The Scruffy Rube’s #CBR Review #15 Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

I’ve been reading a lot into the difference between books based on spectacle and those based on subtlety lately. While The Civil War thrives on spectacle and Indian Killer glories in subtlety, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter tries to thread the needle between the two. Seth Graham Smith (the man behind Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) has a lot of fun with coupling the dried, academic language of a typical Lincoln biography with the pulse pounding gothic thrills of a vampire rumble. And even I, stodgy old English teacher that I am, had fun with the genre mash-up most of the time.

A lesser known portrait of the great emancipator

My only complaints (and genuinely, they are minor complaints) revolves around the erratic pacing. Much of the time, Smith is content to let the life story of Lincoln slowly unfurl–like a genuine life story–guiding him to motivated (and logical) peaks of axe-wielding fury. But at points he seems bored with Lincoln’s maturation and either adopts an ambivalent tone in his writing or squeezes in a dream-sequence to satisfy those desperate for a little blood and guts.

Still, it’s a fun ride through the 19th century, with the rail splitter, splitting skulls for fun. Smith tries his best but definitely wobbles between spectacle and subtlety. And while some might say that a man like Abraham Lincoln is badass enough not to need an action-star alter ego, I tend to think of it like a chocolate coated chocolate sauce: unnecessary? Yes. Still worth a try? ABSOLUTELY

CommanderStrikeher’s #CBR 4 Review #21: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

*Audiobook Review*

With this review I am caught up to the books I am currently reading.  I am determined not to get behind ever again!

 

I told my mother the title for this book and she literally laughed until she cried.  For a solid five minutes.  I have never seen her laugh that hard in my life. I couldn’t describe the book to her because I was worried that I was going to kill her.

 

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it.  I thought the premise was interesting.  It is a detailed biography of Abraham Lincoln, and from time to time, he goes to hunt vampires.  This is from the author of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, a similarly silly concept.  Silly as the concept sounds, this was a pretty serious book.  When Abraham Lincoln was a boy, his father owed money to a vampire.  The vampire collected by killing Abe’s mother.  Young Abraham then dedicated his life to the destruction of the bloodsucking menace.  He discovers that slavery is basically a cover for feeding vampires.  Yep, the confederacy is backed by vampires.  Explains a lot, doesn’t it?

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes alternative history, civil war history, or vampire fiction.  However, with the movie coming out next month, I am curious to see if this will be one of the rare cases where i like the movie better than the novel.

 

3/5 Stars