Summary: This book is exactly what it sounds like - a
biography of Abraham Lincoln (as in the 16th President) and his passion for
hunting vampires. The book begins when Lincoln is a child and ends with
his death at the expense of John Wilkes Booth, a Southern sympathizer, and more
importantly - a vampire. In between we learn why Lincoln is so passionate
in his quest to go after vampires, how he gets the skills to defeat them, and
why it was so important that the North won the Civil War. And as Henry
Sturges reminds us, some men are just too interesting to die.
My Impressions: I'm going to be honest - I loved this book. It's
a quick, easy read that makes Lincoln's life much more entertaining to read
about; it is, in fact, one of the best "summer/beach books" I've read
(and I didn't even read it at the beach). This is the second book that
I've read by Grahame-Smith (the first being Pride and Prejudice and Zombies),
and I have to say that what I love about his writing is that it fits the
paranormal in seamlessly with the world around it. And for those who
hated the movie version, do yourself a favor and read the book. I couldn't
stand the movie either. For ages 13 and up.
Review (audiobook): Given the zany
conceit of Grahame-Smith's latest novel--that a young Abraham Lincoln vowed to
become a vampire slayer upon learning that his mother died after being tainted
with vampire blood, and then made good on that promise--performing the story as
if it were completely unremarkable is essential to the listener's suspension of
disbelief. And in this audio edition, narrator Scott Hoist does just that,
reading with measured delivery and a calm demeanor. This decision--and his fine
performance--accomplishes more than over-the-top histrionics would in delving
the listener into this remarkable alternate history, in which the blood-sucking
undead play a part in the Civil War (on the side of the South, supernaturally)
and the fatal events in Ford's Theater. Hoist aligns his pace with the mood of
the text, slowing down at vital moments, e.g., when good vampire Henry Sturges
informs a young Lincoln that he was born to "free men from the tyranny of
vampires." This audiobook will serve as a nice contrast to the big-screen
adaptation of the book, which, inevitably, substitutes explicit gore for the
listener's imagination. A Grand Central paperback. (Apr.)
Library
Use: Paranormal fiction is popular
right now, and there are a couple of things that I could see working well with
this book. One option that could be fun is to do a display with similar
type books (zombies, monsters, etc.) for Halloween and then have students dress
as their favorite character and do a costume competition. If there is a
book club on campus, it may be fun to all read the book and then have an MST3K
style party and make fun of the movie. Finally, the librarian could help facilitate a project
with the English teacher(s) to have students read this book and then pick a
historical figure or well known literary character and create a short story
where the character meets/interacts with some sort of paranormal force.
References:
Grahame-Smith,
S. (2010). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing
[Audiobook review of Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by
S. Grahame-Smith] (2012).Publisher’s Weekly, 259(26), p. 170
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