Zombie Command

Win 1 of 50 PPZ:DoD prize packs!

You can win:

• A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards
• Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
• A copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• A Dawn of the Dreadfuls Poster

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“I read the PPZ:DoD review at ZombieCommand.com, now give me stuff!”

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls opens as a funeral is interrupted by the recently ‘deceased’, Mr. Ford, who decides to bring the mourning to an abrupt end by climbing out of his casket. Thus begins the Bennet girls introduction to the world of zombies, better known in proper English terms as ‘dreadfuls’.

We find out that prior to marrying and being browbeaten by the intolerable Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet was at one time renowned for his dreadful-slaying abilities and his service during a time in years gone by referred to as The Troubles. Following The Troubles, there was a lull in dreadfuls, to the extent that it was believed they were done for good, and people reverted back to conventional English propriety.

With the recently deceased rising again, Mr. Bennet wastes no time in returning his old dojo to full use (having been converted to a greenhouse by Mrs. Bennet) and summoning a martial arts master to train his beloved daughters against the inevitable onslaught of the undead. Elizabeth shows natural ability and excels in her dreadful-slaying studies, showing glimpses of the strong, defiant woman to come.

With the exception of Mr. Bennet’s revelations of his zombie-fighting past, the rest of the characters keep to the mould originally built by Jane Austen. There are introductions to a few new characters, mainly suitors which fawn over the Bennet girls. However, for those who’ve read either PPZ or the original version of Jane Austen’s novel, we know with whom Elizabeth ends up married. What happens to these new suitors? Well, I won’t reveal too much about them, I’ll let you read the book and find out for yourself!
PPZ:DoD reads differently to the initial PPZ. While PPZ took an existing work of fiction and added to it, this book is an entirely new story and though the author tries to mimic Jane Austen’s style it doesn’t flow in exactly the same way.

Were it not for the fact that the book pulls from the characters of PPZ and Jane Austen, this story could easily have stood on its own and perhaps would have been better for it as prequels don’t lend themselves to too many surprises or revelations. In my opinion, this is PPZ:DoD’s only drawback.

Granted, there are new characters, but ultimately fans of the first pretty much know how things pan out. Having a story where one already knows the ending is something that just doesn’t work well for me. If this book had been released as a zombie-themed book set in the Regency Period of Great Britain and not riding on the coattails of being part of PPZ, it would have done just fine as an ‘inspired by’ original work of fiction.

That said, I did enjoy the book and thought it a fun and easy read. It’s satirical and is quite tongue-in-cheek with humorous bits throughout. There’s not much gore though, so if large amounts of blood and guts is what you’re looking for, you best look elsewhere. This would make a great gift for friends who don’t quite get your zombie fascination, but on whom you still wish to push your agenda. They get their ‘classic work of fiction’, you get your zombie fix in. It’s a win-win situation!