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Monday, September 27, 2010
title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
author: Steve Hockensmith
genre: fiction, humor
published: 2010
pages: 287
first line: Walking out in the middle of a funeral would be, of course, bad form.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
What can I say about Dawn of the Dreadfuls? This was a fun, creepy and strange book and I enjoyed it. This book is a prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which I read back in January.
Author Steve Hockensmith does not take the storyline directly from Pride and Prejudice, he does however use Austen's characters and adds a few of his own, then mixes that with zombies. The zombies a.k.a. The Dreadfuls, long since thought to have all been slayed, have now returned to Longbourne. Mr. Bennet, who was once part of a secret order and a warrior himself, takes it upon himself to train his 5 daughters on how to slay the undead. It's either learn to fight or be disowned and eventually, most likely, eaten by zombies.
It was a cry that hadn't been heard in Hertfordshire for years, yet nearly everyone there knew what it was.
The zombie wail.
In the midst of all this, an annoying baron named Lord Lumpley pays a visit to the Bennet household and of course, sets his eye on the eldest sister, Jane. Soon after Mr. Bennet begins training his daughters, tall, dark and handsome, Geoffrey Hawksworth, arrives on the scene. He has been sent to train the girls himself. Not before long, Geoffrey, Master as he insists they call him, takes a special notice of Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth meets Dr. Bertram Keckilpenny, she is really interested in his unique ways of dealing with the undead. The two hit it off right away and before you know it, there's a minor love triangle involved in the story.
As if the zombies and would be suitors aren't enough, Elizabeth still has to prepare for her coming out ball. It doesn't help that most of the town is against the Bennet sisters' warrior training, they consider it unladylike behavior. The sisters soon become social pariahs and are avoided by most of the town.
I'm a sucker for these kinds of books. I know some die hard Austen fans don't care much for these types of spin-offs. Pride & Prejudice is my favorite Austen, so while reading this one, I knew that Elizabeth and Jane were not going to pick any suitors, but I still enjoyed seeing some new characters vie for their affections.
I liked the illustrations throughout the book. And how creepy is the cover on this one? I enjoyed the storyline, I liked the fighting and training scenes in particular and I liked the characters within the story. Steve Hockensmith creates plenty of quirky characters to keep the reader interested. He also takes Austen's beloved characters and keeps them true to their personalities. Elizabeth is strong willed and intelligent. Jane is still trying to find the good in everyone.
All in all, a fun book, I recommend it if you enjoy zombies and Austen spin offs.
The last part of the book actually reminded me a bit of Night of the Living Dead. I also liked the ending alot, it had a little unexpected twist that I enjoyed.
Within moments, there were zombies enough for all. Some ran from the shadows, some staggered, some crawled. Some were men, some women, some children. Some wore ragged shrouds, some bloody clothing, some absolutely nothing. Yet they all had one thing in common: They were headed toward the house.
This book has been read as part of R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge
Special thanks to FSB Associates for sending me a copy.
This book is a Quirk Classic
