Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, A Penny Dreadful Review
I do love a
good mashup. Seth Grahame-Smith is the master of mashups, being the mastermind
behind my beloved favourite Pride And
Prejudice And Zombies. I found Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter to be an excellent example of this bizarre genre.
How could I classify a smashing together of the modern concept of vampires and
the life of one of the greatest presidents of the United States as Steampunk?
Simple. A good mashup borrows from history and from modern day, combining
ingredients until something entirely new is formed. Is this not the very base
of Steampunk? A sort of modern nostalgia? A re-imagining of the past? A… mashup
of old fashions and new values?
At any
rate, let me proceed with my review. According to this strange biography of
President Lincoln, his troubles with vampires started from an early age. He saw
the wasting death of his mother, which was caused by a vampire, and vowed
revenge on these horrifying and powerful night creatures. His efforts against
this scourge fit quite nicely into the biographical gaps in his youth, and
provide extra motivation for his learning, log-splitting, and political
efforts. For example, at one point, he discovers that vampires in the south are
buying and selling slaves as one would buy and sell bacon: that is, with
feasting in mind. This gives him extra fire as he runs for president and extra
motivation to end the abhorrent slave trade once and for all.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is
well-crafted, well-researched, and a rollicking good read. I highly recommend
it for any fan of American History. I give it four gears out of five.
Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather
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