Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

By: Jane Austen, Steve Hockensmith

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

With more than one million copies in print, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the surprise publishing phenomenon of 2009. A best seller on three continents, PPZ has been translated into 21 languages and optioned to become a major motion picture.

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early 19th-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naive young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry.

Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, Dawn of the Dreadfuls invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!

©2010 Steve Hockensmith (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Fiction Audiobook, 2011

"Hockensmith does not abandon Austen’s original characters. Mrs. Bennett is the most true to the original, and even silly Kitty and Lydia are the same, only they fight instead of fuss over men. Elizabeth, from whose point of view significant elements of the story are told, is the most fully developed, and while she departs a little from the original, it’s not so far as to make Austen fans cringe (given that they’re OK with zombies, of course). This is a must-read for the growing legion of alternate-Austen fans (including, naturally, everyone who has read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)." (Booklist)

"Narrator Katherine Kellgren sells the unlikely combination of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet and zombie invasions with wholehearted glee. As the Bennet sisters train with a fighting master for their do-or-die zombie battle, the story moves from scenes of proper conversation to scenes of proper attack stance. Kellgren expresses the British fighting spirit with abandon. She’s smart, funny, and unrestrainedly dramatic, everything that a book chronicling Regency maidens meting out murderous zombie vengeance needs. Kellgren’s voices are thoughtfully chosen, especially Mrs. Bennet’s shrieks over propriety. Listeners can’t help but be drawn into the riotous action even as they realize the story is ludicrous. For sheer audacity of spirit, Kellgren deserves acclaim." ( AudioFile)

“Mixing taught horror-movie action with neo-Austen meditation on identity, society, and romance, this happy sacrilege is sure to please fans of Grahame-Smith's original mash-up.” ( Publisher’s Weekly)

Fantastic Guilty Pleasure

Where does Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This particular book is not my favorite of the series (I'm partial to Book 3: Dreadfully Ever After) but it did not disappoint until I realized there was nothing more to listen to, the book had ended. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story. I'd say that the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies series is so far my favorite of the audiobooks I've heard.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls?

It's hard to pick a most memorable moment, the whole story was pretty action packed.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite was near the end of the story when the Lord's house was under attack. I don't want to give any spoilers but the doctor was probably my favorite character.

If you could rename Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename it, I like the plain description of it.

Any additional comments?

I didn't want to like this series, I remember passing it at bookstores thinking it was just a weird kids story that wasn't worth paying attention to. It wasn't until I downloaded it and listened to Ms. Kellgren's narration that I was really drawn in and I'm glad I was.

Good Fun

This is a excellent audiobook. I found the mix of 19th century pomp and stuffy-ness to mix great with a blood and guts, Kung Foo, Zombie story. The dark humor is superbly done and the narration by Katherine Kellgren is possibly the best I have ever heard. I am definitely going to have to get the sequal next time I have a credit to spare.

Katherine made 3 Austin based Zombie books 5 star

My 2nd listen thru . Her character voices make it a fun listen! We listened to this prequel after the main book Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. I recommend that order, then the sequel. Wish there were more in this PPP series... However Sense Sensibility & Sea Monsters was improved with her performance.

So fun!

Loved the first book and this one is such a great addition to the story! Can't wait to reread the original.

Great story and performance

Very well done. great story loved the writing and how it was presented. overall a must listen to.

Not my cup of tea

The novelty of this book wore off quickly. I found it difficult to finish. Perhaps it will
Make a good movie parody.

while good, this is a prequel

while good in it's own right, this is a prequel to the first and not a sequel. this is the lives of the Bennett's before and as they become the warriors we know from the original.

Fun with Jane Austen

A few minutes into this reading, I realized I'd actually read the book. As in words on a page. But that was a few years ago, so I kept going. And I was so glad!

The narrator is fantastic. Her accent and voice remind me of Julie Andrews, and she really brings to life the characters in a way that highlights, but doesn't overdo, the absurdity of the situation. Her reading perfectly emphasizes the author's exaggeration of the different traits of Austen's Bennet girls: Kitty and Lydia can't be serious; Mary is earnestly unlikeable; Jane is so gentle and proper; Elizabeth, of course, is a modern heroine. I found the book much more hilarious this time around, and a huge part of it is the narrator.

The story is simply absurd. Much of the humor stems from the contrast between the efforts to maintain proper English society and the need to fight zombies. I love absurd humor! The author does a great job of blending an old style of writing with modern syntax and language. It's definitely not nearly as close a clone of Austen's style as the original story, where he basically tweaked sentences by adding zombie sightings and ninja workouts to well-known scenes, but it's great fun.

Different but fun

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, it was a funny spin on an old classic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls?

I just loved how it was an everyday thing to deal with the dead.

Which character ??? as performed by Katherine Kellgren ??? was your favorite?

There were several compelling character's. It would be hard to pick just one.

If you could take any character from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would like to make it a group dinner because all the characters were cool.

Any additional comments?

It was very interesting to see Zombies during the Civil War Era!

About as good as I thought it would be

Would you consider the audio edition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but this version was a bit of fun

Would you be willing to try another book from Jane Austen and Steve Hockensmith ? Why or why not?

Probably not, it reminded me that I'm really not a Jane Austin fan (even with Zombies)

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The dead are back, and they haven't brought their manners!