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

Let me first start off by saying that Pride and Prejudice is quite possibly my favorite book. I can read it over and over again, and never be bored. I own both the 2005 movie version starring Keira Knightley and the 1995 TV mini series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and I have seen both versions more times than I would care to admit.

When my brother first showed me Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I didn’t know what to think. Should I be horrified that someone perverted the story, or should I be excited to read a new take on the classic? I am very glad that I decided to try reading it, because this unique take on the story may be even better than the original (sorry Jane Austen!).

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies stays fairly true to the original Austen tale. It deals with the same characters in the same situation with the same outcome, which made me happy. Unlike many fellow reviewers, I thought that the addition of the zombies was well done and did not take away from the story. The two authors flowed into and out of each other perfectly, and the illustrations accompanying the zombie sections were great. Many people have not been able to read the original version, as they get bored with it. Introducing zombies into the equation makes the story that much more enjoyable to fans, but also to those who have not read the original.

The only thing that didn’t fully fit into this story was the few modern jokes Grahame-Smith threw into his parts. They didn’t really take away from the story, but they did feel a little out of place. However, I enjoyed the jokes because they were my (somewhat dirty) sense of humor. Diehard Jane Austen fans probably wouldn’t enjoy them, as they are not period jokes, and certainly not ones Elizabeth would make.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The addition of zombies to Austen’s original text gave the story a new level of awesomeness. The only thing I didn’t like was that Elizabeth’s best friend, Charlotte, was turned into a zombie. She is my favorite supporting character, and it made me sad, and slightly mad, to see her degraded like that. Despite this, I would definitely read this version again and again, just as I have with the original.


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