Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

By: Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem.

As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton - and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers - and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry?

Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to hear.

This Heirloom Edition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies includes a new preface by the author, an afterword by Dr. Allen Grove, professor of English literature at Alfred University, and new scenes of gratuitous zombie mayhem.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Quirk Books (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"[Seth Grahame-Smith] has taken the merry world established by a 19th-century literary lady, added a scourge of reanimated corpses, and created...well, a pop cultural phenomenon, certainly, and one that has stirred up a lot of excitement. But the greater achievement of the book may lie in the satisfying desire it awakens to read the remix and the original side by side." ( Entertainment Weekly)

Katherine Kellgren - Wow!

I've just finished this zombie version of "P&P", which I loved, and checked all the reviews and links for Katherine Kellgren at Audible. This is the first time I hunted for additional titles by narrator. It feels as though I'm late to discover her. I've never heard such a reader! Bright, precise, compelling torrents of speech delivered with awesome energy and conviction! She projects REAL feeling for Austen's language. In addition, Seth Grahame-Smith did fine work as well, to put the twist on the tale. I hope that other classic titles will receive this kind of clever makeover. I'll be waiting.

I loved it!

Listen to the Audible sample of this book and decide if it's for you. I am a professional over-50 woman not particularly fond of violence but I found this book laugh-out-loud hilarious! I thought the narrator did a wonderful job. The premise is so ridiculous that it becomes fascinating to see how the author weaves it in with the original classic story. I LOVE reading and audiobooks but had never read Pride and Prejudice. I went out and bought it after listening to this book so I could appreciate both more. Listen to this for pure entertainment and an enjoyment of farce as long as you are not offended by descriptions of what zombies do. I don't think Seth Grahame-Smith ripped anyone off by authoring this book.

Why not just enjoy

It's hard to be comfortable with taking a book that you love and having it tampered with. BUT, I have to say that I enjoyed this audio book. It was nice to listen to the underlying great story and throwing in the zombie, ninja, heart-eating, and pus-popping sores was actually pretty funny. I thought the author did "just right" in not trying to re-write the story but really just mash it with a ridiculous idea. I laughed aloud at Katherine Kellgren's manner of reading Charlotte's part- it's hilarious.

One word - Awesome!

I don't know how Seth pulled it off, but somehow this man has brought zombies, ninjas, and humor into Lizzy's world and yet it is still Pride and Prejudice. Mr.Bennett is hilarious with his treatment of his annoying prattling wife, Darcy is forced into a battle of ninja skills with Lizzy as she declines his marriage proposal, and somebody close to Lizzy is bitten and infected with the 'Strange Plague'. The Bennett sisters are practically the designated ninja death squad of the countryside. On top of all that, Katherine Kellgren's pompous English tea time voice adds just that right touch to the story to make it inconceivably more hilarious! This is possibly one of the coolest books ever now. I don't think high school English class will ever be the same!

Fun, Zany, Silly, but never boring...

I think it would have been a much better book if Grahame-Smith had presented his fractured fairytale more seriously...what IF a plague of zombies invaded the tale of "Pride and Prejudice" and how would have strong characters such as Darcy and Lizzie reacted to such an horrific ordeal? Instead it is equal parts kung fu chopsocky and through-the-shattered-looking-glass Austen. But still, it IS a fun tale, never quite "laugh-out-loud" funny, but surprisingly witty in some places, as the world of Jane Austen goes goth (and Jackie Chan). Uma Thurman, oops, I mean Lizzie, is just too far-gone "Kill Bill," but it does make for a hilarious fantasy sequence when a put-out Lizzie beheads her gabby punk of a little sister. Darcy, I guess due to the "plauge," has taken a puerile air, frequently making word plays on the ever-present frequent balls (stacking up some impressive frequent ball mileage). To Grahame-Smith's credit, frequently I would forget that I was listening to a lampoon of "Pride and Prejudice" and for an hour I'd truly enjoy the story, with even a minor few revelations and perspectives (but if you really want to be dazzled by Neo Austen, try Pamela Aidan's "An Assembly Such as This"). Never quite "Mad" magazine (but generally close), the story juggles classical beauty, very familiar archetypes, and a big bag of constant silliness. Never as witty as Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" novels, still, sometimes Seth Grahame-Smith is pretty witty. I have to admit (and I'm perfectly ready to duck tomatoes) I liked the story, and Katherine Kellgren's narration is as good as I've ever heard, beautiful in fact, and perhaps the reason that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. As a whole I'd rank the novel a 4 (out of 5), but the narration is a perfect 10 (out of 4). Art et Amour Toujours

very fun listen

Very fun premise to the story and great narration. I was surprised at how true to the original story this version stayed, while adding in a layer of zombies versus the deadly arts. Loved it. I think I got much more out of hearing the audio version than I would have by reading the print version.

An Excellent Audio Experience

This is among the top 5 audio books I've ever listened to. Katherine Kellgren's performance is simply perfect. The entire book has the feel of a classic while incorporating zombies and their lust for brains seamlessly into the story. The book would fit well on the shelf with Classics and Alternate History alike. A wonderful performance and a wonderful read.

Zombie Logic Fail

It's a bit silly to state that a book about zombies in Pride and Prejudice didn't make sense - but sadly that is the case. I'm not talking about the obvious zombie issues (like why they don't die if they don't eat, why do they only decompose a little and not the whole way, etc.). I'm all for the willing suspension of disbelief - and zombie lit in general - but the grafted on bits about fighting the un-dead didn't follow logic. One example: Eliza Bennett is well known as one of the great zombie fighters - but Lady Catherine keeps assuming her ninjas (yes, ninjas) will kill her easily. Really - this is too ridiculous to go on. Suffice it to say, the fact that zombies were grafted on to the unaltered original text instead of this being a newly written book with the same plot lead to many unsatisfying holes in the narrative.

I learned to care about Austen!

I've never been able to abide Jane Austen. I felt completely unconnected from the characters and unable to empathize with their dated misadventures in love and social climbing. That said, I loved this book. Apparently, all it took to make me care about Eliza and Co. was a liberal sprinkling of the undead. Most of the characterizations and the plot itself remained untouched, but the world in which they occur is enough changed to give them a dash of modern flavour. Also, I found Austen's women much improved by their new interest in the "deadly arts," as opposed to all that fuss over balls and letter writing and... pfft. Marriage. Not to say that Grahame-Smith doesn't occasionally go overboard; his additions have a tendency to become incredibly campy (moreso than I believe that they were meant to be) and repetitive. Still, I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who have trouble stomaching the original. I'll readily admit that I have never been Austen's biggest fan, but even I couldn't take my iPod off for days.

Bring on the laughter!

I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. I was worried if this book would offend. Not only did it not offend, I found myself laughing out loud at the humor and additional zombie killing wit added by Seth Grahame-Smith. I would tell any friend of mine to read this book. I found myself quoting several passages to them and I hope he does another!! I would definitely read more!

Clever, and sometimes Hilarious

Having read the other reviews, I thought I'd give this a go. I love P&P and all Austen and did feel sometimes that the real story's humour and nuances were somewhat undermined by the 'zombie' element. That said, if you want unadulterated Austen, then just read Austen.

I would say this is for people who have already read P&P, in order to get the depth of some of the jokes, but I'm pretty sure they'd still be funny if you hadn't. It did take about 10 chapters before I saw any real humour, but at later points I was laughing out loud on the train with the odd surprise one-liner. It pleased me in that it was not a riot of back to back jokes, but simply a retelling of a great story, with an amusing 'plague' sub-plot which gave it a new colour.

Absolutely Brilliant!

I don't usually write reviews but I have to make an exception for this fabulous audible book. Not only is it a fantastic take on a classic story it was read so wonderfully that I could hardly wait to get in my car to listen to it. As soon as it finished I wanted to listen to it all over again! I can't recommend this highly enough.

Occasionally gory

I love this treatment of the classic story but the narrator can be too shrill.

Funny idea brought to life

If, like me, you saw the movie and liked it then this might run a little long to sustain the joke. That said it is a good joke and it does deserve to be allowed to stretch its legs a bit.
I enjoyed it.

Surprisingly gentle, but delightfully wicked

I came to the book with good expectations and was mostly pleased. The imitation of Austen’s style in the new sections is pretty good. Both the old and new parts of this book are funny and witty and the two blend together very well. The emotional scenes are still affecting and the listener still wants the protagonists to succeed. I did find the slightly cruel new edge to Elizabeth’s character a bit off putting, such as when she kills living people like lady Catherine’s ninjas, but the hilarity of that concept itself kept me listening and I tried to take it less seriously. I do wish Grahame-Smith could have found more words to describe the are that contains China and Japan rather than just relying on ‘the Orient.’
Kellgren did a magnificent job of narrating the two styles. Her lovely refined pronunciation was very well suited to Austen’s prose and she delightfully relished in the horrifying descriptions and gore. She handled distinguishing characters voices very well although some of her male voices were very similar and this led to mild confusion.
Overall it was gory fun with added emotional investment

What happened to the Zombies?

This started most promisingly - England in the grip of a Zombie plague, the Miss Bennetts highly trained warriors, Mr Darcy a master ninja trained in Japan, the classic story of manners and social position interwoven with extreme violence and gore. All very clever and well observed. But from halfway through the book the Zombies become little more than a distant annoyance. The story is then almost purely Pride and Prejudice - effectively word for word. So the story goes nowhere other than the expected, with little to lift it from the original. How I longed for another Zombie attack - for Lizzie Bennett's skull to be cracked by a manky dreadful, Mr Darcy's entrails to be painfully unwound, Mrs Bennett's limited brains to be consumed by one of the striken, and for Satan's army to drown all of Pemberly in blood - anything to cease their endless prattling and indulgent wimsey. Alas no. Ultimately disappointing.

Big disappointment

The idea, clear from the title alone, is fantastic, but the book just doesn't deliver. I didn't laugh once. One to avoid.

Why all the fuss?

I don't understand why people have gone so crazy for this book.
It's basically an overly-long one-pun joke. It's one of those crazy ideas you might have drunk one night in a pub with your friends, but like most ideas of this type, it shouldn't go beyond the beer mat. I listened to it all but often found myself wondering why. Ninja's, zombies, Mr. Darcy....this is six form stuff. Yeah it's funny at times, but, really, why the fuss?
I guess it's a novel technique to get the masses reading the classics.

Entertaining story but lacking performance

Contrast of gentile English literature and zombies is delightfully satirical and well constructed but performance is often childish and over the top. Would definitely recommend but be prepared to suffer through some exaggerated and sometimes even insensitive voice acting (you'll understand when you hear it)

Amusing mix of Austen and the almost dead

This is an enjoyable, easy read. It is a bizarre and incongruous mix of Victorian cultural norms and the battle against zombies. The audible version has an interesting prologue by the author (ok, one of the authors: Seth Grahame-Smith) describing his inspiration and method of writing. This explains how the book is remarkably close to Jane Austen's original.