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A review by miklosha
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen, Ben H. Winters
4.0
This is the fourth book I've read that have been deemed 'monster mashes' (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Jane Slayre, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, now Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters). I specifically intended on reading this particular book, in fact, my interest in reading the monster classics piqued after seeing the cover to SSSM (I wish I had it as a poster).
My own particular theory concerning monster classics relies on a spectrum; at one pole is the most conservative of strategies for writing parodies, exemplified in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. In PPZ, most of P&P remained intact, save for specific locations where zombies and all things zombie like were injected. In fact, the reader can easily note where the author left Austen's writing and where the author himself put in his own text. The changes were in themselves top down; a little zombies here, some zombies there. Otherwise, the story remained the same. Regardless of what people thought of PPZ (I personally didn't care for it), its integration of the classic with zombies is conservative at best.
At the other pole is the opposite; the classic is revamped with new themes, worlds, descriptions, and the like. This is a bottom up kind of story. In SSSM, the story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, along with their trials and tribulations. However, from the first page on the author does something different. The landscape of England is different, the whole background of the story is changed to adapt to this new world, equipped with sea monsters living in an angry sea. The risk of this approach is of course that you lose the theme of the story and it ends up becoming less of a parody or fan fiction and more of its own kind of plot.
Despite the risks and despite the bad press monster classics generally get, I was impressed. The book was more than just about the Dashwood sisters who happen to live in a world filled with sea monsters, but the book took on a whole new feel. Not only did sea monsters play a role, but ocean bases, hydrology, fish/human gene splicing, speculation as to the cause of the phenomenon (aptly called the 'Alteration'), and more. I got the impression that the author took a concerted effort to balance two separate priorities; to keep the original theme of S&S intact, but also to entertain and describe with the use of monsters.
There is certainly a large degree of ridiculousness in the story; but honestly, isn't that the point?
I was very much entertained and impressed with SSSM overall and I would recommend it on the 'to read' list with other monster classics.
My own particular theory concerning monster classics relies on a spectrum; at one pole is the most conservative of strategies for writing parodies, exemplified in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. In PPZ, most of P&P remained intact, save for specific locations where zombies and all things zombie like were injected. In fact, the reader can easily note where the author left Austen's writing and where the author himself put in his own text. The changes were in themselves top down; a little zombies here, some zombies there. Otherwise, the story remained the same. Regardless of what people thought of PPZ (I personally didn't care for it), its integration of the classic with zombies is conservative at best.
At the other pole is the opposite; the classic is revamped with new themes, worlds, descriptions, and the like. This is a bottom up kind of story. In SSSM, the story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, along with their trials and tribulations. However, from the first page on the author does something different. The landscape of England is different, the whole background of the story is changed to adapt to this new world, equipped with sea monsters living in an angry sea. The risk of this approach is of course that you lose the theme of the story and it ends up becoming less of a parody or fan fiction and more of its own kind of plot.
Despite the risks and despite the bad press monster classics generally get, I was impressed. The book was more than just about the Dashwood sisters who happen to live in a world filled with sea monsters, but the book took on a whole new feel. Not only did sea monsters play a role, but ocean bases, hydrology, fish/human gene splicing, speculation as to the cause of the phenomenon (aptly called the 'Alteration'), and more. I got the impression that the author took a concerted effort to balance two separate priorities; to keep the original theme of S&S intact, but also to entertain and describe with the use of monsters.
There is certainly a large degree of ridiculousness in the story; but honestly, isn't that the point?
I was very much entertained and impressed with SSSM overall and I would recommend it on the 'to read' list with other monster classics.