Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steven Hockensmith ~ Started: 22.05.10 ~ Finished: 25.05.10
Number of pages: 287
Publisher: Quirk books
ISBN-10: 1594744548
IBSN-12: 978-1594744548
Synopsis ~
At the opening of the international bestseller "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies", Elizabeth Bennet is already a seasoned warrior-trained in the martial arts, sceptical of romance, and determined to wipe out the deadly dreadfuls. But how did Elizabeth get that way? And where did all of the zombies come from? Readers will witness the birth of a heroine in Dawn of the Dreadfuls - a thrilling prequel set three years before the horrific events of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". This comic-horror novel is an all-new work of fiction from acclaimed novelist, Steve Hockensmith. As our story opens, the Bennet sisters are enjoying a peaceful life in the English countryside. They idle away the days reading, gardening, practising instruments, and daydreaming about future husbands-until a funeral at the local parish goes strangely and horribly awry. Suddenly corpses are springing from the soft earth-and only one family can stop them. As the bodies pile up, we watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naive young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords, and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Through it all, of course, readers will be treated to scene after scene of absurd zombie carnage. Complete with 15 dazzling illustrations, "Dawn of the Dreadfuls" invites readers to step back into Regency England-Land of the Undead.
'Dawn of the Dreadfuls' is the prequel (as mentioned above) to 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', which I read last year and I enjoyed immensely, it was funny and a very different take on Jane Austen's world, who can't resist all fighting, and still dancing Bennet Sisters.
Dawn of the Dreadfuls begin with a funeral five years before 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the 'unmentionables' at this point are part of history after being disposed of by warriors (including Oscar Bennet, the sisters father and Lady Catherine de Bourgh) during 'The Troubles' as it was known then. At the funeral the corpse, Mr Ford rises from his coffin looking for brains to feed on much to the horror of the congregation, Mr Bennet surprises his daughters Elizabeth and Mary by disposing of the corpse (by removing his head from shoulders). Mr Bennett quickly returns home to Longbourn with his wife and daughters and much to Mrs Bennet's shock begins clearing out her garden shed of flowers, tools, etc and returns it to its former glory of Mr Bennet's dojo, Mr Bennet must fullfill a promise he made to his old master but did not stay true to and now he can fullfill his promise by turning his daughters into warriors .
I enjoyed 'Dawn of the Dreadfuls', all of the characters new and old were fun to read and they was a few surprises along the way, it was nice to see all of the sisters working together, they were all very different in their fighting styles and I loved how despite how much they at first did not want to become warriors (for the sake of propriety) they embraced the lifestyle and fought well. The younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia definitely make their mark in the story, as does Mary, who is showed as a much more stronger character, you find that what they learn is changing them as individuals and they begin to grow up. I would have liked to have seen Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend fighting zombies but it was not to be, as she is not mentioned in the story. Elizabeth and Jane are shown well, Elizabeth is still as headstrong and Jane, as always is very demur, and both of them are excellent with katana swords.
The two men that come in Elizabeth's new warrior life are Master Geoffrey Hawksworth, a master of martial arts who comes to assist Mr Bennet with the training of the girls, his character is based on Elizabeth's thoughts of love in the future and Dr Bertram Keckilpenny, the forgetful scientist who wants to understand the unmentionables better.
Steven Hockensmith writes the story differently from 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', unlike Seth Grahame-Smith (author of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies') he does not have to work with the language of Jane Austen, 'Dawn of the Dreadfuls' is very much a story on its own merit, Jane Austen has provided the characters and Steven Hockensmith turns them into warriors.
A very different take of Regency England, if you like the zombie genre, a great sense of humour, this book is for you ~ enjoy.
