Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - New Trailer

It's only a few weeks until the preview of this summer vampire movie.  We discussed the book last night on the podcast and discussed the appropriation and it looks like the film, from this preview is going to continue this.

Fangs for the Fantasy: Episode 68

We discuss Game of Thrones and the way Sansa and Cersei have grown as well as the awesomeness of Tyrion. We talk about the Almighty Johnsons that, despite its many problematic issues, is something we love and fanpoodle. And we look at the new series starting of Continuum – it looks like it’s a great start but there are some things we hope they improve but in general we’re really enjoying this pilot.

We discuss out book of the week, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith and the extremely problematic appropriation that takes up the book. We discuss the glorification of the south, the glossing over and denial of atrocities around the world and the putting of Abraham Lincoln on a Pedestal.






Our book of the week we will be discussing next Monday (4th June) is: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire


Our book of the week we will be discussing on (11th June) is: The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro

Review: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Abraham Lincoln, statesman, orator, president of the United States, leader of the Union during the Civil Warm, the man whose Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the US and a vampire slayer.

Being left the journals of Lincoln, a young aspiring writer is given the mammoth task of chronicling Abraham Lincoln’s life. His entire life – and that included hunting vampires almost from childhood after his mother fell beneath the fangs of one. Since then he has trained hard and fought desperately against vampires across the US. At every stage of his history – from his youth in Kentucky through to Washington DC, vampire slaying was always a part of his life

But Vampire slaying was more than just a part of his life. Vampire slaying is one of the prime motivations of his existence – to fight and destroy all vampires in the US, firstly out of revenge for his mother’s death. But, as he learns more about them and their schemes, eventually it becomes a battle to save all of the United States from falling under their brutal control. It’s a fight that causes him to pursue the presidency. Ultimately, it’s a battle that leads him and the whole nation to war.

Stylistically, I’m not fond of this book. It is written as if by a modern author adapting and transcribing Abraham Lincoln’s journals with many direct excerpts. This means the book often switches from 3^rd to first person and we sometimes switch actors as well. It wasn’t hard to follow but it wasn’t a style I enjoyed nor do I think it made it easier to read.

Ultimately, I think this story rests on gimmickery. This isn’t just a 19^th century vampire hunter, it’s Abraham Lincoln. I think I miss part of the power of that simply because I’m English. Abraham Lincoln isn’t a major figure in my history or my culture – nor are the events and times described. It doesn’t have the same impact for me. It also means as we follow most of this book – following his life, his childhood, his family, his relationships, his children, the places he lived and the jobs he worked – well, to me they’re not all that interesting or fascinating. Maybe if, culturally, he was a more major figure to me it would be more compelling. As it is, I was rather bored, I didn’t find it fascinating or even particularly interesting. I won’t say it was awful – and I’ve certainly read worse, but it was never more than mildly amusing to me.

I didn’t find the plot – a man hunting and killing vampires which are evil monsters – to be especially fascinating. It’s not original, it’s nothing special. I won’t say it’s boring – and I found the action parts of the book to be great fun and really well written – well paced and perfectly described without so much that it feels bogged down yet not so sparse that we can’t follow the action.

I think this is a book that’s going to be very dependent on taste and whether the insertion of a historical figure into fantastic story is something you find appealing. Personally, it’s not exactly to my taste

Ok, now to the biggie that I cannot ignore and knew was coming from the moment I opened the book. Appropriation. There was no way a fictionalised book with Abraham Lincoln as the core character wasn’t going to involve some appropriation but oooooh it was a doozey. It was one of those books I went into faintly cringing knowing it was coming and I was still bowled over when it actually happened.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Red Band Trailer

Our review of the book will be up on Monday, but in the meantime, we thought you might enjoy the trailer for the movie.