“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
All of my friends told me I needed to read this book about the moment it came out. I even had people telling me I needed to name my boy Darcy because of my whole Austen thing. (I didn’t). And yet somehow I managed to miss it for years. What was I thinking? It’s a hoot.
The book is basically P&P, but with some zombie stuff added in. I read somewhere that it’s 85% of the original, but I didn’t bother to do the math. Most of the story is there, but now there’s a zombie plague in England, and the Bennett girls are warriors trained by Chinese monks to fight the evil undead. You know, like you do. The standard bits are there, with a bit of a twist. Like, when Jane goes to Netherfield to dine with the sisters Bingley, instead of catching cold in the rain, she has to fight zombies. In the rain. And catches a cold.
There’s very little to not like about this book especially if you’re an Austen fan. Although, if you’re a Charlotte Lucas-Collins fan, you might be a little bit put out. I was alternately amused and bummed out by Charlotte’s involvement in the story, although her reasons for marrying Mr. Collins this time make a bit more sense.
Anyway, I’m guessing anyone reading this review will have already read this book, so I’m not going to bother recommending it. If you’ve been holding off reading for fear of treading on Jane’s sacred memory, get over it. There are a lot worse Austen-adjacent books out there. Believe me, because I’ve read a bunch of them.
Cannonball Read V 