“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith is a dark romantic parody of Austen’s original novel, “Pride and Prejudice.”
The story is similar in most ways from Elizabeth Bennet and her pride to Sir William Darcy and all of his prejudice, aside from the fact that England is dealing with flesh eating zombies, also known as Dreadfuls.
If you thought Elizabeth Bennet was a true feminist character and a good role model for girls, you should see how she fights with a sword.
Bennet and her sisters are warriors taught by Chinese monks to slay zombies. Who said decapitating flesh-eating corpses is un-ladylike?
The book steers in a ‘slightly’ different direction than the original version. With bouts of gory zombie slaying goodness, there is also a lot of comedy and the scene when the Bennet and Darcy fight becomes an actual fist fight.
But the best part is the epic battle between Bennet and the sinister, Lady Catherin De bourgh, accompanied by her army of Ninjas.
This book also has a sequel and a prequel, which are their own original stories, and brings you deeper into the world of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”
The Good:
This book is very similar to “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.” It is comical and action-packed at the same time. It does not take away from the original piece but gives it an intriguing twist to look forward to.
The Bad:
It’s not truly bad, but I would have liked to see more Zombie slaying. I know they had to stick to the original material as best as they could, which they did.
Nonetheless, I am the type of person who likes a kick-ass warrior woman who knows how to fight back.
Nick Bundarin can be contacted at
nicholas.bundarin@ksc.keene.edu