Saturday, February 19, 2011

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame Smith



Title: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Published March 2nd 2010 by Grand Central Publishing (first published February 16th 2010)

ISBN: 0446571857 (ISBN13: 9780446571852)

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 352

Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: I’d seen this on a new book list and thought it sounded like fun to read.

Where I Obtained the book: At my local library.

Synopsis: Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his dying mother's bedside. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

Review: I liked this book, the history known of Lincoln was combined with an elaborate tale of vampires and vampire hunting. The deaths in his family were explained different from known history and yet it worked. The idea that vampires had a large part in his political ambitions made sense. Power is craved by all.

This may sound like a crazy, silly book, but it wasn't. The history was there and the mixture of facts with fiction really came together well. Booth a vampire determined to end Lincoln and the Union? WHY NOT? The death of his mother was revenge for his father not paying a debt owed to a vampire, could be. His son’s death in the White House, a revenge killing? The high number of body guards Lincoln had and the initial poor showing of the Union Army, vampire influence? The author explained that vampires did not want to see the end of slavery, it was an endless, no questions asked buffet for them. All this could be true, think about it. There were good and bad vampires by the way. The good backed Lincoln and the bad backed Davis. Maybe?

I loved the way the author threw in bits of fact and then a photo showing a vampire from the archives of some museum. Lincoln thought Edgar Allen Poe to be a vampire and finding he wasn't made a lifelong friend. Henry, the vampire who explains everything to Lincoln, is calculating and yet warm. If you like history and a bit of mystery this book will interest you.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Author Biography: Seth Grahame-Smith (born Seth Jared Greenberg) is an American author and film producer. He is most well known for his 2009 novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which reached number three on the New York Times' best seller list. Grahame-Smith lives in Los Angeles.

Other Reviews:

Vampires.com

Wired Geek Dad

Murphy's library

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