Pleasantly Surprised

Horror is something that I generally try to avoid in all aspects of my life, yet I have been curious about the New York Times Bestseller, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, for months now.  Every time that I have had the rare pleasure of perusing Barnes & Noble, I have picked it up and read a couple of excerpts, each time being more and more enticed. So, this week, I gave into my temptation, and I must admit that I have been pleasantly surprised! Granted, I am not very far into the book, but lets just say that even between my three boys, school and housework, I have been more than happy to sacrifice a little sleep to learn more about the story of our 16th president and his quest to rid the United States of vampires. It is not a story that is usually in my genre, but as of right now, all I have to say, what's not to love?!

Seth Grahame-Smith cunningly created a story that appeals to lovers of literature, history and science fiction. The story is an in-depth look at Abraham Lincoln, undoubtedly one of the most loved presidents in our nation's history, from his birth on February 12, 1809, through his childhood and into his presidency, and even further into the conspiracy of his murder. But beyond that, this story brings the mass appeal of vampires - something Americans have not been able to get enough of since the birth of Stephanie Myers' Twilight, and by doing so, makes Abraham Lincoln even gripping. As portrayed in the novel, he is not only the president that truly made America the land of the free, but saved us all from the terror of the undead.  

Vampire Hunter is written so well, and is laced with so much fact that it is nearly impossible to tell your brain that what it's reading is not real. The first page is a list of "Facts", which you immediately know are fiction, but because of the way that they are presented, you want to believe them. Although I am an English major, and I know that I will get scolded for this, I rarely read the Introduction to any book. Yet Smith wrote this section so well and so uniquely that it, the Introduction itself, fills you with the desire to continue reading. The abundance of facts is what makes this particular book so appealing to me. I am a reader who loves to lose myself in a book, especially when it is something that I can start to believe in, at any level. Do I believe that vampires exist? Absolutely not! But, when the idea is presented to cleverly, my imagination takes over. The major idea behind the book is that Lincoln's rise to power comes from his success at saving the young United States from vampires, which leads him to the Civil War, where vampires are the major threat that must be stopped if the nation is to have any future at all. Myers' used a similar tactic in the Twilight saga as well, and it was very well received. Combining history and science fiction is pure brilliance in my book!

So what is the point of all this? Although I give this book a "two thumbs up", it is clearly not for every reader. I challenge everyone to step outside your comfort zone and read a book that isn't something you would normally be interested in. Too often we get stuck in one particular genre and are afraid to venture out. Whether your next adventure is a classic, romance, biography or science fiction, give it a try; you never know when you will be pleasantly surprised.


Check out this trailer for the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, coming to a theater near you on June 22 at the Internet Movie Database.

To order a copy of the novel for yourself, go to Amazon.com.

Go to IMDB to see interviews with the cast from the film!