Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Okay, so maybe I got into this book a little too much. I've always been a bit of a Civil War buff, but I admittedly didn't (and still don't) have a lot of familiarity with Lincoln or his life. I'm not saying that this should be step one of a study of Lincoln's life, but it's enough to tempt the appetite.

This, too, may sound a little silly, but I frequently found myself wondering what actually happened that served as the catalyst for the story. Was there anything? What were the real causes of Abe's mother's death? The deaths of his sister and sons? Did Jack Armstrong exist? I don't know but it made for a couple of smiles as I read. (Again, this is another reason that the story could have been enhanced by more knowledge of Lincoln's life.)

Now on to something more in depth about “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. I think that Grahame-Smith reached for a lot of things but didn't necessarily get there. I understand the connection he's trying to make between the evils of slavery and the evils of vampirism, but I just don't think that it was strong enough. It could have been, but it wasn't there. The first third of the book barely mentions slavery and it only appears in about half of the second section. I personally felt that the first section could have been shortened by half so that we could get to the more historically-driven material (i.e., Abe's political career and the Civil War). The historical sections were much more interesting because the audience could connect with the actual events; with the first section shortened, Grahame-Smith could have strengthened the link between slavery and vampires. The narrative failed to answer the question: Was the central theme of the book a skewed and fictional biography of Lincoln or a correlation of vampirism and slavery?

The twist that ultimately ended the book was apparent from the first conversations between Henry and Abe. I must say, though, that I enjoyed the way said twist played out. I also enjoyed the way other characters worked into this book (e.g., Edgar Allan Poe, Jefferson Davis, etc.). It was creative on Grahame-Smith's part and could potentially ground the book for a wider audience.

Ultimately, as I said above, I enjoyed the book. I would advise to not dive into it thinking that it will be a literary achievement - just look at it as a well-written, enjoyable read.