Title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Horror
Pages: 352

Summary
By all accounts, Abraham Lincoln’s life was astonishing. 16th President of the United States, a man who successfully navigated the raging rapids formed by the Civil War and the specter of slavery and set the country on a path leading to the present. But what if history didn’t tell the whole story of the man? What if he was also one of the greatest Vampire hunters of his time and all of the events in his life, including his presidency and the civil war were not what they appeared to be on the surface?

Notes
Ok, this is an odd one. It’s written as a historical fiction kind of book, the premise being that Abe kept a series of secret journals through his life detailing his secret vampire hunting activities. The book is probably half 3rd person narrated novel, half first person journal entry excerpts.

The author does an extremely good job of conceiving a scenario where the existence of vampires fits in perfectly with the other events of Abe’s life. If you can get yourself to suspend disbelief enough to believe that there are indeed vampires, then there’s nothing in the book that jumps out at you and makes you go “Oh, come on now!” with the possible exception of the ending. He accounts for everything from why he broke off his engagement with Mary Todd (his eventual wife) to how he came to run for president, to the civil war and slavery, to even his assassination.

The pacing is a little off in places. It’s a quick read overall, but the action slows down in the middle while Abe is transitioning between growing up and becoming President. His youth is interesting because it sets up the world and explains why vampires are such a big part of Abe’s life. His presidency and the civil war is the obvious climax and what the book was leading up to all along.

But the middle years where Abe was wandering around the country trying to make a living for himself after leaving his father drag on a bit. It’s just a string of events punctuated by “Oh, and he killed another vampire here”. I understand that Seth Grahame-Smith was trying to paint a complete picture of the man, but I could have done with a more abbreviated history of the events leading up to his presidency and more detail once he was actually elected.

Overall though, it’s a great premise and a fun read, even with it’s problems. Highly recommended if you’re into history and horror.

Next Book
Well, I’m all caught up with the posting what I’ve been reading now. Right now I’m diving back into the Wheel of Time series with the 4th book, The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan