Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Seth Grahame-Smith

 Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." 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.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation. 

My Take:

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter was written by the same man that wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  He is the master of successful unexpected horror blending.  He takes a concept that is utterly laughable, and writes it in such an authentic way, that when you are reading his work, you don't think twice; Abraham Lincoln was a vampire hunter, Elizabeth Bennett was a zombie fighter (from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).  He has such a skill for making it work (in the words of Tim Gunn for all you Project Runway fans :), I don't know how else to put it--it works.  The author writes with total respect toward Abraham Lincoln.  He isn't making a joke of his life at all, in fact, the vampire presence in the book caused a new light to be shed on Lincoln.  Obviously, he wasn't a vampire hunter, but having the book written from his secret vampire hunting journals allowed the author to dig deep into the President's inner most thoughts of life, loss, and the pressure he felt throughout his entire life.  This book also "solved" some historical mysteries, such as what happened to the lost settlement of Roanoke, and some insights into Mary Todd Lincoln's insanity after the death of her husband.  Overall, this book is a great piece historical fiction, the history, aside from the vampires, is very well researched and accurate.  The book has pretty good pacing, once you get passed the beginning, which was just a little tiny bit dry.  I will say that just because you love a good vampire/paranormal/supernatural book, does not necessarily mean you will love this book.  There is a lot of action, but it is spread out, it isn't a non stop thriller.  It definitely leans more toward the historical fiction aspect, rather than the paranormal aspect.  It doesn't get as much into the history and mythology of vampires, because it just isn't important for the book.  The focus of the book is all about Abraham Lincoln, and the present vampire/human conflict (by present, I mean Abe Lincoln's present :)  I am giving this book a rating of a 2, Borders with a Coupon.  I couldn't stop talking about it (much to my ever patient hubby's consternation), and it is one to add to your permanent library.

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel!

If this book were a movie it would likely be rated PG-13 for violence and language

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