Book Review
(Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org)
By Kathryn Walters, Staff Writer -- walters14@up.edu
Finding myself in a much-appreciated lull after my midterms a few weeks ago, I decided to use my spare time to read a book just for fun. (What a concept!)
I searched far and wide for a book I could really sink my teeth into, and I stumbled upon a book called "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter." As a self-proclaimed history nerd with a soft spot for the weird and whimsical, there was no way I was going to pass this up.
The novel follows Abraham Lincoln from boyhood to his assassination and sets his life story against a backdrop of insidious vampires who threaten to overthrow the United States. Unknown to many of his friends and family, Abe secretly slays vampires in the dead of night, and after he discovers that vampires are exploiting the slave system to gain access to blood and power, he uses the Civil War to rid the United States of vampires once and for all.
I know, it sounds ridiculous. But the author, Seth Grahame-Smith, does such an excellent job of weaving together historical fact and the supernatural that the reader has no problem accepting the story. Snippets of Abe's "secret" journals give the story an authentic feel and help the reader identify with Abe at different points in his life. I for one was nearly moved to tears by Abe's despair at the deaths of his mother, first love and young son, all victims of evil vampires. And best of all, a movie adaptation will be released in June, produced by none other than Tim Burton himself.
Whether you're a fan of history, the supernatural, awesome action sequences or simply looking for a good read, "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" is sure to quench your thirst, yet leave you begging for more.
