2 Minute Book Review: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Reading time for this post: 1 minute, 52 seconds. Read it Later

Book: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
Author: Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
Audio book read by: Katherine Kellgren


This book was exceedingly more exciting than the original story, but I should admit I have been a Pride and Prejudice fan since first reading the book nearly ten years ago (and watching subsequent films). Adding to the humor in the story, the reader Katherine Kellgren made all the characters more relatable. Her rendition of the story made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. The humor is subtle in some sections and is worth a second look. Not to worry, the love story did not get in the way of the zombies.  Zombies did nothing to detract from this story, and gratuitous scenes were made all the more hilarious with the matter of fact nature of the lead character Elizabeth Bennett. She certainly has the confidence, humor and sass to pull that off. Oh yeah, did I mention the ninjas?


For me, the book had plenty of gratuitous zombie sleighing scenes, and a particularly touching scene with mother and her zombie son, the last of her remaining family. Readers looking for more gore, blood, and death might be disappointed, since the book does try to add a hint of humanity as the story proceeds. I was also bummed that the book lacks even a hinted explanation of how the zombie epidemic began. I was disappointed when, at one point, attempts at medical or scientific cure for the plague were hinted at but nothing more than a mention. This is particularly distressing since it is used as a device in the story to explain a character’s behavior.

If I had to make a choice, the audio book probably makes this story more enjoyable than reading, only because this story should be presented with as much personality as possible. If you are not able to slog through the writing style of authors such as Jane Austen, reading this version of the story provides little relief. However, listening to the audio book may be the answer.

In my opinion, NOT A SUGGESTION, this zombie-filled book could be substituted for the original for the particularly immature (or the average joe). What better way to get the unwilling to read an Austen novel? I would recommend this book even to Austen fans, but only those with a sense of humor and are not afraid of the ridiculous premise.