Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

by Jane Austin and Seth Grahme-Smith

Fans of Jane Austin's classic, "Pride and Prejudice" maybe cringing to the the title "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" on my blog, but read on if you liked the original, and are at all interested in zombies! Grahme-Smith took the original material and wove in zombie references. In some places he simply added to the text, and some times he altered the original text, but there are still large chunks of the original material. The only problem with that is that it leaves you with a little bit of a feeling of whip-lash as you transition between Austin's excellent literature and Grahme-Smith's slightly less stellar writing. This can be summed up by the introduction to the author's on the back which reads:

"Jane Austin is the author of 'Sense and Sensibility', 'Persuasion', 'Mansfield Park', and other masterpieces of English literature. Seth Grahme-Smith once took a class in English literature."

I found this adaption of the classic to be highly entertaining. There were a few of the additions that I didn't really like, but there were some changes that I liked better than the original! This was because it altered the motives behind the characters actions in particular situations, and those were situations that had always frustrated me originally.

At the end of the book you'll find a small list of questions for readers discussion. These are just as entertaining as the rest of the book! My favorite is question number 7, "Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?" Good question! I have an additional question for them, "In book where violence is much more prevalent than it was in the original, how come no one ever chopped of Mrs. Bennet's head?"

I hear that they've also come out with a "Pride and Prejudice and Pirates" now. I'm not sure if or when I'll read that adaption, but it does sound interesting! I'm sure it'll be just as corny as this adaption gets at times though, if not worse!

Better Off Undead edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Daniel M. Hoyt

Buy It Now

Better Off Undead

"Better off Undead" is an anthology with an interesting premise. Many people are used to thinking of the undead as creepy and horrifying, but what if life as an undead was actually better for some than their lives as a warm human had been? That was the challenge that was placed before these writers. Not all the stories were superb in my opinion, but many of them were quite entertaining!

The book is divided into four sections. "Afterlife" deals with those who have died, find themselves in the afterlife, and now have some rather interesting adventures. "Spirit" deals with ghosts and haunting's. "Flesh" deals with zombies and revenants. And lastly, "Undead" deals with vampires, that which we originally and traditionally think of as undead.

It was interesting to see some authors I'm familiar with in this anthology. Especially because I'm more familiar with them as science fiction authors! I always love to see writers working in a different genre.

As always with an anthology, it's hard to pick out my favorite stories to talk about. Two of my favorites from this one were "Genius Loci" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and "Two All Beef Patties" by Jay Lake. I think these two stick out in my mind because they both have great endings!