Book 39 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith fulfilled the category “Genre Hybrid” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. The novel combines classic regency romance and horror.

It took me a while to read the story. I couldn’t whether to read this title for the “longest time on my TBR pile” or this category. But as per usual, I had difficulty finding the right book for the prompt. I read Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith but didn’t feel the merge of genres. Romance readers are used to mystery, suspense, medical drama, fantasy, hard crime, etc. inside our mystery novels. For me, genre meshes happen when romance is combined with horror or sci-fi. I think the best example of a romance hybrid is JD Robb’s In Death series—sci-fi, hard crime, and romance all in one. But I’ve already done an In Death story for you.

Anyway…

Jane Austen retellings are either wonderful or icky. I hated the book of Bridget Jones’s Diary but loved the Choose Your Own Adventure of Lost in Austen. (I also loved the movie of that same title with a slightly different premise. Let me just say River Song as Mrs. Bennet. Go watch it.)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies fell into more of the Meh category for me. Mr. Graham-Smith did a wonderful job matching the language of the novel. It was hard to tell which were his words, well, except for the violence, anger, and vomiting. (What the hell was with all vomiting? No one wants that, even in a zombie book.) The novel missed the mark in a few places—finer points of plot and characterization.

I cannot give this book five stars because Mr. Graham-Smith changed Lizzie’s personality. This character is my favorite in all of literature (Hermione Granger close behind). I even named a kid Elizabeth. In making Eliza Bennet a warrior, Mr. Graham-Smith turned her violent and blood-thirsty. It did not sit well with me. And to make Lady Catherine a warrior? Pu-lease, she would not get off her butt to help anyone but herself. That part was completely implausible.

Another issue I had centered on plot points. I didn’t like that Charlotte became a victim of the plague, but Mr. Collin’s reaction was both cute and problematic. It’s good he loved Charlotte (funny, he didn’t notice she was turning), but SPOILER, killing himself because of her death, changed the plot. Now the Bennets don’t have to worry about their home. No Mr. Collins, no need for the Bennet children to rush to marry. Just my two cents.

Last, yes, Wickham’s fate was kinda funny, but eww. That’s all.

I give Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith Four Brown Bess Rifles.