Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Is A Fun, If Predictable, Ride

This past week I read Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The trailer for the movie adaptation coming out in June looks like such fun, and whenever possible, I like to read the book before I see the movie. (Note: This rule did not apply to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have you tried to read those damn books?! Sometimes it’s easier – and more entertaining – to just watch the movie.)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Vampire Hunter, because Graham-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was held in such high esteem, yet I barely made it through one page before I bailed on that one. As a friend of mine so succinctly put it, “Yeah, well, I haven’t been able to wrap my brain around the Jane Austin version yet, so…” Despite my apprehension, though, the epistolary-style Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter turned out to be an amusing read, as well as very thought provoking.

Of course, we all know the end of Abraham Lincoln’s story: An evening at the theater turns into an untimely end to a great life, thanks to the disgruntled John Wilkes Booth. So while Lincoln the vampire hunter triumphs and prevails in many things, we all know the demise that awaits him in the end. My big anticipation was learning how vampires fit into that ending.

While I certainly enjoyed this journey, I did feel the ending lacked a certain punch. I guess I just expected a bit more of a creative spin on the hows and whys of what motivated John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Lincoln. Granted, Graham-Smith’s fictional interpretation fit the story, and stayed as close as possible to its historical context. I was just hoping the explanation would be a bit more involved and personal. After all, at this point, I’m already willing to suspend disbelief and accepting that Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest Presidents of the United States, hunted mythical creatures in his spare time. Doesn’t that warrant a flashy ending, something further outside of the historical box?

That being said, there was an element of the ending that I found to be gratifying, if a bit predictable. But I’m not a spoilers kind of girl, so you’ll just have to get out there and read the book for yourselves, boys and girls.

Or Google the cliff notes.

As I said before, I also found Vampire Hunter to be quite thought provoking. I often found myself distracted with discerning which pieces in Grahame-Smith’s fictional adaptation were actual truths. Lincoln may not have been a vampire hunter, but even so, his actual life was no less exciting and profound. And, frankly, a bit sad.

I found myself on Google a lot, needing to know answers to questions like, “Did Lincoln really lose three of his four sons before they reached adulthood?” The answer to that was yes. It is also recorded that Lincoln suffered from bouts of depression, more often referred to back in the day as “melancholy”. Some sources relayed this information as if it was surprise, shocking that such a great man could feel anything less than happiness and gratification for all he achieved. But if you lost four of your three sons before they reached adulthood, might it be possible that all of your hard work, all of your great achievements, might feel just slightly bittersweet?

It’s a reminder that even the greatest of individuals, the ones that achieved the most in their lives personally, professionally, or socially, can be just as ordinary as the rest of us in their sorrow and pain.