Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Hey all,
I thought I’d write about mash up books this week. You might be familiar with the concept of mashups in music; when the lyrics of one song are mixed with the music from another song, and this is kind of a similar idea.
The idea is to take a book that is in the public domain, and add a twist to it. The most high profile example of a mash up book to date was published in April this year. Its called ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’, and was written by Seth Grahame-Smith.
It is set in the same time period as Jane Austen’s original novel, but in an alternate universe where zombies wander the countryside. As such it loosely follows the plot of the classic novel, albeit with some minor deviations like important messages not getting delivered because the carrier was eaten alive {now that would be a valid reason for a postal strike!).
The book was a surprise hit, reaching 3rd place on the New York Times Best-seller list, and there is a graphic novel in the works as well as rumours of a blockbuster film. It seems likely to open the floodgates for an invasion of novels in a similar style, and I am quite excited by the possibilities!
I might even try writing one myself for National Novel Writing Month, although all the good ideas might have gone by then – Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters came out last month!
Bookworm