These two book reviews come as a pair of historical fiction novels, both with a fantasy element.
Abraham Lincoln,
Vampire Hunter
by Seth Grahame-Smith
Grab your axes and stovepipe hats! It’s time to
kill some vampires, Civil War style.
Having spent last summer gobbling up over a thousand pages about Abraham Lincoln, I happily plunged into a compelling piece of historical fantasy, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I love vampires (a la Anne Rice). I love Abraham Lincoln (a la Gore Vidal). What could be better than a Vampire/Abe mash-up?
Historical figures--such as William Seward and Salmon P Chase--and historical events--like the battles at Antietam and Gettysburg--are hyperbolized and punctuated by one key fantasy element: vampires. I suppose the author Seth Grahame-Smith posited this question: What would have happened if vampires existed during the life of Lincoln?
Oh, but he doesn’t just document the activities of an everyday vampire hunter, nor even a vampire hunter who becomes President of the United States. Oh, no---Mr. Grahame-Smith cleverly entwines the vampire plot with the causes of the Civil War. We find that the Union doesn’t just refer to the army of the North, it is also the coalition of vampires that is trying to stop vampire domination in the newly-minted United States of America.
Civil War fans will have some of these questions answered:
Why was General George McClellan so loathe to attack the enemy--was it because he was a vampire-lover?
Who—or what—was the real source of the Rebel Yell during the Battle of Bull Run?
How was John Wilkes Booth able to run away from the Ford Theater with a broken leg?
If you have read any biographical literature about Abraham Lincoln, or know what I’m talking about when I say “Manassas,” then you will get so much more out of this book. If you don’t know much about that particular historical period, then you will find yourself fact-checking on Wikipedia to see if what you read was historical fact or fiction. (And yes, young Abe did in fact canoe down the Sangamon River.) Either way, it’s a really great ride.
Who should read this book:
* Lincoln fans
* Vampire fans
* Civil War buffs
* People turned off of vampire lit because of Twilight
* Fans of camp lit
Who should avoid this book:
* People without an imagination.
I would like to add that, coincidentally, I started reading this book at the same time I started another piece of historical fiction/fantasy, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. I haven't finished that one yet, but right now my expectations are pretty high, given the fun I had with Abe Lincoln and his axe.
Four and half stars.
Thank you, Mr. Grahame-Smith, and I am looking forward to another mash-up!
P.S. Big coincidence: Abe, I finished this book on your birthday. Happy birthday, Abe. And thank you for keeping America free. From vampires.
Having spent last summer gobbling up over a thousand pages about Abraham Lincoln, I happily plunged into a compelling piece of historical fantasy, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I love vampires (a la Anne Rice). I love Abraham Lincoln (a la Gore Vidal). What could be better than a Vampire/Abe mash-up?
Historical figures--such as William Seward and Salmon P Chase--and historical events--like the battles at Antietam and Gettysburg--are hyperbolized and punctuated by one key fantasy element: vampires. I suppose the author Seth Grahame-Smith posited this question: What would have happened if vampires existed during the life of Lincoln?
Oh, but he doesn’t just document the activities of an everyday vampire hunter, nor even a vampire hunter who becomes President of the United States. Oh, no---Mr. Grahame-Smith cleverly entwines the vampire plot with the causes of the Civil War. We find that the Union doesn’t just refer to the army of the North, it is also the coalition of vampires that is trying to stop vampire domination in the newly-minted United States of America.
Civil War fans will have some of these questions answered:
Why was General George McClellan so loathe to attack the enemy--was it because he was a vampire-lover?
Who—or what—was the real source of the Rebel Yell during the Battle of Bull Run?
How was John Wilkes Booth able to run away from the Ford Theater with a broken leg?
If you have read any biographical literature about Abraham Lincoln, or know what I’m talking about when I say “Manassas,” then you will get so much more out of this book. If you don’t know much about that particular historical period, then you will find yourself fact-checking on Wikipedia to see if what you read was historical fact or fiction. (And yes, young Abe did in fact canoe down the Sangamon River.) Either way, it’s a really great ride.
Who should read this book:
* Lincoln fans
* Vampire fans
* Civil War buffs
* People turned off of vampire lit because of Twilight
* Fans of camp lit
Who should avoid this book:
* People without an imagination.
I would like to add that, coincidentally, I started reading this book at the same time I started another piece of historical fiction/fantasy, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. I haven't finished that one yet, but right now my expectations are pretty high, given the fun I had with Abe Lincoln and his axe.
Four and half stars.
Thank you, Mr. Grahame-Smith, and I am looking forward to another mash-up!
P.S. Big coincidence: Abe, I finished this book on your birthday. Happy birthday, Abe. And thank you for keeping America free. From vampires.
Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
On the heels of reading the historical fiction/fantasy piece of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, I plunged into another similar piece, but of the steampunk variety. I'm talking about Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, author of other young adult fiction pieces like Uglies and Midnighters. This book is crazy-creative, especially when you consider the detailed illustrations by Keith Thompson. Kudos to both of them.
Westerfeld creates a complex and fantastic world that takes place at the outbreak of World War I. He carefully blends historical fact with elements of fantasy to recreate an alternative view of the onset of the war, complete with two-legged mech warriors and mash-up animal-machine weapons. There is no shortage of the fantastic in this book, as we encounter hybrid animal-weapons that are all-terrain and self-sustaining. Blend that with the backdrop of the assassination of the Archduke and his wife, and your head will be spinning.
We are following two teenagers who are keeping big secrets. Deryn is posing as a boy so she can enter the army, which is restricted to male-only. And Alex conceals his identity as a Hapsburg family member in the middle of a political crisis. The real pleasure in reading this book is to follow the character arcs of our two heroes.
While I enjoyed the historical aspects of the plot, the details of the wargames actually lost me a bit, mostly because I don't enjoy war stories--especially those that focus on the tactics of the battles. In fact, I found myself skimming those parts to get back to the main plot. That's a personal thing, though, and I suspect that people who enjoy warfront stories will enjoy this as well.
Only problem with this book is that, like many young adult books these days, it is written as a trilogy, so the story just hangs at the end. Arrgh!
Who will like this book?
* fans of steampunk
* fans of Scott Westerfeld
* anyone who enjoys World War I history and doesn't mind mucking around with it
Westerfeld creates a complex and fantastic world that takes place at the outbreak of World War I. He carefully blends historical fact with elements of fantasy to recreate an alternative view of the onset of the war, complete with two-legged mech warriors and mash-up animal-machine weapons. There is no shortage of the fantastic in this book, as we encounter hybrid animal-weapons that are all-terrain and self-sustaining. Blend that with the backdrop of the assassination of the Archduke and his wife, and your head will be spinning.
We are following two teenagers who are keeping big secrets. Deryn is posing as a boy so she can enter the army, which is restricted to male-only. And Alex conceals his identity as a Hapsburg family member in the middle of a political crisis. The real pleasure in reading this book is to follow the character arcs of our two heroes.
While I enjoyed the historical aspects of the plot, the details of the wargames actually lost me a bit, mostly because I don't enjoy war stories--especially those that focus on the tactics of the battles. In fact, I found myself skimming those parts to get back to the main plot. That's a personal thing, though, and I suspect that people who enjoy warfront stories will enjoy this as well.
Only problem with this book is that, like many young adult books these days, it is written as a trilogy, so the story just hangs at the end. Arrgh!
Who will like this book?
* fans of steampunk
* fans of Scott Westerfeld
* anyone who enjoys World War I history and doesn't mind mucking around with it
No comments:
Post a Comment