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)

Enjoyable.. but only a little at a time

Ok.. I love Zombies. The fact that someone has taken a classic story and added in zombies has made my day. The premise behind the story and the writing are both excellent. The narrator is beyond excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance. That being said, there is a saccharine quality to this book that makes me take it in smaller doses. I loved the book, but could only listen in smaller chunks - to and from work. This is not the fault of the author or the narrator, it's the fault of the original genre of the book. I'm quite sure that if I were to purchase the original Pride and Prejudice, I would run into the same problem. There's only so much demure female I can take.

This is a great book, however, and I will be listening, eventually, to the others. Just not right away.

More enjoyable than I anticipated

Any additional comments?

This book got my husband to consider reading and watching the real Pride & Prejudice, so I'm a fan for that reason alone. We enjoyed it together on a family car trip. The characters were perfectly aligned with my memory of Jane Austen's characterizations, except that Mary was a bit more likable, which was fine with me.

Great Read but Could Be Better

If you could sum up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls in three words, what would they be?

Luckily, I accidently listened to this before I listened to the first book in the series. Before listening to this one, I did not realize that the series had different authors. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and was hesitant to read this series. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls was wonderfully funny. I loved it until I began listening to the first book. The two books do NOT go together at all, other than the fact that they both contain the zombie-slayiing Bennet girls, zombies, and oriental fighting. It made listening to the first book a bit frustrating. I think I would have been even MORE frustrated if I had read them in order.

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

Lizzie, of course, was my favorite character.

Fantastic story plus Katherine I love you

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

This change, introduction of zombies, has added so much to the original that I endured at high school. Not my preferred reading at the age of 16. I loved it!!

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

This was the book that initiated the pleasure of hearing somebody else narrate a book. Beautifully read adding humour I would not have experienced had I read it. Katherine I love you ;p

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

Don't bother renaming the book There is nothing else that would have initiated my interest or curiosity

Hysterical

Okay, it's not literature, but it's very, very funny. Like the first book, it does reference both Austenian language and plot structure heavily and so the result is a kind of absurd romp through a zombie-ridden history with a little light tip of the hat towards feminism as it goes along.

Very amusing. Exceedingly well read by the narrator.

So much fun!

This was a fantastic book! The narrator is superb, and the storyline is funny and completely ejoyable. I got a kick out of the author's melding of the Bennets' ladylike gentility with the katana-wielding violence. Well worth the credit used; in fact, I would have paid full price for this one. :)

Superior to the original mash-up

I enjoyed this book, which allowed the writer freedom to explore the "mash up" aspects established in PaPaZ. It ties in especially well with Dreadfully Ever After (the best of the series). The characters have more depth, and there's enough of Austen's spirit in them to create winking portraits of Regency-era England, the Bennett family, and social foibles.

This cracks me up!!

What did you love best about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls?

I love the fact the narrator is speaking in such a prim and proper manner, and yet, the subject matter is supposed to be horrific. I want more!!

What did you like best about this story?

The way in which the 'Dreadfuls' are described. The disgust in the narrator's voice is priceless. Katherine Kellgren does a FANTASTIC job.

Sensational!

I love this book! So much so in fact, I've added it to my library (A real library with these things called books, with paper pages and such - revolutionary!). The narration was excellent the story was fast paced and exciting but the most amazing thing is that it still kept the Jane Austen style which only added to the wit, humor and charm of this delightful read. I cheated on book club with this one, in fact. They wanted to read the new JK Rowling book for the October book. I needed something more festive and I'm so glad I went with this. I highly, highly recommend it! If you want to be captivated, love the Zombie theme and like to get a good giggle from a read, this is the one for you!

Outstanding, twisted treatment in a classic settin

If you could sum up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls in three words, what would they be?

Witty, morbid, fun

What did you like best about this story?

The juxtaposition of the prim, proper English and the child warriors they become.

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

I have not, but can't wait to hear another

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

I couldn't think of a better title.

Any additional comments?

No, but thanks for asking.