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by Steve Hockensmith debuts today. I'm only half-way through the book, but so far I do love it. Now, let me just say that I am not generally a fan of zombie movies or fiction. I very much like Jane Austen, though, and I find mash-ups really fun and, well, quirky. The book is the sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I reviewed here) and the third in the series which includes the prequel Dawn of the Dreadfuls
. The story unfolds as the newlywed Darcy is bitten by an unmentionable which begins the process of zombification. Elizabeth is sent by Lady Catherine de Bourgh to London to obtain a highly-guarded cure for the zombie plague. However, as any Austen reader knows, Elizabeth and Lady Catherine are not on the best of terms, and the quest is hampered by lies, schemes, and ninjas, not to mention zombies.Quirk Classics is having a give-away - just "like" the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After Facebook page to enter. And watch for my upcoming post on Austenesque - that is, novels written as sequels to, in the style of, or using the characters of, Jane Austen.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy of this book.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
Jessie Kunhardt at Huffington Post summarizes the monster mash-up craze (" 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' Spin-Offs are Out of Control!").
I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, but not as much as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or its prequel, Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I just couldn't get past the fact that no rational society, when faced with giant malevolent sea creatures, would willingly choose to live near the ocean, on islands, or in a giant undersea city. What, there's no place to live inland? Also, I love, love, love, the movie version
I have a stack of books on my desk. Some need to go back to the library; all are taking up space. Several of them deserve a whole review to themselves - but I don't have time to write them. So I'll just give you a summary. If you are interested in what I'm reading, leave a comment and maybe I'll give it a more in-depth treatment.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith. I think I liked this prequel even better than the original PPZ (which I reviewed here). While adding zombies to Austen's prose was, though delightful, unwieldy at best, this book is an entirely original piece of writing.
The It Factor: Be the One People Like, Listen to, and Remember
The Buccaneers
The Telling (Seasons of Grace, Book 3)
Since I last blogged about Jane Austen, I've read Emma
Next up: Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights
and Mansfield Park and Mummies
Being the type of person who likes to thoroughly exhaust a genre or author before moving on, I decided not to stop at just one cinematic interpretation of the novel, but four. Bride and Prejudice is the Bollywood version staring, among others, Lost's Naveen Andrews (who knew he could dance?). It was a fun movie. Then Bridget Jones's Diary which borrows a plotline from Pride and Prejudice. I thought it was just ok; my husband didn't like it at all. Bridget Jones stars Colin Firth, who also played Mr. Darcy in the workmanlike 1996 BBC production of Austen's classic, which I watched as well.
I also started reading Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. When I picked up the book at the library, I was not at all surprised to learn that it was published by Quirk Classics, a division of Quirk Books. Quirk Classics is specializing in the literary mash-up, which aims to "enhance classic novels with pop culture phenomena." The tongue-in-cheek Reader's Discussion Guide at the end of the book explains:
10. Some scholars believe that the zombies were a last-minute addition to the novel, requested by the publisher in a shameless attempt to boost sales....Can you imagine what this novel might be like without the violent zombie mayhem?
What to read next? There are so many options. I could read (or in some cases, re-read) the rest of Austen's novels - I've already finished Persuasion and started in on Emma
. I could read one of the many Pride and Prejudice sequels
and prequels on the market, but I'm still recovering from the disappointing Scarlett
, the sequel to Gone With the Wind. Or I could wait for Dawn of the Dreadfuls, the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, being released later this month. Perhaps Mansfield Park and Mummies? or Emma and the Werewolves
? So many books, so little time...ETA: Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Dawn of the Dreadfuls prize packs here.