Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

review by Maryom

If you hadn't quite got the gist of this book from its title, the subtitle really settles it; the Classic Regency Romance - now with Ultrviolent Zombie Mayhem!
That basically says it all.


The English countryside is over-run by brains-chomping zombies, and London is virtually a fortress city; instead of the usual feminine attributes such as piano playing or sewing, the five Bennet sisters have all been well-trained in the martial arts, and help to keep the area around their home, Longbourn, and neighbouring village, Meryton, free from the undead. Other than that, the plot remains basically as Austen intended it - Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy initially take a dislike to each other; her sister Jane and Darcy's friend, Mr Bingley, fall in love, but Darcy comes between the two of them; everyone lives happily ever after.

I've had this book sitting on a shelf for a while, and the combination of Halloween and a film version made me think I should take the plunge.
Seth Grahame-Smith has left Jane Austen's original text largely untouched, just cleverly sliding zombies in here and there. It's a wickedly mocking, bizarre mash-up that some (me, included) will find funny, and some will find disturbing, even disrespectful, so, although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't recommend it to all. You need to bear in mind that it's not meant to be a serious work - it's fun!
I think in some ways I'd rather hoped for more substantial changes to the overall story arc. As it is, it's good for a laugh but I don't think this is a re-readable book.
I'm in two minds about how well the film will work. A lot of the humour for me was in the juxtaposition of Austen's words with zombie mayhem, and, although the period costumes will still be there, and hopefully a lot of Austen's dialogue, I'm not sure it will be the same.


Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Quirk Books
Genre - Adult fiction, zombie/regency romance 

Monsters by Emerald Fennell

review by Maryom

Fowey is a quaint, picturesque seaside town, with not much to occupy a twelve year old having to spend the summer at her aunt and uncle's hotel - until, that is, a rotting corpse is found by fishermen. While everyone else is horrified (but morbidly fascinated) our heroine is delighted! There's nothing she likes more than 'true crime' books, the gorier the better, so having a real crime on the doorstep is like a dream come true. With a similarly inclined boy staying at the hotel, Miles Giffard, she starts to investigate the murders .... but the two of them also begin playing games which re-enact them, always with Miles as the murderer.

First off - a warning! Don't start reading this expecting a straight forward, Famous Five style mystery; this is something much darker and horrific - closer to Neil Mackay's All the Little Guns Went Bang, Bang Bang  but whereas Mackay is looking at the underlying psychological problems that lead to violence, Monsters is playing it for laughs.
From the opening pages as the narrator describes her parents' deaths, we know we're dealing with someone uncaring, disturbed and, as so many people describe her, 'peculiar'. That peculiar-ness just goes on growing, especially after she meets Miles, who soon turns out to have deeper, darker problems of his own.
A picture-postcard fishing village, seemingly innocent children, rotting corpses and a serial killer?  - it's like classic Hammer horror mashed up with Shaun of the Dead! I loved it - especially the unexpected twist in the tail! For the right reader, it's great, but the unwary and squeamish may wonder what they've let themselves in for.

Maryom's Review - 4 stars
Publisher - Hot Key Books
Genre - teen/YA/crossover comedy horror

The Reluctant Vampire by Eric Morecambe

Illustrated by Tony Ross
Review by The Mole

"A shocking announcement from the Vampire Prince - that he doesn't like blood but prefers chips and a glass of red wine - begins a tale of ghoulish intrigue and hilarious horror. With illustrations by Tony Ross, this re-issue is sure to delight.A tale about an extremely unconventional vampire. This tale of laughter and ghoulish horror for seven and eight year-olds is sure to delight. Here, Eric Morecambe’s customary humour is employed for a young audience."

In many ways the publisher's summary says it all... schoolboy comedy ideally suited to the 7/8 year old young reader capable of competing  with any children's author going. Don't like vampires? Well there's no vampiring in this book, just posturing and threats of violence - and when what little violence in the book does occur it is done in a schoolboy fashion that is sure to offend or frighten no-one. Eric Morecambe, master of family friendly comedy, turned his hand to writing and had lost none of his edge. I read it as an ebook because I wanted to see how well the illustrations worked - having been disappointed with picture books on kindles in the past - and I have to say that they have been done very well and really make the reading very much more enjoyable.

Young children will LOVE this one.

Publisher - The Friday Project
Genre - Children's comedy horror, 7/8 year olds

Buy The Reluctant Vampire Omnibus (Library of Lost Books) from Amazon

Tich: Dragonslayer by Pete Barrett

Review by The Mole

Tich is bored and his dad gives him an old board game to play. Playing slaying dragons is fine, but when game and reality overlap life becomes problematic. How do people react to a fire breathing dragon in the shopping centre?

This is the second "Tich" book I have 'read' (the first being Tich Vampire Hunter). I say 'read' because with children's books I have a tendency to read the first of a series and for sequels I tend to skim them to reacquaint me with the characters/author/style and just get the gist of the plot. I picked up Dragonslayer and started that and found myself reading cover to cover. I'm not sure if that says something about Tich, Barrett - as the author, or me! But I loved it!

I would say one thing about it though, of which I did not approve - whenever things go wrong (and what would be a kids book where they didn't go wrong?) he keeps saying things like "bollards, bollards, bollards". I just feel this encourages or normalises such speech patterns for young readers although it may offend some.

Putting that to one side, Tich is a grand character who's not exactly snow white in his behaviour but harmless and fun while Barrett's story telling really drags any reader in and compels them to read as he propels them to the end.

Publisher - Playbackbooks
Genre - Children's fantasy fiction 7+

Buy Tich Dragonslayer from Amazon

Tich Vampire Hunter by Pete Barrett

Review by The Mole

It's another boring day for Tich and his gang so they go off to visit the graveyard. There they find a mausoleum door slightly ajar so decide to return at midnight to investigate further.

The investigation ends up with the local butcher, a Mr Dracula, being awoken from the dead to resume his vampiric activities. Soon the whole school, apart from Tich and his gang, are vampires and it's up to them, as they started this, to end it. Finally we want to know if Tich ends up with the girl of his dreams?

The cover presents this story as "wonderfully weird and wacky" and certainly that is a very good summary. The writing style, vocabulary and presentation suits it's target readership very well and the story is one of those extraordinary fantasies that children embark upon inside their heads and so will appeal. The idea of pushing wooden stakes through the hearts of vampires sounds gruesome but Barrett has done it in a way that is not at all. And the final twist? There is also plenty of comic moments to entertain - something that seems to keep all readers reading, regardless of age.

Well, it's just so well done as to make the reader stop and smile and enjoy the book that little bit more.

Publisher - Playbackbooks
Genre - Children's fantasy fiction 7+

Buy Tich Vampire Hunter by Pete Barrett from Amazon

Mrs Darcy Versus The Aliens by Jonathan Pinnock

Austen - but not as you know it!
review by Maryom

A couple of years after the ending of Pride and Prejudice, the Darcy's have not yet produced an heir, the Bingleys are falling for every financial scam in the book, Mr Collins is saving fallen women in Whitechapel while his wife hangs out with pot-smoking Lord Byron and Lydia Wickham has been kidnapped by aliens. Wickham is hot on their trail with the help of his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Darcy, for whom the aliens have rather special plans...

As you might have guessed from the title, this is not an entirely serious novel. Certainly not one to compare with Miss Austen's original but it is an amazingly hilarious, laugh-a-minute comic read with references to almost every Pride and Prejudice TV or film adaptation and quick asides of anything from The Fast Show to Women In Love via James Bond.
Oh, and there are aliens - don't forget the aliens - or their squirming tentacles.

Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens is filled to the brim with my sort of humour - lots of in-jokes and obscure TV quotes that I needed to share with anyone who'd listen. I'd like to tell you about all the funny bits but would probably end up reading the book to you.

Not a book I'd recommend to Austen purists but for everyone else it's a 'must read'.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Proxima (Salt Publishing)
Genre - comedy/horror