I read the book; it’s popcorn but I surprised me in some spots.
For example, one of the things I was worried about is that the author would have to stretch too much to keep Abe’s crusade a secret. By contrast:
Once Abe started dabbling in national politics (after he’d been more or less solo slaying for a couple of decades), he learns that vampire influence was something of an open secret in DC. I personally found this more intriguing than just having Abe and a few friends fight this shadow crusade against an equally shadowy antagonist for 300+ pages–which is where I thought the story would remain exclusively.
I agree with these criticisms, but am willing to cut the author a little slack on these:
[spoiler]Introducing EAP allows the disturbing nature of Poe’s writing to underscore the menace of the vampires. I agree regarding the overly-mentoring Henry, but that decision speeds along the exposition. And having Lincoln confront JD–while admittedly over the top–unambiguously spells out the terms of the coming conflict.
If this were a serious novel those last two would be faults, but in a popcorn novel they’re features! [/spoiler]
The movie seems to be out now in the US. Coming to Thailand soon, as previews are already being shown. Ebert seems to have liked it okay, but even though the screenplay was written by the book’s author Seth Grahame-Smith, it sounds like he changed up the story quite a bit to fit it into movie length.
Since humans first picked up movie cameras, they have sought to make this movie. Finally, Abraham Lincoln saving the union by killing vampires has become reality.
I loved it loved it loved it. Most differences from the book, I liked. Involving the underground railroad in the preservation of the union was brilliant.*
The only thing that could have made the movie better -possibly- would be for Lincoln to have impaled the boss vampire with a Union flag with a silver-tipped flagpole.
*My son accepted that Abe Lincoln had Matrix-like abilities with an axe, that vampires were real, that the confederacy was an attempt by vampires to have their own country, that slavery was essentially a means of providing livestock for vampires…his big problem was that they had to collect all the silver, make weapons and ammunition out of it, and walk it eighty miles to Gettysburg in one day.
I saw it yesterday and was very disappointed. I loved the book and this resembled the book very little. Much of the story was sacrificed in favor of lame action sequences.
Enjoyed the book - was a little confused between the preface and then the ending -
in the preface, Henry is providing AL’s writings to the author to create this book - no mention of Abe being still alive at this point- clearly, this is intentional or we wouldn’t have the twist at the end. But it begs the question - Is Abe still alive at this time or what? what is the status of the Vampire community currently?
bought the book on the way out of the states on this trip to Germany - was very glad I did - can’t wait to get back home to see the movie - wondering how things are handled (especially the spoiler above)
In the introduction, Henry gave a list of 11 names and addresses of people to contact for help with the story. All pseudonyms I’m betting, and I’m also betting one was Abe himself. And I think Henry took him to see Abe, which would explain why he was so thoroughly convinced so quickly, within the space of an hour I believe he said.