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sarahanne8382's review
4.0
This prequel to the popular spoof, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies explains the beginning of the zombie outbreak detailed in P & P & Z as well as the Bennett Sisters start on the path to becoming masters of the deadly arts. The foreshadowing to P & P & Z is great, and the explanation of why Netherfield is vacant is certainly not what Jane Austen would have conceived of. Since you know the events that follow, not a lot is not surprising, but it's still a lot of fun to read, and the few unexpected details are well worth it.
I joke around that I'll read anything with zombies in. But since I read this and World War Z at the same time, I see that while I'll read anything with zombies, the zombie books I really love are the ones with a sense of humor like this and other Quirk Classics. If you fall into the weird demographic like me where you love classics such as Pride and Prejudice and funny horror (think Shaun of the Dead), then you will love P & P & Z and its prequel, Dawn of the Dreadfuls
I joke around that I'll read anything with zombies in. But since I read this and World War Z at the same time, I see that while I'll read anything with zombies, the zombie books I really love are the ones with a sense of humor like this and other Quirk Classics. If you fall into the weird demographic like me where you love classics such as Pride and Prejudice and funny horror (think Shaun of the Dead), then you will love P & P & Z and its prequel, Dawn of the Dreadfuls
beastreader's review
3.0
Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters don’t have a care in the world, other than finding good husbands to marry. While attending a funeral, Elizabeth and her sisters hear an awful howling sound. It is the sound of the undead. They are coming. Mr. Bennet wants his daughters to be prepared to defend themselves, so he hires Master Hawksworth to train his daughters to become vicious slayers.
Dr. Keckilpenny is a bright scientist. He also joins the fight against the undead but his ways are more unorthodox. Dr. Keckilpenny believes he can interact with the undead versus killing them. Elizabeth feels something for both men but who will she choose?
If you are looking for something a bit different to read, then you might try Dawn of the Dreadfuls. This book is the prequel to Price and Prejudice and Zombies. This book is based on events four years prior to PPZ. I have never read PPZ so I have nothing to compare it to in regards to if this book was a good prequel or not. What I can say about this book is that I thought it was an interesting morbid twist to Jane Austen’s P&P novel. If you are looking for a romantic, flowerily read then this is not the book for you but if you are looking for a dark, and sometimes gruesome zombie story then you should consider trying Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I enjoyed reading about Elizabeth and her sisters training to be zombie slayers. It was fun to watch as they went from meek to full blown slayers, who were not afraid to slice a head or two off. As much as I did like this book, there were a few times when it got a bit dry. Overall, a zombie good time.
Dr. Keckilpenny is a bright scientist. He also joins the fight against the undead but his ways are more unorthodox. Dr. Keckilpenny believes he can interact with the undead versus killing them. Elizabeth feels something for both men but who will she choose?
If you are looking for something a bit different to read, then you might try Dawn of the Dreadfuls. This book is the prequel to Price and Prejudice and Zombies. This book is based on events four years prior to PPZ. I have never read PPZ so I have nothing to compare it to in regards to if this book was a good prequel or not. What I can say about this book is that I thought it was an interesting morbid twist to Jane Austen’s P&P novel. If you are looking for a romantic, flowerily read then this is not the book for you but if you are looking for a dark, and sometimes gruesome zombie story then you should consider trying Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I enjoyed reading about Elizabeth and her sisters training to be zombie slayers. It was fun to watch as they went from meek to full blown slayers, who were not afraid to slice a head or two off. As much as I did like this book, there were a few times when it got a bit dry. Overall, a zombie good time.
gaspersr's review
1.0
I had some really high hopes for this book and was genuinely excited to receive a free copy through the Firstreads contest. That is where the good news ends.
Not only and am I somewhat of a zombie-book-virgin, but this is where I also admit that I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. I just never had a desire to read it. So perhaps I am giving myself a slight disadvantage to understanding this book for two reasons. I’ve never read the original Pride and Prejudice and therefore would not see the humorous connection (if any) and I’ve never read any zombie books which would cause me to miss humorous connections (if any). This book was meant to be funny, right?
I managed to read the first 150 pages or so but just felt bored. I was not engaged in the story line or interested in the zombies even after reading half the book. Maybe it would have been cooler if the book were written through the zombies’ perspective. Or maybe the Bennett’s should have been the zombies.
It sounds like, from a few reviews that I’ve read, this book is not the best selection for a first time Zombie-reader. Since I can’t stop thinking about all the other books that I would rather be reading I will have to mark this book as “abandon” with one (sad) star.
Is it okay to abandon books? I have really tortured myself with leaving a book half read but I just have no interest. Would reading the entire book change how I feel?
Not only and am I somewhat of a zombie-book-virgin, but this is where I also admit that I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. I just never had a desire to read it. So perhaps I am giving myself a slight disadvantage to understanding this book for two reasons. I’ve never read the original Pride and Prejudice and therefore would not see the humorous connection (if any) and I’ve never read any zombie books which would cause me to miss humorous connections (if any). This book was meant to be funny, right?
I managed to read the first 150 pages or so but just felt bored. I was not engaged in the story line or interested in the zombies even after reading half the book. Maybe it would have been cooler if the book were written through the zombies’ perspective. Or maybe the Bennett’s should have been the zombies.
It sounds like, from a few reviews that I’ve read, this book is not the best selection for a first time Zombie-reader. Since I can’t stop thinking about all the other books that I would rather be reading I will have to mark this book as “abandon” with one (sad) star.
Is it okay to abandon books? I have really tortured myself with leaving a book half read but I just have no interest. Would reading the entire book change how I feel?
lifeand100books's review
4.0
The success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies bought a new genre to the world of Jane Austen fan fiction, the mash-up. Many fans clamored for more and Quirk classics and Steve Hockensmith happily listened to them and brought us a prequel to P&P&Z, Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Set four years before the events of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dawn of the Dreadfuls tackles the questions of “how did Elizabeth Bennet turn into such a fearsome warrior?” and “how did the dreadfuls come about?”
The inhabitants of Meryton live a nice quiet life attending balls, dinner parties, masses, weddings, and funerals with no fear of the dreadfuls. The funeral that takes place at the beginning of the novel changes all of that. In the middle of the service the corpse sits up in its coffin and comes back alive. Mr. Bennet, a veteran of the last war of the dreadfuls years earlier, knows how to stop this zombie from hurting anyone. Getting everyone out of the church except Lizzie, Mary, the priest, and himself, they quickly discuss what must be done to kill the zombie. This singular event causes Mr. Bennet to panic because the unmentionables are back in England! Rushing back home after the funeral Mr. Bennet turns the family’s greenhouse into an outdoor dojo and begins trying to train his five daughters in the deadly arts. (The deadly arts are a mixture of ninja skills and martial arts training). Seeing that all is not going well in their training Mr. Bennet writes to some “friends in the east” and is sent eighteen year old Master Hawksworth. It’s up to Hawksworth to turn the Longbourn ladies into unmentionable warriors. Will he succeed and make warriors out of them, or will he fail and see them fall to zombies??
Dawn of the Dreadfuls was SO much better than the original. I think a lot had to do with the fact that it was a completely new and unique storyline. There was no original text that Hockensmith needed to change around or alter, and that added to the pleasure I had in reading it. Hockensmith weaves his own storyline into what Grahame-Smith originally wrote seamlessly. His rendition of how Elizabeth became the fearsome warrior she was in P&P&Z was awesome, but most importantly it was believable. What we see in her starts out as uncertainty in her abilities and turns to complete belief in her strength and passion as a warrior. Hockensmith has an uncanny ability to get into Elizabeth’s head and write her in a way that makes the reader understand her journey.
Hockensmith also gives us a large amount of colorful characters that adds to the humor of the novel. The funniest character by far has to be the armless and legless Capt Cannon. He is strapped into a wheel barrel and is “driven” around by two soldiers who he calls left limb and right limb. His characterization is so eccentric that it’s just humorous. Over the course of the novel you come to find out that Cannon was Mrs. Bennet’s first love. There is one scene where he is in the sitting room with Mrs. Bennet reading her poetry, and in the middle of a sonnet yells for his right limb to give Mrs. Bennet a rose and for his left limb to turn the page. The ridiculousness of his character added to my enjoyment of the novel infinitely.
Between the interesting character additions and unique storyline I found myself snickering throughout the novel. Even if you didn’t like the original, you should definitely try reading Dawn of the Dreadfuls. This new and fresh storyline was really intriguing, spunky, and a lot of fun!
Kimberly(Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://lifeand100books.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/15-a-review-of-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-dawn-of-the-dreadfuls-by-steve-hockensmith/
The inhabitants of Meryton live a nice quiet life attending balls, dinner parties, masses, weddings, and funerals with no fear of the dreadfuls. The funeral that takes place at the beginning of the novel changes all of that. In the middle of the service the corpse sits up in its coffin and comes back alive. Mr. Bennet, a veteran of the last war of the dreadfuls years earlier, knows how to stop this zombie from hurting anyone. Getting everyone out of the church except Lizzie, Mary, the priest, and himself, they quickly discuss what must be done to kill the zombie. This singular event causes Mr. Bennet to panic because the unmentionables are back in England! Rushing back home after the funeral Mr. Bennet turns the family’s greenhouse into an outdoor dojo and begins trying to train his five daughters in the deadly arts. (The deadly arts are a mixture of ninja skills and martial arts training). Seeing that all is not going well in their training Mr. Bennet writes to some “friends in the east” and is sent eighteen year old Master Hawksworth. It’s up to Hawksworth to turn the Longbourn ladies into unmentionable warriors. Will he succeed and make warriors out of them, or will he fail and see them fall to zombies??
Dawn of the Dreadfuls was SO much better than the original. I think a lot had to do with the fact that it was a completely new and unique storyline. There was no original text that Hockensmith needed to change around or alter, and that added to the pleasure I had in reading it. Hockensmith weaves his own storyline into what Grahame-Smith originally wrote seamlessly. His rendition of how Elizabeth became the fearsome warrior she was in P&P&Z was awesome, but most importantly it was believable. What we see in her starts out as uncertainty in her abilities and turns to complete belief in her strength and passion as a warrior. Hockensmith has an uncanny ability to get into Elizabeth’s head and write her in a way that makes the reader understand her journey.
Hockensmith also gives us a large amount of colorful characters that adds to the humor of the novel. The funniest character by far has to be the armless and legless Capt Cannon. He is strapped into a wheel barrel and is “driven” around by two soldiers who he calls left limb and right limb. His characterization is so eccentric that it’s just humorous. Over the course of the novel you come to find out that Cannon was Mrs. Bennet’s first love. There is one scene where he is in the sitting room with Mrs. Bennet reading her poetry, and in the middle of a sonnet yells for his right limb to give Mrs. Bennet a rose and for his left limb to turn the page. The ridiculousness of his character added to my enjoyment of the novel infinitely.
Between the interesting character additions and unique storyline I found myself snickering throughout the novel. Even if you didn’t like the original, you should definitely try reading Dawn of the Dreadfuls. This new and fresh storyline was really intriguing, spunky, and a lot of fun!
Kimberly(Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://lifeand100books.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/15-a-review-of-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-dawn-of-the-dreadfuls-by-steve-hockensmith/
wandering_through_time's review
2.0
2.5 stars (i never know how many stars to give but decided to round up)
This is a silly and short story that is a prequel to PPZ, and therefore does little more than set the scene for the book to follow. Dawn of the dreadfuls helps re-educate our understanding of regency England (spoiler: it now includes zombies!!) and takes us through the Bennet sisters training in order to prepare us for the main event.
With all that being said, it’s an easy and enjoyable read which I think bodes well for the rest of the series.
This is a silly and short story that is a prequel to PPZ, and therefore does little more than set the scene for the book to follow. Dawn of the dreadfuls helps re-educate our understanding of regency England (spoiler: it now includes zombies!!) and takes us through the Bennet sisters training in order to prepare us for the main event.
With all that being said, it’s an easy and enjoyable read which I think bodes well for the rest of the series.
msmoirai's review
5.0
I just finished Quirk Classics' newest future classic Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. DotD is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austin's classic with Zombies and mayhem thrown in for good measure. This book begins four years before P&P&Z as Elizabeth is ready to come out into society, but low and behold even those long dead can't resist a good party!
Reading Steve Hockensmith's prose almost made me wonder if Jane Austin herself hasn't risen from the grave as well, because down to Mrs. Bennet's last "La" it sounds downright Austin. The book itself takes Regency to a new place with the scandalous nature of the Bennet girls becoming warriors, and shunned from society. How ever will they find a husband now? Humor is not lacking as we learn how the dreadfuls return to the English countryside, and we set the scene for P&P&Z.
I highly recommend this book. If you like Austin, and like fun - you'll enjoy this book too!
Plus, (and I can barely contain myself here) Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Dawn of the Dreadful Prize Packs!!
Reading Steve Hockensmith's prose almost made me wonder if Jane Austin herself hasn't risen from the grave as well, because down to Mrs. Bennet's last "La" it sounds downright Austin. The book itself takes Regency to a new place with the scandalous nature of the Bennet girls becoming warriors, and shunned from society. How ever will they find a husband now? Humor is not lacking as we learn how the dreadfuls return to the English countryside, and we set the scene for P&P&Z.
I highly recommend this book. If you like Austin, and like fun - you'll enjoy this book too!
Plus, (and I can barely contain myself here) Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Dawn of the Dreadful Prize Packs!!
kgallagher411's review
3.0
I almost forgot NOT to take this book at all seriously, and then once I remembered this I was able to enjoy it immensely. It's hilarious. Someone please turn this into a Netflix show: Bridgerton + The Walking Dead with the tone of The Great!