Quirk Books: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains…

Lately, the awesome people at Quirk Books here in Philadelphia have been sending me a lot of their recently published works. And I’ve gotta say… it’s awesome. Nothing beats coming home after a long day at work and finding a nice big manila envelope wedged in my mailbox. Especially when that envelope contains something like How To Live With a Huge Penis, Geeky Dreamboats, or the awesome Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Unfamiliar with this fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic? You shouldn’t be. Afterall, it’s on the New York Times bestseller list and has caught quite a bit of buzz. Here’s a quick description from the back of the book.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton-and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. 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 how does this book stack up with the original? Who does Seth Grahame-Smith think he is, altering what is arguably one of the greatest classical romances ever written? Well, it turns out that this adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is just as fresh and funny as a sequel to Hamlet, honoring the source material while creating something completely new and hilarious.

Back in May, when the semester was wrapping up, I spent a few minutes at the beginning of each World Literature course, reading select pieces from Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, much to the delight of my literature students. I simply cannot recommend this book enough.

For those of you interested, there’s even a special edition from Quirk, entitled the ‘Heirloom’ Edition. It features additional illustrations, a fancier cover, and more. It’s currently out of stock on the Quirk website, however.

Still not sold? Read the first three chapters online, for free, on the Quirk website.