Review - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Goodreads Blurb:

“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. Can Elizabeth 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.

My Thoughts:

I like Pride and Prejudice. I like zombies. So it stands to reason that I should like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. But I don't. I think it's because I'm a purist and I don't like people messing with things I like. Especially Pride and Prejudice. I only lasted 5 minutes in the newest movie (the one with Keira Knightley) because I loved the old one and now everything was wrong! 


Beyond my own personal bias, I still don't think it was done as well as it could be. It messed up the story enough to annoy people like me, but I don't think there was enough zombie mayhem to attract the action movie/book crowd. There was a lot of talking about zombies, but much less slaying of zombies.


I also need to mention that Elizabeth Bennet was a complete witch in this book. She was constantly murdering people or at least fantasizing about it (yes, ninjas are people too). I found her completely unlikeable and she definitely didn't deserve someone as awesome as Mr. Darcy (who was only slightly less awesome in this book).

Other, more minor, complains: 
1. Why was this book so obsessed with kung fu? I personally don't think butterfly kicks are the best way to dispatch a zombie. And you have to travel to China or Japan to learn to use a bladed weapon?
2. Since when can muskets fire multiple balls like a semi-automatic? (I'm talking about the scene where Elizabeth kills a pile of zombies with her musket while jumping off her carriage). 
3. Why couldn't Lydia (or at least Mrs. Bennet) be eaten by a zombie? Why?

My Favourite Scene:

The end. I was just glad it was over.

My Favourite Character:


Mr. Darcy, as always. But Elizabeth definitely didn't deserve him in this book. Not even close. I would have rather seen him end up with Miss Bingley or his cousin!

My Rating: 2 hearts

 

 

Where to find this book: Goodreads | Amazon| The Book Depository


Source: I got this book as a present from my momma!