I expected this book to be a comedy: the zany adventures of gangly Abe Lincoln slaying the undead. But while the premise is comedic, the novel takes a serious approach, painting Lincoln as a man beset by death at every stage of his life, whose efforts to fight slavery and keep the union of states were actually part of his determined vow to rid the world of vampires. It actually makes a lot of sense. Vampires would thrive in the slave states, where they could use the monies they've amasses over the decades and centuries to purchase victim who would never be missed or mourned. And, naturally, these same vampires would adamantly oppose abolition and would fight to preserve the Confederacy. Although I was surprised by the serious tone of the novel, I certainly was not disappointed by it. Author Seth Grahame-Smith does a wonderful job of taking a ridiculous concept and fitting it into American history.