Can we agree that Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice is one of the greatest books of all time? (We can't? I'm not sure we can be friends anymore...) The Regency-era romance is a chick-lit classic, a Brit-lit staple and for more a than a few girls (and boys,) a constant re-read. I've seen both of the major filmed adaptions, the 5-hour miniseries featuring Colin Firth (in a bathtub, no less!) and the more recent version with Keira Knightley as heroine Elizabeth Bennett. I've also seen the bouncy and brightly colored spectacle that is the Bollywood version, Bride & Prejudice. The story lends itself to film very well, but can the main story actually be improved in print? If you add zombies, it can.
In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a parody/homage/adaptation of the Austen's most-loved novel, the plot remains virtually identical to the source material. Mrs. Bennett is still trying to marry off her five daughters, Mr. Darcy is still so proud and Jane and Mr. Bingley are still star crossed lovers for a good part of the story. Even some of the dialogue remains the same. The difference? England is besieged by zombies (referred to in turn as unmentionables or Satan's army) and the Bennett sisters trained with their father in the east on martial arts to fend off attacking brain-eaters.
Lizzy remains a model of the strong young woman, not just resistant to the allures of an easy marriage to her unattractive and obnoxious cousin Mr Collins but also a strong fighter, taking down zombies with guns, swords and her bare hands. When she meets Lady Catherine De Bourgh, the greatest warrior Britain has ever known, she spars with her troop of ninjas before sparring verbally with her.
The scene where Elizabeth rejects Darcy is probably one of the most delicious reworkings in the book. The dialogue is almost lifted verbatim from the original text, but spoken during a heated fight. The mind swims with the theatrical possibilities. And the tweaking results in a hilarious twist on Lydia's marriage, while the story of the Collins's is quite sweet and sad.
It's a fast-paced horror/romance hybrid with all the regency era niceties mixed in with the gory brain-eating. I highly recommend it, even if your not an Austen fan like me.
In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a parody/homage/adaptation of the Austen's most-loved novel, the plot remains virtually identical to the source material. Mrs. Bennett is still trying to marry off her five daughters, Mr. Darcy is still so proud and Jane and Mr. Bingley are still star crossed lovers for a good part of the story. Even some of the dialogue remains the same. The difference? England is besieged by zombies (referred to in turn as unmentionables or Satan's army) and the Bennett sisters trained with their father in the east on martial arts to fend off attacking brain-eaters.
Lizzy remains a model of the strong young woman, not just resistant to the allures of an easy marriage to her unattractive and obnoxious cousin Mr Collins but also a strong fighter, taking down zombies with guns, swords and her bare hands. When she meets Lady Catherine De Bourgh, the greatest warrior Britain has ever known, she spars with her troop of ninjas before sparring verbally with her.
The scene where Elizabeth rejects Darcy is probably one of the most delicious reworkings in the book. The dialogue is almost lifted verbatim from the original text, but spoken during a heated fight. The mind swims with the theatrical possibilities. And the tweaking results in a hilarious twist on Lydia's marriage, while the story of the Collins's is quite sweet and sad.
It's a fast-paced horror/romance hybrid with all the regency era niceties mixed in with the gory brain-eating. I highly recommend it, even if your not an Austen fan like me.
A trailer for the follow-up novel, Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters:
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