'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Doesn't Actually Suck

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith landed a six-figure deal for a book called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Does it suck? Surprisingly, no, says Time's Lev Grossman. This mashup of history and horror may lack "richness and subtlety," but does not want for color. Grahame-Smith's writing is "lively" and "fluent" with "a sharp sense of tone and pace." And the vampire theme is not completely arbitrary: it serves as a metaphor for slavery.

This is not Grahame-Smith's first variation on the classic-meets-undead theme. His first hit, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, sold 2 million copies and is being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman. Using the same trick twice has its downsides, Grossman cautions. The first book was unexpected. The second time around, the metaphor feels "a little too neat." Still, it's got a pulse.
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