Dawn of the Dreadfuls: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Steve Hockensmith - 3 stars

[Ellen]

As the Bennet's attend a funeral at the local parish near Longbourne, the corpse suddenly begins to move and soon panic runs rampant as everyone realizes the 'unmentionables' have begun to rise. Mr. Bennet believed that he and his fellow zombie hunters had eradicated the problem a good 20 years before but it is now quite evident that things have changed. Bennet had promised that he would raise any children he would father to become warriors and be sworn to fight the undead. His 5 daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia are about to have their leisurely days of reading, gardening and listening to their mother scheme to get them worthy husbands, completely upended.

Mr. Bennet begins their training in the potting shed/dojo where he teaches the use of swords, throwing stars and nunchuks. A powerfully handsome man, Master Hawksworth, takes over the schooling and it becomes obvious that he has a special affection for Lizzie. The girls take to their savage training quite well and would soon be called upon to help destroy thousands of zombies before they can take over the country.

This is an interesting retelling of "Pride and Prejudice" with a lot of humor and copious amounts of gore. There is still romance and silliness but this is most definitely a horror novel. Not bad.

[Hebah]

This was a quirky read. I remember thinking it probably stuck too close to the original for horror fans and was too gory for diehard Austen fans. Interesting concept though, and the movie was sheer popcorny fun.