Great first line, it had to be polished, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
Zombies and katanas give it the zing the original, tedious novel lacks. Everyone is happy in the end, except for those who deserve a bad end--and the people who turn into zombies.
Review of 'Pride and prejudice and zombies' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Ich bin beim Original nie über die ersten Seiten hinausgekommen. Falls es so ist wie dieses Buch abzüglich der Kampfszenen, muss es noch uninteressanter sein, als ich dachte. Es geht ausschließlich darum, wer wen warum heiratet oder gerade doch nicht, dann aber doch. Aber in Kombination mit den Schwertkämpfen, den Zwischenbemerkungen über die Shaolin-Ausbildung der Töchter, und dem Krieg gegen die Zombies war es unterhaltsam genug.
Update: Auf keinen Fall den Film gucken! Der Film ist grauenvoller Mist und hat nichts mit dem Buch zu tun. Im Buch gibt es kompetente Frauen, im Film ist alles wie immer, die Frauen zappeln hilflos herum, müssen gerettet werden und die Kamera versucht bei jeder Gelegenheit, ihnen in den Ausschnitt zu schlüpfen.
Review of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I put off reading this for a long time as I was pretty convinced it would be terrible, but you know what? It wasn't actually as terrible as I was expecting, though admittedly that's a low bar. Grahame-Smith's writing is certainly nothing to compare to Austen's, but enough of the original story remains that it's amusing just seeing how he decided to change it. Darcy's declaration of love leading to Lizzy ninja-kicking him into the mantle piece, and Lady Catherine DeBourgh's final meeting with Lizzy turning into a sparring match, katanas and all, were surprising but not entirely disappointing examples. On the other hand there were some very odd choices - why have the Bennett sisters all train in China (and the Darcys in Japan), rather than just train in home grown English killing techniques? Why does everybody seem prone to vomiting at the drop of a hat? Why get …
I put off reading this for a long time as I was pretty convinced it would be terrible, but you know what? It wasn't actually as terrible as I was expecting, though admittedly that's a low bar. Grahame-Smith's writing is certainly nothing to compare to Austen's, but enough of the original story remains that it's amusing just seeing how he decided to change it. Darcy's declaration of love leading to Lizzy ninja-kicking him into the mantle piece, and Lady Catherine DeBourgh's final meeting with Lizzy turning into a sparring match, katanas and all, were surprising but not entirely disappointing examples. On the other hand there were some very odd choices - why have the Bennett sisters all train in China (and the Darcys in Japan), rather than just train in home grown English killing techniques? Why does everybody seem prone to vomiting at the drop of a hat? Why get rid of the Collinses so apparently pointlessly? And why throw in random irrelevant comments about sex that are neither funny nor relevant - like having Mrs Gardner randomly go sleep with some Russian ex boyfriend that we never hear about again and which affects nothing? So many odd disjointed choices that didn't make any sense and didn't contribute anything to the story.
As another reader commented, it might have been better titled Pride and Prejudice and Ninjas, because the zombies really didn't have much to do with the plot other than being there and occasionally getting in the way. They never present any threat, never have any significant effect on the plot, and simply show up and get mown down at fairly random intervals. Call me picky, but I think that if you're going to rewrite an entire book to bring in zombies, you should actually make them relevant in some way.
Still, it was entertaining mindless entertainment for a few hours and an easy read. And now I'm actually tempted to see the movie, not least because Matt Smith is in it. Don't go in with high expectations and you may find the book entertaining. But definitely don't look too deeply into it.
Review of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The first chapter had me laughing every other page with the ridiculousness of inserting the zombie story line into Pride & Prejudice. After that, the absurdity of it all began to annoy me, though it was nice seeing some of the "villians" of the original works get their comeuppances.
Review of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It's nonsense, of course, but I enjoyed it immensely. Started it on Saturday, and finished it Monday. The martial arts and zombie slaying are stitched in beautifully. The regiment is still stationed in Meryton, but they are there to battle the undead. Remember the confrontation between Elizabeth Bennett and Lady Catherine de Bourgh near the end of the novel, when Lady Catherine is demanding that Elizabeth promise not to marry Darcy? Well, in this book it takes place in the Bennett family dojo. Be sure to read the 'A Reader's Discussion Guide' at the back of the book.
