Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I have previously read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Grahame-Smith and enjoyed it. So when I saw this book released I was interested in reading it. I listened to this on audio book which I wouldn't recommend. The narrator and Abraham Lincoln have similar voices so it is hard to tell when they switch, also I didn't get to benefit from any of the pictures that the book has. Overall it was a well done book, although it was more of a biography than a story.
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel.
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel.
Helpful Score: 3
According to author Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was inspired by the most popular books in 2009: books about Lincoln (to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth) and books about vampires. Being bombarded by these diverse subjects led Grahame-Smith to wonder what would happen if they were combined? The answer is a uniquely imaginative story that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. History and fiction are seamlessly blended in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. In the authors interview at the end of the audio book, Grahame-Smith notes that he took great care to be faithful to the historical facts, when used, out of respect to Lincoln and his many admirers. In fact, I could envision crafty parents playing this audio book on long car trips to slip in a bit of a history lesson for their teenagers. While the book is clearly in fun it is also an enlightening presentation of some of the key moments of the Civil War. For instance, a few of Lincolns famous speeches were included in the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio book version of this book. The narrator sounded exactly how one would imagine that the real Lincoln spoke. In addition, I found the authors interview to be very informative as to the writing process behind the story. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is the perfect audio book for passing the long road trip hours!
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (March 2, 2010),352 pages. Review copy provided courtesy of the publisher.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (March 2, 2010),352 pages. Review copy provided courtesy of the publisher.
Jennifer D. (Jennmarie68) reviewed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 217 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This story was very interesting. I liked the way Grahame-Smith took real events and tweaked them, leaving them as historical fact just adding a different side to them. I think that was the most appealing part of this story. I liked thinking of these historical facts in a new way. I could almost imagine that was the truth.
The writing was a bit humorous at times, and given what was going on in the story the slight humor was able to lighten the mood of what would have been a very dark novel. I for one liked the humor.
The characters, both fictional and real, were well developed. While there are characters that we are already familiar with Grahame-Smith was able to add a new dimension to them that lent itself very well to the story. The fictional characters were also a great addition to the story, again tweaking history to make it so interesting.
While this one was a bit gory it wasn't so gory that it made it difficult to read (or listen to). There were a few scenes that did make me cringe.
My only complaint was the narrator was a bit dry in my opinion. I've never listened to an audio book before, so I don't know if all audio books are like this, or if I just happened upon a fluke. When I'm reading a book I have a whole cast of characters in my head and they each have a different voice and attitude, and that was kind of what I was expecting, to an extent. So this criticism may just well be due to my lack of comfort with an audio book.
Other than that I really liked this one. After I read Pride and Prejudice I plan on picking up Grahame-Smith's other novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
The writing was a bit humorous at times, and given what was going on in the story the slight humor was able to lighten the mood of what would have been a very dark novel. I for one liked the humor.
The characters, both fictional and real, were well developed. While there are characters that we are already familiar with Grahame-Smith was able to add a new dimension to them that lent itself very well to the story. The fictional characters were also a great addition to the story, again tweaking history to make it so interesting.
While this one was a bit gory it wasn't so gory that it made it difficult to read (or listen to). There were a few scenes that did make me cringe.
My only complaint was the narrator was a bit dry in my opinion. I've never listened to an audio book before, so I don't know if all audio books are like this, or if I just happened upon a fluke. When I'm reading a book I have a whole cast of characters in my head and they each have a different voice and attitude, and that was kind of what I was expecting, to an extent. So this criticism may just well be due to my lack of comfort with an audio book.
Other than that I really liked this one. After I read Pride and Prejudice I plan on picking up Grahame-Smith's other novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Sherrie F. (kajenfox) - , reviewed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Much, much better than the movie. In fact, I could not even get past the first 10 minutes of the movie. As I listened to this book on cd, the narrator was very good and kept my attention at all times. If you didn't like the movie or don't care to see it, this book is a must read!
