Lizzy Kicks Ascots

Review of “Pride and Prejudice: Dawn of the Dreadfuls” by Steve Hockensmith

The story opens with up the Bennets in attendance of Mr. Ford’s funeral. In the quiet town of Meryton, his death came as a tagedy, being run over by a carriage and all. But the small English countryside is in for another surprise: Mr. Ford’s sudden movement. He wasn’t alive, but he sure was kicking. Thus commences the Bennet sisters’ training into the deadly arts of warfare against the “Unmentionables.”

Set as the prequel to Seth Grahame-Smith's “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” the mutated version of Jane Austen’s classic, Hockensmith’s novel introduces us to Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia pre-Mr. Darcy and the Bingleys. Mr. Bennet, despite the manic Mrs. Bennet who is in obvious need of laudanum, reveals his secret life as a zombie slayer and transforms his greenhouse into a dojo. This is, of course, to the amazement and loathing of his daughters. It is the first time that lovely Jane realizes that there are those who may actually prefer her brains over her beauty. Lizzy, predictably, accepts the calling to face on this zombie mayhem and embraces her heroine persona. And the other sisters … well, we don’t really care about the other sister.

For all you zombie lovers who prefer the company of zombies to the zoetic, this is a perfect appetizer to your monster mash-up mania. It is a blend of Jane Austen meets Karate Kid meets Resident Evil (minus the virus and guns). As more monsters come out to play, Lizzy and her sisters will be there to kick their ascots.