For fear of starting a trend of only putting up youtube videos, I figured I could tie in news about the latest expansion of Austen franchise, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and some of my initial comments about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. (Don’t worry, to see the video just click “continue reading”)
Despite my general grumbling about how fan fiction is considered foolish, but people keep making money off it as long as Darcy and Elizabeth are in it, I was excited about P&P&Z. I thought it would be something different, something funny, at least a refreshingly different take on one of my favorite books. And on many levels it is. Quirk prompts,
What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers-and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.
But in general, I find the book contrived and tired. Grahame-Smith (was has apparently taken an English class, so his “about the author” flap says) removes music for sparring and turns Elizabeth into a deadly, slightly annoying and self-righteous killer. (Now I see why Miss Bingley might loath her.) The zombies are not enough of an actual presence in the book and are only a nuisance on the road or in the basement of a house. Ultimately they act simply as a vehicle for Samurai and Asian potshots. The only zombie at all to really shine (can zombies shine?), however, is a minor, yet still central character, who comes down with “the disease” and slowly decomposes before Elizabeth’s eyes. Meanwhile everyone else, EVERYONE who is supposed to be trained to notice these things, doesn’t and both Elizabeth and the reader are left to ponder the stupidity of all. Here the description, along with the emotions Elizabeth feels, mark some actual thought from the co-author. All other shards of brilliance, I find, are still derived from Jane Austen’s witty mind.
The biggest problem I have? The fact that most of the central character’s rely on martial arts to kill the zombies. Since when, I do say this with the up most respect to martial arts, do you have to know the 5 point palm exploding heart trick to kill zombies? Why don’t good old-fashioned English muskets work just as well? And why is Pemberley something out of the forbidden city?
I suppose all these complaints are childish, and trust me, I know they are; but for me, these changes reflect much larger and more tangible changes in the characters of our protagonists. I realize that this is fun and quirky storytelling, and in reading it as such it is very entertaining. I certainly kept reading, and thoroughly enjoyed many of the adventures that took place. I simply wish the story had been more. Certainly more funny, more bloody, and with lots more zombie action. After all, the title is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a little more zombie would have set me up forever.
Sea Monsters on the other hand, I think we will have no want of. The newest installment from Quirk is a retelling of Austen’s famous Dashwood sisters and their trials with love. From what I hear, Col. Brandon (and oh boy does this not sit so well with me) is a sea monster himself.
I would have thought, given most of Persuasion is set by the sea, about the sea, and what the sea does to love (I know, I ignored A LOT about what people do to love), it would have been a novel ready and raring to be parodied with sea monsters. Anyway, I’ll still be buying my copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters in September.
