Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Should anyone mess with a historical personage to the point of creating a "history" that never happened? Do we owe our idols some loyalty in keeping their reputations clean and their hands free from blood? Seth Grahame-Smith does a very good job of researching Lincoln's formative years growing up in Indiana and his early years in Illinois politics. He creates a credible world in which vampires might have lived and gives plausible situations in which Lincoln might have interacted with bloodsuckers. The one point where the whole conceit falls down, I believe, is with the title character. Do most Americans see our beloved Lincoln as a blood-thirsty killer or as the savior of the republic? Possibly creating an original character living in the time period of the Civil War fighting off the evil vampires in league with southern slave owners would have worked just as well without the unpleasant aftertaste of the betrayal of a cultural icon... Still, it is a very well written book, with the caveat that it's not possibly to everyone's tastes.
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2 comments:
I'm inclined to agree with you. Messing with so beloved an historical figure feels a bit sacrilegious almost. Personally I think the movie 'Lincoln' is far superior. Still, not a bad story, although I don't think I'll read any more in similar vein.
Good pun, AJ! I agree with you on the movie "Lincoln". Definitely an Oscar-winning movie!
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