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A review by lunaseassecondaccount
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters, Jane Austen
3.0
As a successor to [b:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|5899779|Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|Seth Grahame-Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255569929s/5899779.jpg|6072122], I felt this one fell quite flat. Although I didn't find PPZ to be a great book, I felt it lived up to the hype somewhat. This one, not so much. It might also be because it wasn't as, uh, true to the source text. Instead, it felt like they had taken the names of the original characters and whacked them into another universe. This could have very well played out in an ice cream parlour set in the 1950s.
I know this might sound quite odd. After all, it's Jane Austen with freaking sea monsters, but I can't help that feel while comparing PPZ and SSSM, PPZ actually retained some of the original touch of the book.
Now, SSSM did have its good points. I actually laughed out loud more with this one than I did with PPZ. Furthermore, I actually felt somewhat invested with the characters. I was actually cheering for Elinor and Brandon to get married (okay, I know that wouldn't have happened, but I can't help but feel that the relationship between those two was actually explored more, what with the malaria and all).
But that was about all. It deviated too much from the original text I felt, particularly with the steampunkesque Sub-Marine Station Beta subplot, the scorpion attacking Elinor's neck and Margaret wut? Okay, I liked the Margaret part, but it all just felt entirely too convoluted.
Ultimately it was a fun read, but PPZ just rates that teeny amount higher in my opinion.
I know this might sound quite odd. After all, it's Jane Austen with freaking sea monsters, but I can't help that feel while comparing PPZ and SSSM, PPZ actually retained some of the original touch of the book.
Now, SSSM did have its good points. I actually laughed out loud more with this one than I did with PPZ. Furthermore, I actually felt somewhat invested with the characters. I was actually cheering for Elinor and Brandon to get married (okay, I know that wouldn't have happened, but I can't help but feel that the relationship between those two was actually explored more, what with the malaria and all).
But that was about all. It deviated too much from the original text I felt, particularly with the steampunkesque Sub-Marine Station Beta subplot, the scorpion attacking Elinor's neck and Margaret wut? Okay, I liked the Margaret part, but it all just felt entirely too convoluted.
Ultimately it was a fun read, but PPZ just rates that teeny amount higher in my opinion.