Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a 2009 mash-up-style novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It combines Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of modern zombie fiction (or so they say). Austen is credited as co-author. It was first published in April 2009 by Quirk Books and in October 2009 a Deluxe Edition was released. Recently a prequel was published, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls written by Steve Hockensmith.

I did not like this book. There...I said it. Lots of critics loved it, I did not. Not even close. I read Pride and Prejudice in high school and I distinctly remember not liking it while I was reading it. I understood after I finished reading it why it was a classic piece of literature. I was able to appreciate a literary masterpiece without actually liking it or enjoying reading it. I have yet to see the movie but I can imagine that with the added visual interest of period costumes and a sexy, leading male I could get into it. I think that feeling is parallel for me to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, if it were a movie I might be able to get into it. Basically this novel is a Regency-era tale about killing zombies in the English countryside. Death and romance swirled together with a lot of relationship drama. Sounds good, right? Well, as a zombie novel it lacks a couple of the basics that I feel most zombie lovers are expecting.

1. Cool weapons. The coolest weapon as far as I can see is a katana. Yes, this IS a very cool weapon but it's been done and it's been done better. I refer you to Michonne from The Walking Dead graphic novel series.

2. Awesome zombie killing action. Mixing the gentile persona of 19th century females with the bad-ass-ness of brutal zombie killing is just too weird. When I got to the zombie killing sequences in this novel I found myself thinking about what to make for dinner, it just didn't hold my interest. I will give credit to the main chick, Elizabeth. A modern day reincarnation of her may be vaguely comparable to Alice from Resident Evil, a seemingly unstoppable fighter but slightly emotionally unavailable. 

I'm fully aware of the running theme of the struggle to break the female stereotype of this era in this novel. I'm all about the chicas breaking boundaries and kicking ass. Ana from the 2004 re-make of Dawn of the Dead is my all-time favorite female lead in a zombie film. Strong and smart but without being super-human. That's not my problem with this novel. I suppose as a tried-and-true zombie genre lover I am sub-consciously not interested in expanding my undead horizon. I'm not intrigued by an overly complicated love story while I'm imagining a zombie slaughter. You may see this as an inability to accept this alternate style of zombie story-telling but I don't care. While reading this novel I kept hoping the main characters would get eaten. My final thought on this book? I can appreciate it, but I don't like it. 

There are a plethora of adaptations of this novel. Cha-ching!

At a book-signing Q & A held at California State University Fullerton on April 23, 2009, Grahame-Smith reported that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies had officially been purchased by an undisclosed major film company to be produced as a feature film. It was reported on December 11, 2009 that the film adaptation will be financed and distributed through Lionsgate. It was also reported that Natalie Portman will produce the film and star in the lead role and David O. Russell will direct. The imdb page reveals little else and does not confirm that Natalie Portman is connected to the film. 

In May 2010, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel was published by Del Rey/Random House, with acclaimed comic writer Tony Lee adapting the text and art by Cliff Richards. 

In March 2010, a video game based on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was announced. Digital development specialist Freeverse is behind it, and describes the title as "a rollicking action title with the perfect blend of zombie slaying action and touching romance narrative". The game is designed for the iPod Touch and iPhone. 

I say again, CHA-CHING! I hope Austen gets a piece of this action or she may just rise up and exact some serious biting revenge on Grahame-Smith. If you're not keen on this review, please don't bite me.