As I sit here, staring out of my office window, admiring Mother Natures wrath in the form of a torrential downpour, I am thankful of 2 things.
1. I’m not out in this crap trying to lug around 2 small children and
2. I’m glad I don’t live in a mud hut like poor unfortunate Abraham Lincoln.
I have never claimed to be much of a history buff, as a matter of fact, unless it has to do with WWII I could really give a flying crap, but that all changed when I picked up “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.”
Forget everything you know about American History, it’s a load of poopie, and just for a second consider the alternatives.
What if Abraham Lincoln was less “Honest Abe” and more “Buffy-esq Abe?”
What if the 1850’s Typhoid epidemic was really “Vampire fever?”
What if the slave trade was just a really well though out blood smuggling ring?
History just got a whole lot more interesting didn’t it.
I was first introduced to “Seth Grahame-Smith” about a year ago through his controversial adaptation of a classic. “Pride & Prejudice and Zombies” was witty, it was fun, and it was…for a lack of a better term… completely deranged. Which ever little voice it was inside of his head that told him to spiff up the old and make it new, we all should collectively buy it a drink. In this particular case (AL-VH) his ability to take such a drab subject and turn it into a page turner was not only impressive, but amazingly enjoyable.
Abraham Lincoln is a man on a mission: Flush out the existence of vampires and keep it quiet! After the loss of not 1 but 2 loves, his mother and his beloved Anna, his vow becomes his life. Traveling the river with a list of names (ironically supplied by one of his “vampire friends” Henry) and a coat full of sharpened goodies, Abe starts to cut down the vampire community… 1 head at a time. Keeping flawless journals and flawed friends (aka Edgar Allen Poe) kept Abe in line… or did it? What really started the Civil War…and who was there to watch it all go down?
Written in the form of a biography the plot can sometime be a bit slow…drug down by unnecessary factual details, however the unprecedented concept is so far in left field it is almost impossible not to enjoy.
Think of it as history 101 with a kick, a jump start to alternative thinking… or better yet, don’t think about it at all…take it for what it is, a fun read about a man we all know, or don’t know…as the case may be.
Happy reading my fellow Hunters and remember: mistaken identities happen… just be happy you’re not the one tromping through the woods half naked with Abe Lincoln on your tail.
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[Rating:3/5]
Never considered Abe might be a vampire hunter and really, the whole idea doesn’t appeal, BUT if I take the History 101 approach it could be an interesting read.
The most important thing about this book would be to not take it serious AT ALL. If the idea of the novel in general didn’t appeal to you right away… my suggestion would be to read it only after you have read everything else on your list. It’s a fun read, but not a “WOW” kinda book.