A new side to ‘Honest Abe’ makes for an excellent vampire novel

I started my summer with the intention of reading all those books on my shelf that I have accumulated over the years without ever actually cracking the spine. In fact, when I traveled to Alaska in July, all I could think was “I will get so much reading done on the airplane.” Unfortunately, I only actually read two books all summer that weren’t for school, and one of them was a re-read. More fortunately, the single book that I read for the first time was completely fantastic. It’s also the book I’ve been getting teased more and more for. So I am here to set the record straight. “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is actually a wonderful book.

The book starts out with a prologue from the writer about how he was asked by a man with sunglasses, Henry, to write the true story of Abraham Lincoln. According to Seth Grahame- Smith, he was given a stack of journals filled with fabulous and terrifying tales of vampires and war: the journal of Abraham Lincoln. From there, Grahame-Smith creates the tale of Abraham Lincoln, starting with him as a young child and continuing through his presidency and assassination. Not only is he a president, though, he is also a master killer.

According to the book, Abe’s mother was killed when he was young by a vampire. Angered by his mother’s death and swearing revenge, Abe teaches himself how to hunt vampires, eventually becoming very skilled at it. He learns later in life, also, that vampires in the south are buying slaves to feed off of. Abe ends up becoming president in order to rid America of slavery, the ultimate goal being ridding America of vampires.

The wonderful thing about this book is that it is written like a history book. It talks about Abe’s life as a child, how he grows up, his jobs, his presidency, and other things that are completely true. It just also happens to have a bit of hacking off vampire’s heads with an ax sprinkled throughout. It was written in such a fashion that it was hard not to believe that the Civil War was not fought because of vampires in America. Grahame-Smith crafts his story so elegantly that it is completely believable, and at times while reading, I had to remind myself that vampires don’t actually exist.

The characters are absolutely vibrant. Abe is a strong-willed character who lives up to his name, “the father of many.” His character development is heart wrenching in many places. My favorite parts of the book were when there were excerpts of his “journal” that showed a very soft side, but also a determination. Henry is a character who proves to be a loyal friend. He could also be a bit sassy, and at points made me laugh aloud. I actually had to put down my book to laugh when another character was introduced. “‘Am I to understand that you are not a vampire?’ ‘Regrettably, no,’ he said, laughing. I extended my hand ‘Abe Lincoln.’ The little man took it. ‘Edgar Poe.’”

Not only were the characters and plot line fascinating, there were fight scenes that were both horrifying and enthralling. The images of the vampires were terrifying, but the thought of a six-foot some man swinging an ax around is enough to grab anyone’s attention.

You may be thinking that this book sounds a little ridiculous, and I will admit, the concept is, indeed, ridiculous. However, once I gave this book a chance, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.