Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies

I started off being extremely excited about starting this book. I am a fan of Jane Austen, even if I haven't had a chance to read one of her books in its entity, and who doesn't like zombies? However, I quickly learned that some mashups are better left separate. Before reading the very first page, I decided to flip the novel over and read the summary. The section about the authors caught my eye first. It said something like “Jane Austen has written numerous classics and has forever shaped the world of literature. Seth Grahame-Smith once took an English class.” I didn't know whether to laugh, or to cringe. I returned to the front cover, then flipped through the entire novel to check out the illustrations, like any art student might do. I paused on one featuring the heroine, Elizabeth, and a ninja. Again, I had to hide a cringe.

So, I started reading. The farther along I got, the more ridiculous I found the entire thing to be. I know, the whole point of the novel mashup is to be ridiculous and hold the interest of a modern-day audience, but I couldn't find the humor, much like with the Princess Bride, which everyone but me seems to like. I didn't like how the zombies went from being “unmentionables” to “zombies” frequently, especially because I think of the word “zombie” as being very modern. The fact that Elizabeth and her sisters were trained zombie killers was also a bit too silly for my tastes. However, I think the idea of reshaping a novel to meet today's pop culture is a great idea. I know from the class discussion that a lot of people really enjoyed the read. I'm just not one of them. It did, however, make me want to read the real Pride and Prejudice, maybe with a side-dish of the Zombie Survival Guide.