Got my copy today. Honestly, so far it’s pretty awful, but in a goofily entertaining way. I think my favorite part is the illustrations.
I’m only up to just after the party where Darcy slights Elizabeth - anyone gotten farther?
Were you really surprised?
Seriously, the author’s track record is mostly Urban Outfitters kitsch. Still a shame, though.
Please share with us the moment when:
- Mr Collin is eaten by a zombie.
- Mr Darcy’s aunt is eaten by a zombie.
- Darcy and Elizabeth give birth to zombie.
I got it a week or so ago, but was still reading The Island by Huxley (whoa!). I’m only about twenty or so pages in (by slighting Elizabeth, do you mean the overhearing-at-the-dance bit?), and am splitting my time between it and I Robot (one of those glaring Sci-Fi holes I need to patch).
Not gripping, not great, but I’m a sucker for all things zombie.
No, I’m not surprised in the least. And not at all disappointed. The whole endeavor breezily embraces the inherent cheesiness and silliness of the idea, so it kind of works. (The author bio blurbs on the back cover say something like, “Jane Austen is a leading figure in English Literature. Seth Grahame-Smith once took a course in English Literature.”) And I just had to lend my support to a project that was so bold as to target what must be a tiny demographic - Janeites who are also zombie aficianados (AFAIK, there are about three of us*).
And yeah, I’m looking forward to Mr. Collins being eaten by a zombie, if that should happen. Also, I peeked at the study questions at the end (hee!), and it seems there may also be ninjas at some point. If there are pirates as well, this could in fact turn out to be the perfect novel.
*Though I heard on the teasers of BBC World News that they would be covering this today, so perhaps there are more people interested. Also, when I type “pride prejudice” into my Google toolbar, the second suggestion is the book title!
Can you quote the opening paragraph?.. I wish it begins like this:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife… also, zombies luve BRAINS”.
And I agree, pirates, zombies, ninjas and nipples are the ingredients both for an oscar and for a nobel prize in… well, pretty much in everything.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains”.
It’s okay taken in small portions. I put it away about halfway through because it just seemed repetitive; Austen’s take of manners interupted every now and then by mentions of the girls fighting skills or a zombie attack. You really have to know the source material to appreciate it. But still, trying to stretch the concept over the length of a whole novel gets a little tiresome.
Entertainment Weekly liked it (grade A–).
I have it and flipped through it. I don’t know if I’ll read the whole thing cover to cover, but I really liked how the zombies were interspersed with the original Austen language. But I really know the source material - I listen to P&P in my car the same way other people listen to their favorite album.
I suspect I’ll skim it for ‘plot’ - then go back and read my favorite Austenisms twisted.
That would that make it:
**Jwaaza!!! **
Has a very zombie ring.
Not exactly on topic but am I the only one who has noticed the explosion of what I like to call “P & P porno?” As in all the continuations of Pride and Prejudice written either from the perspective of Elizabeth or Darcy? I flipped through one a few years ago and it basically seemed like an excuse to write E & D sex scenes. My Borders in Pasadena has a whole table devoted to them.
Between these and Twilight I’m thinking glorified fanfic is the hottest thing in publishing. I going to have to get on my sexy continuation of Heart of Darkness pronto.