Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

 

Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith is another one of those novels that has been siting in my 'to be read' pile for 9-10 years or perhaps even longer. 

I FINALLY made time to listen to the unabridged audio version of Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter this month. I wasn't disappointed at all with this historical fiction/thriller/horror novel as it far exceeded my expectations of it. The writing is excellent... And the the plot, storyline, and character development were engrossing throughout the novel itself. 

I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting when I first began listening to Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter, but I found the novel to be engrossing from the very start and also well narrated by Scott Holst. 

The novel chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln from his youth through to his assassination. I liked that the novel focuses MAINLY on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. The novel itself mostly reads like a biography with vampires added in an interesting fashion that almost (and I emphasize the word 'almost') makes it seems like the existence of vampires could possibly be credible. Vampires are not romanticized is this novel like they have been in so many works of fiction, which makes for a refreshing take on the topic of vampires in general.

I felt like the ending for Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter was a bit soft though. Perhaps the author could have written the ending differently for a stronger impact, instead of the ending that it was. If you've read Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter, what did you think of the ending?

I do LOVE the cover art for Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter. I was thrilled to discover a photo that shows both the front cover and back cover of this novel to share in my review. Yes, it's a bit gory, but seems appropriate for the title and topic of the novel.

Below is the publisher's summary for Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith I found on Chirp's website:

Indiana. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother’s bedside. She’s been stricken with something the old-timers call “Milk Sickness.” “My baby boy…” she whispers before dying. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, ”henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose…” Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House. While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years. Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

I am giving Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!