SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS

by Jane Austen and Ben H. White



"Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities. As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen’s biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It’s survival of the fittest-and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love!" (From Quirk Books official website.)

I had a good time with this. The genteel writing of Jane Austen periodically interrupted by wild sea monster attacks is a sight to behold! So to speak. :-) The essentials of the original Sense and Sensibility story are intact and identifiable, but my understanding is that Ben Winters has taken more liberty with this one than Seth Grahame-Smith did with Pride & Prejudice in his zombie smash-up. Jackie from My Ever Expanding Library tells me the split is about 60/40 between classic and "re-imagined" content for Sea Monsters. That sounds about right. Winters runs amok on occasion, but it works.

In addition to the story itself being entertaining, the included illustrations are great and the Reader's Guide is hilarious! Here are a couple of examples from the Guide:

"2. In Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, painful personal setbacks often occur at the same moment as sea-monster attacks, suggesting a metaphorical linkage of 'monsters' with the pains of romantic disappointment; for example, Marianne is rebuffed by Willoughby at Hydra-Z precisely as the giant mutant lobsters are staging their mutiny. Have you ever been 'attacked by giant lobsters,' either literally or figuratively?"

"8. Have you ever been romantically involved with someone who turned out to be a sea witch?"

The entire Reader's Guide is a hoot! When I initially read the questions, I laughed out loud. Then I realized that most of them could actually be answered quite seriously if one so chose. Very clever!

My ultimate prediction: While this is a great gimmick, I think it will be a short lived one. It's a lot of fun, but it's so over the top that one does tire of it fairly quickly. I will be reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but I don't think my curiosity will extend much beyond that. In the meantime, I think Quirk Books is going to clean up nicely with the two current offerings.



Thank you to Quirk Books for sending me a copy to review.

Other bloggers' thoughts:

My Ever Expanding Library

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

by Jane Austen



"Pride and Prejudice -- Austen's own 'darling child' -- tells the story of fiercely independent Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters who must marry rich, as she confounds the arrogant, wealthy Mr. Darcy. What ensues is one of the most delightful and engrossingly readable courtships known to literature, written by a precocious Austen when she was just twenty-one years old." (From the back of the Barnes & Noble Classics edition.)

I surrender! I wanted to be cool and ambivalent, to declare it a "good 'girl' book", but I just can't. I am a believer. Pride and Prejudice is just plain fabulous! I loved it! I'm joining the ranks of women who want to be Elizabeth Bennet when they grow up, and, unlike Heathcliff, I completely understand Mr. Darcy sending legions of hearts aflutter. I don't even remember that last time I developed a crush on a fictional character. It may have been Nicholas Nickleby. But I think his position has now been usurped.

Aside from the obvious suspects, my favorite character was Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet. He had me giggling every time he bothered to put in his two cents. But Austen breathes life into every single character she creates here, and it is no longer any wonder to me why we are witnessing the recent deluge of sequels and adaptations based on them and this marvelous story. It is very difficult to let them go once they have entered your life. I must have one of those silly sequels around here somewhere, don't I??

SENSE & SENSIBILITY

by Jane Austen



"Sense and Sensibility is a wonderfully entertaining tale of flirtation and folly that revolves around two starkly different sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. While Elinor is thoughtful, considerate, and calm, her younger sister is emotional and wildly romantic. Both are looking for a husband, but neither Elinor’s reason nor Marianne’s passion can lead them to perfect happiness -- as Marianne falls for an unscrupulous rascal and Elinor becomes attached to a man who’s already engaged." (From Barnes & Noble online).

This was it. My very first Jane Austen book. I have to admit that this particular book was chosen at this particular time because I have Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters here to review, which I am even more excited about. :-) Ah, the silliness of it all!

But before I indulged in the follow-up to the wildly popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I decided it was my responsibility to read the original first. While I've shied from Jane Austen because, well, for the most part I'm not a "chick book" kind of chick, I really did enjoy Sense and Sensibility much more than I expected I would. It's not that the story is particularly engrossing, but the characters are so well developed that I couldn't avoid an affection for many of them (and an irritation with some them) that made me want to know about their lives, however unexciting they may be in comparison to other things I could have been reading. I love Georgette Heyer's books, and I would absolutely have drawn a mental comparison between the two had I read Austen first. They both have an uncanny ability with dialog and creating distinct, identifiable personalities with that alone.

I completely understand the devotion some people have to this author, and I will most assuredly be reading more of her work. But I have to admit that in my head I was constantly trying to guess where the sea monsters will come into play. And I'm hoping Lucy Steele and Fanny Dashwood get their due when it comes to said sea monsters. :-)

Austen and Zombies and Sea Monsters! Oh, My!

In my world, Joanne from The Book Zombie broke the news. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters will be released in September. (Thanks, Joanne!)

I have a question for all of you Jane Austen fans out there. I have never read a Jane Austen book. You read that right. Never. Not on purpose. It just has turned out that way. So, am I ruining it for myself if I read these fun versions without ever having read the "real thing"? Or can I just jump right into the fun with this one and the ever popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?