Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Holy crap. I found this one after looking the other up. This book is written by Seth Grahame-Smith, while the other was written by Ben H. Winters.

This is just something they had on Wiki for it.

Quirk Books editor Jason Rekulak developed the idea for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies after comparing a list of “popular fanboy characters like ninjas, pirates, zombies and monkeys” with a list of public domain book titles such as War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, and Wuthering Heights.[3][4] He turned the project over to writer Seth Grahame-Smith:

….[Rekulak] called me one day, out of the blue, very excitedly, and he said, all I have is this title, and I can’t stop thinking about this title. And he said: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For whatever reason, it just struck me as the most brilliant thing I’d ever heard.

Grahame-Smith began with the original text of Austen’s novel, adding zombie and ninja elements while developing an overall plot line for the new material; “you kill somebody off in Chapter 7, it has repercussions in Chapter 56″. According to the author, the original text of the novel was well-suited for use as a zombie horror story:

….You have this fiercely independent heroine, you have this dashing heroic gentleman, you have a militia camped out for seemingly no reason whatsoever nearby, and people are always walking here and there and taking carriage rides here and there . . . It was just ripe for gore and senseless violence. From my perspective anyway.

In early 2009, awareness of the forthcoming novel rose due to attention from Internet bloggers, newspaper articles, National Public Radio, and even on TWiT’s MacBreak Weekly Podcast.[8] In response, the publisher increased the initial print run from 12,000 to 60,000 copies, and moved the publication date to April 1st.

Plot from Wiki.

The story follows the plot of Pride and Prejudice, but places the novel in an alternative universe version of Regency-era England where zombies roam the countryside. Described as the “stricken,” “sorry stricken,” “undead,” “unmentionables,” or just “zombies” (though the word “zombie” did not enter the English language until 1819)[9], the deceased ancestors of England are generally viewed by the characters as a troublesome, albeit deadly, nuisance. Their presence alters the original plot of the story in both subtle and significant ways: Messages between houses are sometimes lost when the couriers are captured and eaten; characters openly discuss and judge the zombie-fighting abilities of others; women weigh the pros and cons of carrying a musket (it provides safety, but is considered “unladylike”).

Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters live on a countryside estate with their parents. Mr. Bennet guides his daughters in martial arts and weapons training, molding them into a fearsome zombie-fighting army; meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet endeavours to marry the girls off to wealthy suitors. When the wealthy and single Mr. Bingley purchases a nearby house, Mrs. Bennet spies an opportunity and sends the girls to the first ball where Bingley is expected to appear. The girls defend the party from a zombie attack, and attraction sparks between Mr. Bingley and eldest daughter Jane Bennet. Elizabeth, however, clashes with the Bingley’s friend, the haughty monster-hunter Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The Bennets are shaken when Bingley and his companions suddenly abandon his country home and returns to the walled fortress city of London with little explanation. When the local militia arrives in town to exhume and destroy dead bodies, Elizabeth becomes friendly with one of the soldiers, George Wickham, who tells Elizabeth that Darcy cheated Wickham out of an inheritance.

Elizabeth’s dislike of Darcy turns into full-blown hatred when she learns that Darcy plotted to separate Bingley from her sister Jane. As demanded by her warrior’s code of honor, she vows to avenge the slight to her family by killing Darcy. Later that evening, she is afforded that opportunity when he appears unannounced at the cottage where she is visiting her newlywed friend Charlotte (who has been secretly bitten by a zombie and is slowly turning into one herself). Before Elizabeth can fetch her katana and behead him, Darcy surprises her again by proposing marriage. The scene culminates in a vicious verbal and physical fight, in which Darcy is wounded. He eventually escapes with his life and writes a long letter to Elizabeth in which he explains his actions. He broke up Jane and Bingley out of fear that Jane had contracted the “mysterious plague” and was about to turn into a zombie. With regards to the allegedly wronged soldier Wickham, Darcy explains that Wickham had attempted to elope with Darcy’s younger sister in an attempt to get his hands on her considerable fortune — this was the “inheritance” that Darcy had cheated the man out of. Elizabeth realizes that she has judged Darcy too harshly, and is humbled. Darcy, meanwhile, realizes that his arrogant nature encourages people to believe the rumors about him, and resolves to act more appropriately.

Elizabeth embarks on a trip around the country with her aunt and uncle, fighting zombies along the way. At Pemberley she runs into Darcy, who helps her to defeat a rampaging horde of zombies. Darcy’s new attitude and mannerisms impress Elizabeth and lead her to consider reconciling their relationship; unfortunately, all hopes are dashed when it is discovered that her younger sister Lydia has eloped to London with Wickham. The Bennet family fears the worst, but eventually receive word that Wickham and Lydia have married, following an “accident” that has rendered Wickham an incontinent quadriplegic. After visiting the Bennets, the couple adjourns to Ireland. Elizabeth discovers that it was Darcy who engineered the union, thus saving the Bennet family from ruin.

Darcy and Bingley return to the countryside, and Bingley resumes courting Jane. Elizabeth hopes to renew her relationship with Darcy, but his aunt, the Lady Catherine, interferes, insisting that her daughter Anne is a better match for her nephew. Lady Catherine challenges Elizabeth to a fight to the death, intent on eliminating the competition, but Elizabeth defeats Catherine and her cadre of ninjas. She spares Catherine’s life. Darcy is touched by this gesture, and he returns to Elizabeth. The two cheerfully wipe out a field of zombies (their first battle as a couple) and begin a long and happy future together, insofar as the ever-present threat of zombie apocalypse permits it.

-_- Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austin book. If she’s not rolling in her grave, then I’m going to go dig my grave, then I’M going to go roll in it. >.> I am tempted to read this one just like I am for the last, but I probably won’t be very happy with it. I’m just a naturally curious person.

Cover by Doogie Horne
(holy crap, that was waaaay to big to post IMG)

It was edited. The original is Marcia Fox by William Beechey:

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI