Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

I was so excited to read this book since hearing all the hype. I began this book this summer and have finally worked my way through it. The addition of zombies to Pride and Prejudice makes the characters not necessarily more "deep" in emotion but definitely more fun. For instance Elizabeth Bennet in the original is very quick witted, smart and cunning but lacks a superior trait to her sisters, she is known as being plain... this new rendition made Lizzy the most powerful predator in all of England. She was known for being decent looking and for her quick wit but this new warrior quality that she possesses makes her the most amiable match to most men and surprisingly enough her training in the Oriental Arts gives her family and herself a higher status than Pride and Prejudice. In PPZ, higher society, such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and of course, Mr. Darcy are well trained in the deadly arts so by Miss Bennet being trained and exceeding slaying standards she is welcomed into the upper class. Class was a very important subject for Jane Austen to explore especially since she was a lot like Elizabeth although without Miss Bennet's luck. It also seems that zombies are portrayed without class, as the disease can strike upon anyone and because of their lack of identity it is not daunting to kill them. The zombies themselves pray upon the weaker lower class. Just like Mr. Bingley's ball when all of his waiting staff and cooks were prayed upon and Bingley's only concern was for the lost desserts. Although the zombies are not the heroes of the love story they do in a way save Pride and Prejudice from being strictly satirical and wordy. I do love the original, however this book gives an opportunity for a comeback and the zombies are the comic relief. One of the book's finer moments for me was the description of Darcy's attraction for Elizabeth and how he admires her muscular built. That honestly made me laugh, especially while comparing the frail Miss Bingley who also seems to be a predator in the romantic sense. This book was altogether very well composed and the scenes that had the "unmentionables" seemed to be the jewels out of the novel.