Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Reading Rain-bow: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith



I have to be honest, I was skeptical about the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It was written by someone other than Seth Grahame-Smith (the author of PP&Z) and I am skeptical of prequels in general - I mean, I already know what happens, so what's the point? But, I'm happy to say that I was wrong to be so cynical. Dawn of the Dreadfuls was a fun read - and in some ways, even more interesting than PP&Z.



Now if you're a PP&Z fan, don't get me wrong - that was a great book. You really can't beat Seth Grahame-Smith when you're talking Jane Austen and zombies. But, what I liked about Dawn of the Dreadfuls was that it was an entirely new story, but with completely familiar characters. Hmmm... kind of like fan-ficiton, yes?

Dawn of the Dreadfuls tells the story of how Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia all come to be warriors against the dreaded zombies who have invaded England. Mr. Bennet is wonderful in this book, leading each of his daughters to find her inner warrior. Mrs. Bennet is pure comic relief - and done so well that I actually found myself laughing out loud.

I think if you liked PP&Z, you will like this book. If you can get past the whole, "Why didn't Seth Grahame-Smith write this book?" question (as I had to), you'll enjoy it. It has quick wit and a lightheartedness, even amongst the zombie slaying, that I found refreshing.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls will be available on March 23rd. In the meantime, Quirk Classics is giving away some prize packs that include advance copies, audio books of PP&Z and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and lots more. If you'd like to enter, go here and post on the Quirk Classics message board. Good luck!






2 comments:

  1. In your opinion, would someone who's not really down with zombies in general still enjoy both books?

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  2. I'm so glad to hear that the prequel is good! I LOVED Pride & Prejudice & Zombies-it was so very clever and funny. And, I'm quite excited for Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter that comes out next week(partially because I grew up in Springfield, IL, home of Honest Abe:)).

    @dazzledbyhim - I wasn't a huge zombie fan when I read it (I kind of am now though :)), but I loved PP&Z--partially because I loved actual Pride and Prejudice. BUT, what I've told my zombie-fan friends-if you don't like Jane Austen, you're probably not going to like PP&Z because it really is P&P with the character's actions being driven by zombies rather than say, social rules.

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