Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

I sort of cheated on this one and bought the book on tape for my road trip to the beach. It was probably the best decision I made the whole week. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith was incredibly entertaining and kept my attention for the entire six hour drive to the Outer Banks. The biggest difference between reading this book and listening to it is that, from time to time, I forgot it was a fictional history.

Seth Grahame-Smith does an excellent job of incorporating vampires into real historical events. The style is very similar to his Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, in that he weaves his own tale into a well known one. From what I can tell, his Lincoln research is very thorough and very informative. Though I am by no means a Lincoln or Civil War expert. This book has actually inspired me to do a little research of my own into the real life events depicted in the novel. My father recently finished Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, so I may borrow his copy.

Of course, the Civil War is used as front for a secret war between feuding Vampires and their human counterparts. John Wilkes Booth had more motive than in real life. And the deaths of family and friends throughout Lincoln's life are not always accidental or the result of the rough frontier life. I only wish I had gotten a copy of the novel as well so I could see the photographic "evidence" supplied.

Definitely a book I would recommend to the Vampire fan. Lincoln purists may not appreciate this approach to their hero but it could be an excellent way to interest the younger generation in history.