Grahame-Smith, author of the New York Times best seller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), again plays it straight but strange in this reimagining of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire slayer hell-bent since a young age on avenging his beloved mother's vampire-related death. The book incorporates well-researched U.S. histor formance is effective in translating to audio this sometimes uneasy mix of history and horror that should nonetheless make for an entertaining listen for fans of vampire stories. [Includes a bonus interview with the author and a PDF of historical photographic documents; the Grand Central hc was recommended for purchase "only where requested," LJ 3/15/10.-Ed.]-B. Allison Gray, Goleta Branch, Santa Barbara P.L., CA Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Following the success of his bestselling Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with another melange of history and horror, Grahame-Smith inserts a grandiose and gratuitous struggle with vampires into Abraham Lincoln's life. Lincoln learns at an early age that his mother was killed by a supernatural predator. This provokes his bloody but curiously undocumented lifelong vendetta against vampires and their slave-owning allies. The author's decision to reduce slavery to a mere contrivance of the vampires is unfortunate bordering on repellent, but at least it does distract the reader from the central question of why the president never saw fit to inform the public of the supernatural menace. Grahame-Smith stitches hand-to-hand vampire combat into Lincoln's documented life with competent prose that never quite manages to convince. (Mar.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Capitalizing on the runaway success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), Grahame-Smith introduces an irreverent biography of Abraham Lincoln chock-full of that other horror-genre staple: vampires. Everyone knows that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and saved the country from disunion, but very few were privy to the fact that Honest Abe was an honest-to-goodness vampire hunter; that is, until Grahame-Smith unearthed Lincoln's secret journal, an intimate document detailing the lifelong battle he waged against the undead. Motivated by the vampire-initiated death of his mother, 11-year-old Abe vowed to kill every vampire in America. True to his pledge, he spent the next 50 years honing his skills and stalking his prey. Recognizing an inextricable link between slavery and vampires, he expanded his mission to include destroying the peculiar institution. And the rest, as they say, is history. Grahame-Smith's breezy narrative style makes this a quick and easy read guaranteed to tickle the funny bone. Vampires are hot, so expect high demand (except from, probably, die-hard history buffs, who may not be amused).--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2010 Booklist