Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

For me, the narrator of an audiobook can make or break the whole experience. Katherine Kellgren brings the characters in this tale to life!

The story itself is fun and fanciful and at times laugh out loud funny. The characters are fully recognizable from their original Austen incarnations and stay true to spirit throughout. You cannot go wrong by adding this piece to your audiobook collection.

It is not often that I listen to a sample to be smitten enough to immediately download and continue. This is one such book.

I wished to convey to others what to expect and the differences between this and the subsequent title Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.

First I want to emphasize that although written after Grahame-Smith's book, this is a PREQUEL. It is set in Jane Austen's countryside together with the stuffy English society of the time and the Bingley family are the main characters. However, it does not follow the plot of any of Austen's books; unlike Grahame-Smith's book which followed the plot of the original Austen book quite faithfully... with the exception of the Zombies and humorous modifications.

In my opinion this allowed the author of this book the freedom to craft a much more more adventurous and fast paced tale. This is done with exquisite mastery of Austen like prose which adds much to the hilarity and enjoyment. He does a good job of attempting to match the Zombie elements of this book with the Grahame-Smith version although the discerning reader will catch several discontinuities. There are also some elements that may be more unbelievable than the existence of Zombies. These include the ability of the Bingley girls to become extremely proficient at the Deadly Arts including the use of Ninja Throwing Stars and Katana in mere days.

Listen to this book expecting to suspend disbelief and it will be extremely enjoyable. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this book.

I really enjoyed the mix of new & old/classic in this story. It reminded me of Christopher Moore in certain parts where the witty banter of the characters was mixed in with semi-horror situations with the end result being hilarious and absurd at the same time. The accents are great and the actual battle scenes don't weigh the whole thing down for chapters on end. Kill some zombies, have some social interaction, kill some zombies, more witty exchanges, kill more zombies, worry about acting like a proper lady while killing zombies.......... it flowed quite nicely. I could see this one making for a fun/campy movie quite easily.

The overwrought reading style is perfectly suited to this book, adding an archness that makes it even more amusing. It wasn't until I went looking for more information after the reading, however, that I found out there are two zombie novels written by two different authors. The only relationship this version has with the original Pride and Prejudice (italics) is that there are some of the same characters. Otherwise, it's a romp all its own. The other one, the "classic Regency romance," is the one that includes much of the original wording. It's unfortunate that Audible didn't make the distinction clear.

Okay, I love zombies. I love the zombie apocalypse genre stories. I've seen N.O.T.L.D. (1968) about 1000 times and never get tired of it. I own Max Brooks "World War Z" and "Zombie Survival Guide", both in audio format, and have listened to them easily 50 - 60 times. That said....

While much of this book is a parody of Victorian culture, some of the narration got a little too heavy-handed, almost a bit much to listen to at times. For the most part, good story line. I can't honestly say that I'll listen to it again, but it's good.

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.

One of the top AudioBooks ive had the pleasure of listening to!

Its Wity, Paced Well, Funny, and the Narrarator is Exceptional >

Her detail to characters and Voice capturing Charisma !

Elizabeth Bennet was of course the most memorable > But Mary Bennet had a few touching moments as well!

This Audiobook is not only Well Written but Well Read! Katherine Kellgren is a class act audio-book performer! Truly a performer

What can I say. I'm in love with Katherine Kellgren's voice. Who knows, maybe I'm in love with the whole package. There's a lot you can tell from only a person's voice. Though I never have, I believe that I could listen to a crappy book and love it if only it were narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Actually, Ms. Kellgren does not narrate a book as much as she performs it. Every character is individually acted and, without being told, at any given time, we know who the speaker in the story is by the way we hear them speak. Her renditions of the sounds of zombies and war cries are priceless. Ms. Kellgren is gifted.

That being said, this rendition of Pride and Prejudice is more that of the author Steve Hockensmith than that of Jane Austen. Jane Austen is definitely in there with the Benetts and their daughters and that whole soap opera thing. But this is a variation on the theme that is totally funny, entertaining and original. I am not a fan of the zombie genre. I have shied away from this series for that reason. While I like her writing, I'm not a huge fan of Jane Austen though I've read most of her books. But then there's Katherine Kellgren. (Oh yes, that's right I mentioned her.) Plus, I had the opportunity to get this one at $4.95 on Audible. It was worth every penny. Need a simple, fun, pick-me-up for the doldrums? Try PaPaZ. It won't disappoint.

With romance, redemption, witty repartee, and zombies, what's not to like? This prequel to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES is superbly written and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny.The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, is absolutely brilliant. Loved it!

The narration is a miracle. It full of dynamics and vividness that inspire me to enjoy the graces of literature, even if my native language is Chinese.