BookMonkey reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of the surprise sensations in the publishing industry last year was Quirk Classics' Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a mashup which re-imagined Elizabeth Bennet as romantically jaded martial arts expert up to her eyes in zombies, also known as 'dreadfuls'. Though railed against by some Jane Austen purists as sacrilege, adding zombies to such a well known, if intimidating, classic arguably exposed it to a new audience of readers who otherwise may well have never read it (in any form). Such success obviously called for a follow up, right?
Naturally. But instead of going the traditional sequel route, Quirk Classics went in the other direction and has given us a prequel: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Set several years prior to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dawn of the Dreadfuls takes the reader on a journey through the dawn of the zombie plague and Elizabeth's tentative first steps toward becoming the ultimate zombie killing warrior. Along the way we encounter, among other things, a scientific attempt to interact with a dreadful... through music and dancing (just go with it), a creative use of croquet balls and mallets, and the timely arrival of ninjas.
Obviously Jane Austen did not actually write a prequel to Pride and Prejudice, so author Steve Hockensmith had a freer hand than his Pride and Prejudice and Zombies predecessor to create his tale without being tied to source material and he did a great job replicating the feel of Austen's style / presentation. But what made Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a true phenomenon was its creative mashup of classic literate with classic horror, and that hook worked precisely because the reader already knew the story being (lovingly) spoofed. Once the story isn't tied to an actual classic work, well, it's really just another zombie story... in an odd setting.
Don't get me wrong, Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a very entertaining read. It just didn't have quite the same sense of discovery and mischief that was present in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, that "Look at us poking fun at the 'great work of literature'... by adding zombies!" Of course that could actually work in Dawn of the Dreadfuls favor, as those who were wary of reading classic literature, even with a healthy dose of zombies thrown in, may be more receptive to what is, essentially, a completely original zombie tale.
Naturally. But instead of going the traditional sequel route, Quirk Classics went in the other direction and has given us a prequel: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Set several years prior to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dawn of the Dreadfuls takes the reader on a journey through the dawn of the zombie plague and Elizabeth's tentative first steps toward becoming the ultimate zombie killing warrior. Along the way we encounter, among other things, a scientific attempt to interact with a dreadful... through music and dancing (just go with it), a creative use of croquet balls and mallets, and the timely arrival of ninjas.
Obviously Jane Austen did not actually write a prequel to Pride and Prejudice, so author Steve Hockensmith had a freer hand than his Pride and Prejudice and Zombies predecessor to create his tale without being tied to source material and he did a great job replicating the feel of Austen's style / presentation. But what made Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a true phenomenon was its creative mashup of classic literate with classic horror, and that hook worked precisely because the reader already knew the story being (lovingly) spoofed. Once the story isn't tied to an actual classic work, well, it's really just another zombie story... in an odd setting.
Don't get me wrong, Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a very entertaining read. It just didn't have quite the same sense of discovery and mischief that was present in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, that "Look at us poking fun at the 'great work of literature'... by adding zombies!" Of course that could actually work in Dawn of the Dreadfuls favor, as those who were wary of reading classic literature, even with a healthy dose of zombies thrown in, may be more receptive to what is, essentially, a completely original zombie tale.
Michelle S. (SmartWoman) reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I just finished Quirk Classics' newest future classic Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. DotD is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austin's classic with Zombies and mayhem thrown in for good measure. This book begins four years before P&P&Z as Elizabeth is ready to come out into society, but low and behold even those long dead can't resist a good party!
Reading Steve Hockensmith's prose almost made me wonder if Jane Austin herself hasn't risen from the grave as well, because down to Mrs. Bennet's last "La" it sounds downright Austin. The book itself takes Regency to a new place with the scandalous nature of the Bennet girls becoming warriors, and shunned from society. How ever will they find a husband now? Humor is not lacking as we learn how the dreadfuls return to the English countryside, and we set the scene for P&P&Z.
I highly recommend this book. If you like Austin, and like fun - you'll enjoy this book too!
Plus, (and I can barely contain myself here) Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Dawn of the Dreadful Prize Packs!!
Each Prize Pack, with a retail value of more than $100, will include:
o An advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
o Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
o A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
o An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls Poster
o A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
o A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards
To learn about how to enter (until the end of March 2010) visit my blog!
http://52selfhelpbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/fiction-friday-dawn-of-dreadfuls.html
Reading Steve Hockensmith's prose almost made me wonder if Jane Austin herself hasn't risen from the grave as well, because down to Mrs. Bennet's last "La" it sounds downright Austin. The book itself takes Regency to a new place with the scandalous nature of the Bennet girls becoming warriors, and shunned from society. How ever will they find a husband now? Humor is not lacking as we learn how the dreadfuls return to the English countryside, and we set the scene for P&P&Z.
I highly recommend this book. If you like Austin, and like fun - you'll enjoy this book too!
Plus, (and I can barely contain myself here) Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Dawn of the Dreadful Prize Packs!!
Each Prize Pack, with a retail value of more than $100, will include:
o An advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
o Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
o A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
o An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls Poster
o A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
o A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards
To learn about how to enter (until the end of March 2010) visit my blog!
http://52selfhelpbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/fiction-friday-dawn-of-dreadfuls.html
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I read and enjoyed both "Pride and Prejudice" and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (PPZ). So when I heard that a prequel to PPZ was being released I was excited. I mean, finally, we get to learn all about how Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters got their awesome fighting skills. I got a copy of Dawn of the Dreadfuls through Quirk Books. I actually enjoyed this book more than PPZ; Hockensmith has created some great tongue-in-cheek characters and the book was very well done!
This book follows the Bennet family as they discover the first dreadful rising (out of a coffin at a funeral), through training the Bennet girls receive, to the inevitable massive zombie attack.
Hockensmith did a great job in keeping the tone of the story similar to PPZ. Mrs. Bennet was definitely the Mrs. Bennet from PPZ and Jane and Elizabeth also maintained their character very well. I thought the story actually flowed much better than PPZ; probably because Hockensmith got to control the storyline this time and could match it to the characters better. Hockensmith has created some fabulous character additions. Master Hawksworh (the Bennet's instructor in the deadly arts) and Dr. Keckilpenny (a doctor who seeks to cure the dreadful affliction) are a lot of fun.
The fighting scenes are well done and more inclusive than in PPZ, again I think that being able to incorporate the action scenes fully into his own story helped Hockingsmith out on this one. The plot takes some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the story which I really enjoyed.
My only complaint would be at times the characters are a little bit over the top. This is a small complaint. I know these over-the-top characters are there for humor, and many times, they are very funny. At times though it goes a bit over-board and feels forced. The dialogue is witty and entertaining enough all on its own; it didn't need any more than that to be funny.
Overall I liked this book even better than PPZ. It was entertaining, engaging, and had me chuckling a number of times. Hockensmith did a good job staying true to the main characters nature, even if the additional characters sometimes went a bit over-the-top with their actions.
This book follows the Bennet family as they discover the first dreadful rising (out of a coffin at a funeral), through training the Bennet girls receive, to the inevitable massive zombie attack.
Hockensmith did a great job in keeping the tone of the story similar to PPZ. Mrs. Bennet was definitely the Mrs. Bennet from PPZ and Jane and Elizabeth also maintained their character very well. I thought the story actually flowed much better than PPZ; probably because Hockensmith got to control the storyline this time and could match it to the characters better. Hockensmith has created some fabulous character additions. Master Hawksworh (the Bennet's instructor in the deadly arts) and Dr. Keckilpenny (a doctor who seeks to cure the dreadful affliction) are a lot of fun.
The fighting scenes are well done and more inclusive than in PPZ, again I think that being able to incorporate the action scenes fully into his own story helped Hockingsmith out on this one. The plot takes some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the story which I really enjoyed.
My only complaint would be at times the characters are a little bit over the top. This is a small complaint. I know these over-the-top characters are there for humor, and many times, they are very funny. At times though it goes a bit over-board and feels forced. The dialogue is witty and entertaining enough all on its own; it didn't need any more than that to be funny.
Overall I liked this book even better than PPZ. It was entertaining, engaging, and had me chuckling a number of times. Hockensmith did a good job staying true to the main characters nature, even if the additional characters sometimes went a bit over-the-top with their actions.
Jenny C. (thehungrybrain) reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls on + 26 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but by a different author. I was looking forward to reading this one, and although I wasnt disappointed, it wasnt as good as the original one. It was interesting to see this take on the Bennet girls in their younger years, and how they were formed into the zombie-killing masters we came to know them in later years, but the story itself kind of dragged a little -- but thats probably because it didnt have the intervention of Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley to make things interesting!
