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nutmeggeraim's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of those books that I hated to put down, and couldn't wait to get home to read. It really was a creative venture by Grahame-Smith, one that could have ended badly. It didn't. Read this book!
agathe_athena's review against another edition
4.0
Well executed. Now I want to read a biography of Lincoln to see to where the truth ends and the vampires begin.
peedge's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed it as an audio book but I think if it was a book I would have skimmed a lot of it over or given up.
krikabee's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. I LOVE books that blend real life/history so seamlessly with fantasy, fiction, and intrigue. Written so well you might actually question whether or not this version of events is the true one.
karlajstrand's review against another edition
3.0
Get over the "it's so unbelievable" thing and enjoy this quick summer read!
mountainstroh's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a biography reader, so the format was not my favorite, but I did enjoy the book! Made me want to read a real biography of him to see what was real and was "the new real" Best quote from the book. "Some men are to interesting to let die"
felts's review against another edition
3.0
Forrest Gump meets North and South meets Twilight? Yep, but it still works pretty well. An interesting take on what might have happened if Honest Abe would have grown up in an America that was home to blood sucking vamps. A few critical comments to make:
The pacing of the first half of the book is pretty good, but the second half, when Abe is president and the Civil War is in full effect, seems like everything is put in fast forward. I would have thought that a war *****Spoiler******fought with vampires would have been a pretty big event here. Not so.
Also, I would have liked to have figured out what happened to the character we meet at the beginning of the book who is the supposed author of this novel. Maybe I missed something, but it seems like something should have been said about what happens between he and Henry. But, all in all, I thought it was enjoyable. If you don't mind having your history lessons skewed and your political and literary heroes manipulated into homicidal, revenge seekers...then this book will be right up your alley.
The pacing of the first half of the book is pretty good, but the second half, when Abe is president and the Civil War is in full effect, seems like everything is put in fast forward. I would have thought that a war *****Spoiler******fought with vampires would have been a pretty big event here. Not so.
Also, I would have liked to have figured out what happened to the character we meet at the beginning of the book who is the supposed author of this novel. Maybe I missed something, but it seems like something should have been said about what happens between he and Henry. But, all in all, I thought it was enjoyable. If you don't mind having your history lessons skewed and your political and literary heroes manipulated into homicidal, revenge seekers...then this book will be right up your alley.
rebeccas94's review against another edition
2.0
I tried reading this book about 8 months ago and couldn't finish it. Though the concept behind the story is good, Abraham Lincoln dedicates himself to a life of vampire slaying after his mother falls victim to one herself, the execution fell flat for me. Mr Grahame-Smith takes the basic biography of Lincoln's life weaves in his plot points and relies heavily historical documents through the novel to back up his story line. Diaries, letters, and speeches of both Lincoln and the people in his life have been used. I have no more knowledge of Lincoln than the average high school graduate, so I am left to trust the author on the resources he's used.
The bulk of the novel focuses on Lincoln's youth and the events that shaped his personal beliefs. He grows up on America's frontier, loses his mother and first love to illness (in this story vampire attacks), and his rebels against his father's perceived "shiftlessness" by becoming industrious and successful. From the time of his mother's death, Lincoln vows to kill all vampires in America. Can you say Oedipus complex? He has a chance meeting with a vampire named Henry Sturges who teaches Lincoln vampire lore and skills to kill them. Sturges and Lincoln form an odd pact that has Lincoln roaming the countryside killing vampires that Sturges names as deserving to die.
The final third of the book focuses on Lincoln's election as president and the Civil War. Unbeknownst to all of us the Civil War was merely a cover for warring factions of vampires. Uh huh. I can't say I agree with the ending that the author chose either.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel. I didn't like the reader. It seemed to me that every voice he read was with a Southern accent. It was odd.
The bulk of the novel focuses on Lincoln's youth and the events that shaped his personal beliefs. He grows up on America's frontier, loses his mother and first love to illness (in this story vampire attacks), and his rebels against his father's perceived "shiftlessness" by becoming industrious and successful. From the time of his mother's death, Lincoln vows to kill all vampires in America. Can you say Oedipus complex? He has a chance meeting with a vampire named Henry Sturges who teaches Lincoln vampire lore and skills to kill them. Sturges and Lincoln form an odd pact that has Lincoln roaming the countryside killing vampires that Sturges names as deserving to die.
The final third of the book focuses on Lincoln's election as president and the Civil War. Unbeknownst to all of us the Civil War was merely a cover for warring factions of vampires. Uh huh. I can't say I agree with the ending that the author chose either.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel. I didn't like the reader. It seemed to me that every voice he read was with a Southern accent. It was odd.
feogofjuly76's review against another edition
1.0
As much as the premise intrigued me when I heard a review on an NPR podcast, I just couldn't make it more than 50 pages in. Also, hiding the severed, bleeding head on the back of the book from my children became tedious...
bkmyhre's review against another edition
3.0
A well-researched book that incorporates the real life elements of the President's life with interesting sideline stories. I don't see the hilarity advertised, and it even got melancholy once he started losing family members, but the young Abraham Lincoln was certainly a force to be reckoned with. The writing itself was quite good, and I could easily see many of the scenes in the book translating well to the big screen. The biggest issue I had with the story was that it felt like the later half of Mr. Lincoln's life was shoe-horned into the story in a rush to get to the inevitable conclusion, rather than taking its time the way the majority of the book was done. I didn't expect it to be loving detail for all 60 years, but a bit more fleshed out for those instances dealing with vampires later in the book would have been nice.