Zombies not worth slaying

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is a novel of romance and heartbreak teamed with the twisted horror and repulsion of flesh-eating zombies.

Quirk Books Publishing and Seth Grahame-Smith take Jane Austen's well known novel and expand it by turning it into something much more sinister.

Grahame-Smith adds a new twist to this classic tale where a plague rages mercilessly throughout England, bringing the dead from the ground to feast on living flesh.

This altered version begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in a tug of war, trying to decide which is more important for their five daughters; keeping them safe from the macabre creatures that haunt the town of Meryton or keeping to 19th century standards of finding each a husband.

It is not long before two wealthy suitors move in down the way where arrogant and cocky Fitzwilliam Darcy is introduced to the main character, Elizabeth Bennet.

Although all five Bennet sisters are skilled in weaponry and martial arts, Elizabeth stands out, taking on an intense passion for the art of killing.

Throughout the novel the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth constantly borders on the line between love and hate as the two young adults conflict with their pride and the feelings of affection slowly growing between them.

Meanwhile the plague claims more victims, as Elizabeth fights to keep her family safe.

The witty and well-worded conversations between characters keep the reader mildly entertained throughout this reformed classical novel.

With minor twists the plot is somewhat predictable and lacks the true gory zombie-like violence that zombie fans crave.

Out of the 317 pages the novel contains, very few hold scenes of gore and martial arts action.

While Grahame-Smith tries his best to add energy to this old classic, he simply cannot hold a candle to Austen's elegant writing and clever dialogue.

Overall it is more of a classic tale than one of the undead; Grahame-Smith's revised version is deficient of the "bone crunching zombie-mayhem" advertised on the back of the book.

Although the book is in the ‘young adult' section and is aimed toward a young audience, it may be too mature for teenagers to find an interest in it.

But with the book currently in production to be made into a feature film, it may spark an interest in younger audiences.

Those who are on a budget may want to wait and see the movie instead.

I believe the movie will make the novel much more intriguing and it may be cheaper than purchasing the book at local book stores, such as Barnes and Noble, in paperback for $12.95.

If you do decide to buy it, keep in mind it is mostly Austen's novel with grotesque and descriptive inserts of mindless zombies claiming the lives of innocent characters.

If a completely gruesome zombie-filled story is what you are looking for, I would suggest looking for another novel to indulge in.