I'll admit it - I've read the Twilight series and may have gotten a little caught up in the recent vampire fad. To be honest though, I've always thought vampires, zombies, and other undead creatures made for good reading fun.
When I saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I jumped right in. I'm also a fan of history; especially early American history, so I was hoping that Abe's life hadn't been butchered for the sake of vampires. Maybe more importantly, I was hoping that the vampire lore would be more accurate than it seemed to be in most of the new vampire books.
Seth Grahame-Smith does a great job of weaving a believable (what can I say?) story where Abe Lincoln is not only the Abe we know and love, but a skilled and ruthless hunter of vampires. The book follows Abe from childhood to assassination and seamlessly ties together historical information with an undead twist. Not all the details are correct, but for a work of fiction I appreciate the overall accuracy of childhood events, political milestones, and personal achievements. It seems unlikely that Abe and Edgar Allan Poe ever crossed paths, but I'm okay with that.
I really enjoyed how the vampires were woven in. Key characters and events bring on new significance in light of a potential vampire takeover. All in all I would highly recommend Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as a fun, light read that does justice to Lincoln and American history. Just don't be offended when your favorite people from history turn out to be vampires.
For additional Lincoln-vampire info, check out this blog that has a thorough look at what's fact and what's fiction. And, if you're looking for more undead fun, Seth Grahame-Smith also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which seamlessly turns sisters into skilled warriors.
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Normally I draw the line at vampires in my books, but I did recently enjoy Dracula, and Megan's review of this book almost makes me want to try it. Thanks for this review Megan - it makes a great addition to the Me(a)g(h)an Miniseries!
Do you read vampire books?
Where would you recommend I start?
