Dreadfully Ever After

Dreadfully Ever After was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was exciting, fun, and full of zombies! It had most of the characters I wanted to see and some that I was surprised with. I loved Kitty. Who expected her to grow the way she did? Without Lydia around, she became her own person. Though I loved Lizzy and Oscar Bennet, Kitty stood out for me. I found Mary more predictable, her journey based on her experiences in Dawn of the Dreadfuls, was what I thought it would be. I was a little sad that there were no real interactions with Jane and Lizzy, though. I keep coming back to Kitty. She really held my attention. She broke out from what people expected her to be, what they wanted her to be. She became her own person. Steve Hockensmith created a Kitty I could love.

Darcy's family was a little crazy. More than a little. Dreadfully Ever After starts out with Mr. Darcy being bit. This is not a spoiler, it's on the back of the book. Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy can't let her beloved husband turn into a dreadful and she can't cut off his head either, so she sets out on a quest to find the rumoured cure. The only way to do this is through Lady Catherine. The same Lady Catherine who tried to kill Lizzy with ninjas in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Knowing that Lady Catherine prolonged Charlotte's life, Lizzy has no one else to turn to in order to save her husband. Lady Catharine sends Lizzy off to London and away from Darcy, leaving him vulnerable to Anne. I saw what what coming with Anne, from the first time Darcy touched her hand. On the topic of Darcy's family, I wish we had more time with Georgiana Darcy, how would she have reacted to Anne and Lady Catherine's revelation? She seemed to have a great relationship with her brother and his wife and I wish that we could have seen what her journey in Scotland was like. It wouldn't have had to be long. Just a chapter, maybe. 

The Bennets went through some ups and downs looking for the cure. There were dreadfuls, children, dandies and ninjas. I think the man in the box redeemed himself, but I would have liked a closer look; naturally, it was Mary who found him. They struggled to do what they thought was the right thing, with ninjas constantly hovering nearby. I really enjoy Nezu, my favourite ninja.  It's another reason I would have liked to see more Georgina, she spent a lot of time with ninjas too. 

The characters are really what made the story for me. There was growth, doubt, sadness, tragedy and love. I was up late many nights because I had to know what happened next. Lizzy was caught between two worlds. So was Darcy. So was Anne. And Kitty. And Nezu. They all had to make choices. Making those choices was difficult. I enjoyed reading about their struggle and following them on their journeys to the end. Also, the chapter with the king, fantastic!

I suppose that's it for novels in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies series.  There's really not much left to say in the life of Lizzy (Bennet) Darcy.  If Steve Hockensmith wrote another one, I would definitely read it though.  Maybe there will be one about Kitty or Georgiana.  If not, that's okay too, because those "dreadful" books were wonderful.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls.

Was that Hawksworth at the end? Wow. A great ending. Both the main story with the Bennets and the epilogue. I feel like the epilogue was not really created to connect to the first Pride and Prejudice and Zombies novel, but to actually connect to the third, Dreadfully Ever After. Which I will be reading, sooner than later. Dawn of the Dreadfuls actually has me wanting to read more Jane Austen too.  It's been a while since I read Emma and I have Northanger Abbey calling to me from a stack of books nearby.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After. It was brain candy. Just what I needed. It had women fighting stereotypes and preconceptions. It had twists. It had Lizzy and Jane. It had zombies! Steve Hockensmith did an excellent job moving backward from the story Seth Grahame-Smith wrote in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. He gave origins to where the Bennet sisters and their father learned their warrior ways, and Lady Catherine as well. Though we got more details about the zombie plague, we don't know where or why it started. I wonder if we'll get that in the third book.  Dawn of the Dreadfuls was funny, tragic, and exciting.  It's everything I expected it to be.  I loved that the Bennet parents got first names and that they are both given more depth.  I liked seeing who owned Netherfield before Bingley.  There's so much I liked about this novel.  I feel like I could gush.  Instead, I'm going to say, read it.  Even if you haven't read Pride and Prejudice or Pride an Prejudice and Zombies, I'm sure you'll still enjoy Dawn of the Dreadfuls.  The story stands very well on its own.  I wish there was more, but I suppose there is and I'll be reading it soon.  More Regency zombies, please!

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

When I saw a book titled, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, I knew I had to have it. William Shakespeare's Star Wars was everything I expected it to be. I already knew the story, as most people who pick up this book would. As each scene came up I eagerly anticipated the Shakespeare-ization. Re-writing Star Wars in iambic pentameter doesn't make it "literature", but it does make it thoroughly entertaining. It could not have been an easy task for Ian Doescher.

One thing I didn't expect was R2D2. He is hilarious. I loved his insights. It was the most original thing Doescher could do with the task he had given himself. I also quite enjoyed the stage directions. They really seemed as though the author (or translator?) was imagining what a director would be doing with this story and a stage. I feel like this little book is ready to go if anyone wanted to put on a Star Wars stage production. 

There really isn't anything I can say about the story. It's Episode 4 as you would expect it to be.  It starts off with Leia. Then Luke. Then Han and Chewbacca. Obi-Wan does his thing. Luke uses The Force.  The Death Star blows up. Also, the Droids are being quite funny the whole time.  Though not necessarily for fans of Shakespeare, fans of Star Wars will enjoy this play. Those who are also fans of Shakespeare might like it even more.

I didn't even mention the illustrations!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

I loved the novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I was excited to read the graphic novel after I discovered there was one.  I was given it as a gift.... Then, it was left on my shelf to collect dust for, well, two or three years.  Yikes!

In June, a sign-up post went up for Austen in August from The Room Beam Reader.  Austen!?  In August?! The perfect push for me to tackle an Austen novel or two that I haven't read yet and maybe read one of the inspired/reimagined works I have sitting around.  That brought me back to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel. The excitement I had when I first received the book came back to me. I had to restrain myself for over a month from picking it up right away.  Now, I remembered it was there.  I couldn't help but look at it on my shelf. When August finally arrived, I grabbed the book and devoured it.

I can't believe I waited so long to read PPZ: The Graphic Novel.  It was fantastic.  It brought back all the feelings I had when I first read the novel, with the interesting addition of the artwork.  I'm not completely sure how I feel about the art.  The Graphic Novel was done in black and white.  I've never before read a graphic novel that was black and white.  I thought with all the zombies and fighting, some colour would be nice.  I did, however, enjoy the black and white when it came to expressing the emotions of the characters, like Lizzy and Darcy when angry, filled with telling black shading.  Maybe they chose no colour because there would be too much blood or it would come off too gory and lose that Jane Austen "quality".  I'm not sure.  The lack of colour didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, it was just something I'm left thinking about.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel has put me in two kinds of moods. One, I want to finish the series.  Steve Hockensmith wrote a prequel, which I own and a sequel, which I do not.  I'd love to read the story of how the Bennet sisters received their training and I'd like to know if the zombies were ever vanquished.  The other mood has me looking to pick up my next Austen in August pick, Emma. Though Emma will definitely come before the zombie books, seeing as I think I should read some actual Austen for Austen in August.  If you're looking for a fun, quick spin-off Jane Austen to read, I would definitely recommend trying Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel, especially if you are also a zombie fan.

Austen In August

Austen in August starts today!  From the host, Adam, at Roof Beam Reader: “This event was inspired by a Twitter conversation that took place between three founders of The Classics Club. Last year was a huge success, and I am hopeful that this year will be another knock-out!” You can still sign up if you head over to Roof Beam Reader.  The goal is to read as many of Jane Austen’s novels as you want during the month of August, as well as Austen-related works, like biographies or re-imaginings.

Over the years I have read from Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.  I have also read a few related works: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.  I have also watched: Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, The Jane Austen Book Club, Bride and Prejudice, and Clueless.  So, while I haven’t read and watched everything (I’ve never seen any version of Pride and Prejudice – Shh…don’t tell anyone), I do have a healthy love for Austen.

What I plan to read this month is Emma.  I might read one of Austen’s other works; I’m thinking maybe Northanger Abbey or Lady Susan, but maybe not.  I’ve decided that I want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel.  The Hubby bought it for me shortly after I read the novel and I never got around to reading it.  This August seems like a good time.  I’ve also been thinking about reading Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.  I was excited when I picked it up after having read and enjoyed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.  I don’t know why I never got around to it either; I’m not guaranteeing I’m going to read it this month.  Whether or not I read the other books, I’m excited for Emma and the PPZ Graphic Novel.

If you’re on Twitter, check out what’s happening with #AustenInAugustRBR .

Android Karenina

I’m not sure where to begin with Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters’ Android Karenina. Forty pages from the end, there was a big twist and I thought I knew what I was going to say, where the rest of the story was going and how it would all end. That twist was just the beginning. I don’t want to give away the ending. The whole story comes together, unravels and come together again in these final pages. I want to say so much, but it wouldn’t be fair to everyone who hasn’t read it.

I do think everyone should read it. Unlike its Quick Classics predecessors, I haven’t read Anna Karenina. I decided that this time I would follow my own advice. I read first, to see if it would spark my interest in reading the Tolstoy original. It definitely has; it’s on my bookshelf waiting. I enjoyed Android Karenina. I think Winters did a great job of melding the past with robots, aliens and mad scientists. The story has a “what if” feel. “What if” this Miracle Metal, groznium was discovered? Is this what Russia in the 19th century would have been like? It takes the Industrial Revolution to a whole new level.

I also think Winters is an Isaac Asimov fan. Early on in the story, the characters talk about the “Iron Laws” which govern the behaviour of robots. Princess Betsy even puts them to a horrible test (in this scene you can see Anna leaning more towards robots than humans). About halfway through the novel, the characters finally bring up “Osimov”, a machine theorist, whose ideas brought about the Iron Laws. I found myself thinking of I, Robot occasionally.

For me, it’s Levin who is the hero. He begins as a shy man, turned down by the woman he loves. He grows, marries that woman and turns into a leader. His ideas and strength are a force upon this story. I know Anna and Vronsky are supposed to be the couple at the centre of everything, but Levin and Kitty steal their spotlight. Anna is a tool and Vronsky is selfish. Levin is the man, who in the end has everything, Vronsky has nothing. If you look closely, it’s even Levin who has Android Karenina. Not Vronsky, not even really Anna. I come out of the novel really disliking Vronsky, though I wonder, what is wrong with his tooth? If you like Russian literature or robots or both, you should pick up Android Karenina and find out what happens to these four characters.

Check out Android Karenina at Quirk Classics.  They have a sample chapter up.  Comment on the chapter, blog posts and let them know you read about the book here.

Check out: "Android Karenina Review Copies - Calling All Bloggers! | Quirk"

To any bloggers who also review books: Quirk is giving away free copies of Android Karenina.

Android Karenina Review Copies - Calling All Bloggers! Quirk

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is Quirk Classics newest Jane Austen installment. Ben H. Winters’s does a fair job taking the classic tale to a sub-surface level. It is a fun and interesting read, blending personal heartbreak with sea monster attacks. Winters keeps the essential personality of each of the characters. He leaves the old world of Austen behind and creates a new one. It is a world fraught with battling sea-beasts.

Winters is not the same author who created Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. There is a difference in writing style and the manner in which the books are transformed. While Winters created entirely new towns and re-wrote much of the story, Seth Grahame-Smith’s approach was more subtle. So don’t expect the same feeling from both books. The individual style is apparent. I prefer PPZ; SSSM seemed too long. It lacked something that PPZ managed to keep from the Austen original. SSSM is a fun read though, and if you liked the first Quirk remake, try this one too.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

If you loved the original… well, I hope you’ll love Seth Grahame-Smith’s reworking of Jane Austen’s classic. I certainly did. The story still centres on Elizabeth Bennet. However, instead of her and her sisters being English ladies, they are great warriors as well. Elizabeth and Jane are in fact, the two best warriors in Hertfordshire. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies really shows off women as strong individuals, fighting to save their country.

I really enjoyed how Grahame-Smith took the character development a step further. Elizabeth was a strong individual in Austen’s classic, but in this new retelling, she is also physically strong. If you thought Mrs. Bennet was silly before, she’s especially silly now. The antagonists are even more vile. Grahame-Smith is a bit more obvious with how troublesome Mr. Collins is, but alas, poor Charlotte… The punishments for the antagonists are probably things you wished would happen to these characters originally. Oh, Mr. Wickham…

Having recently read Austen’s Pride and Prejudice many of the passages were fresh in my mind. I loved how little words like, “zombies” and “Satan’s army” can change the meaning of an entire chapter. The zombification seemed seamless. For people who have read Austen’s work, this is a fun change. For those who haven’t, this might be a nice introduction into a classic…just make sure you read the original after.

Did I mention they’re going to make it into a movie? I can’t wait!