Review: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith 

Prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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Description: In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve 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!

Review: Dawn of the Dreadfuls was my type of book! I really adored it, and it was a perfect blend of humor, action, and slight romance.

Since it's a prequel to the popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dawn of the Dreadfuls tells the story of how young Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters turn into fierce zombie warriors. You're introduced to their instructor, Master Hawksworth, who has an ironic secret of his own. Also new to the series is the eccentric doctor, Dr. Keckilpenny, who tries to understand zombies instead of killing them. Returning to the book is the crazy but love able Bennet family. They might truly be my favorite fictional family. The over-dramatic Mrs. Bennet; the not-caring Mr. Bennet; naive Jane; cold hearted Elizabeth; and the kooky, gossip filled younger sisters , Lydia, Mary, and Kitty. The family is really adorable and funny, and it's hilarious the way they interact with each other.

If you've read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you know that Elizabeth ends up with Darcy (one of my favorite couples.)Even thought there are possible romances in the books with Jane and Elizabeth, they both end terribly. Don't worry, they find their mates in the next book! But it was interesting to see why Elizabeth was cold towards men in PPZ because she got screwed over by both men in Dawn of the Dreadfuls. And Jane. Oh Jane. She was gullible towards everyone, not only the men in her life. And that made her stronger. I definitely loved the relationship between the two eldest Bennets. That sisterly love was always something I enjoyed, especially in this book.

Something I admired in the Bennet family, well, except Mrs. Bennet, was their ability to not care what others thought of them. In the book, their neighbors look down of the girls and their parents because they study the fine art of fighting zombies. And nobody does that. Not even the males. I thought it was very brave of them to do their own things, and save themselves, and be prepared, rather than run away screaming.

I liked Dawn of the Dreadfuls even more so than PPZ. For one thing, the language was easier to understand. I'm still getting used to classical writing style, and so because Steve Hockensmith was the one writing it, it was simpler, and I got the jokes more quickly. I feel like the humor was more humorous this time around. This is gonna sound dumb, but I feel the writer was more comfortable with the idea of zombies and classics, and he was able to joke more freely. The humor was dry and sardonic, just the way I like it.

I really love the idea of classics revamped. I know there's on with Abe Lincoln as a vampire hunter, and I just saw a list on Goodreads with more Quirk Classics. I'm definitely gonna try to read most of them.

I'd recommend Dawn of the Dreadfuls to anyone who read PPZ, and just anyone who enjoys action packed books about killing zombies in Regency England.

“A world with zombies in it had no tolerance for softness of sentiment. The dreadfuls infected everything just by virtue of existing. To live in their world one had to become like them. Dead inside.

So be it."

-Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith