Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, is by far one of the best books I've read in months. Grahame-Smith approaches the work with the utmost respect for the original, but also with the willingness to make fun of it--gently, of course. The basic plot is the same, the basic relationships are the same, though some minor characters come to different ends than in the original (most of them well-deserved and things I almost wish had happened to them in the original).The book has almost all of the zombie tropes in it; the only major one that appears to be missing is the onset of the zombie plague, which happened 55 years before the beginning of the book. That's necessary, however, for the Bennett girls to have been trained by Shaolin monks in China and become the ruthless fighting force they are. I like this much better than if the zombies had arisen during the book and we'd had to watch Mrs. Bennett and other silly characters flutter about (though watching them get eaten might have been quite rewarding) while the initial deaths were occurring.
The introduction of zombies into the story introduces a new type of pride and prejudice, as well: pride in one's fighting abilities and prejudice against those who don't have them. It's almost a new type of feminine "accomplishment" except the men have it, too. It's amazingly expected for women to be able to wield a katana and/or a musket and help defend their homes from the "unmentionables" (as they're called, in beautiful Victorian style), and the few girls in the book who aren't able or don't want to develop these skills are looked down on by those who are and have. While in the original, the Bennetts had almost nothing going for them, in this adaptation, they at least have their fighting prowess. And watching Elizabeth kick Darcy around a room was highly entertaining.
The very best part of the book might be the discussion questions at the end, book-club style. Especially number 10: "Some scholars believe that the zombies were a last-minute addition to the novel, requested by the publisher in a shameless attempt to boost sales. Others argue that the hordes of the living dead are integral to Jane Austen's plot and social commentary. What do you think? Can you imagine what this novel might be like without the violent zombie mayhem?"
I'm now considering teaching my next literature class in such a way to incorporate Pride and Prejudice and Zombies--perhaps by contrasting originals and their adaptations, such as Beowulf and Gardner's Grendel, Pride and Prejudice and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I'm sure I could come up with at least two more.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Austen and/or zombies. It's a great read.
Good times.