ****
I have a love-hate relationship with Austen. I read Mansfield Park in late December of 2010 and I loved it. I tried fighting my way through Emma and finally gave up. Austen is one of those writers who has a compelling story and wonderful characters, but whose writing just doesn't do it for me. That is why I loved PPZ. All of the delicious characters and settings that Austen is known for, with a zombie outbreak, murders, vengeance, and action thrown in. I wondered how the author had even come up with the idea to intersperse Austen's classic with a zombie tale -- turns out that he got his inspiration from the encampment of soldiers that is present around the Bennett family's estate. Why would soldiers suddenly be camping in the country during England's Regency period? And thus, the tale was born.
The idea that the Bennett sisters -- and all other wealthy individuals in England -- were trained in the art of combat in the Far East was a little too far-fetched for me. The constant talk about the wealthy having private dojos and personal ninjas was bizarre and went over into the ridiculous. But I loved how seamlessly the story was woven in. SPOILER ALERT: In the original Pride and Prejudice, Darcy convinces his friend, Mr. Bingley, not to marry Elizabeth Bennett's sister Jane because he believes her to have no interest in him after a bad cold forces her into an extended visit at his estate. In PPZ, Darcy believes that the cold is indicative of Jane's infection with the deadly virus responsible for the zombie outbreak, so he tells Bingley that Jane is disinterested, in the hopes of saving both his friend's life and heartbreak.
All in all, I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the film that's coming out in 2013. David expressed an interest, so maybe we'll go see it together:)
Rating: ****
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