Brilliant idea crippled by lack of researchJune 5, 2010 Desanera 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Spoiler Warning!
I really wanted to like this book. And at first I did - I liked Lizzie as a bloodthirsty warrior girl. Except the author would have done better to keep the warrior aspect and either leave the "oriental" influence out (which would have easy enough to do - there are cultures much closer to England with effective fighting styles), or else do some degree of research. One could have watched 5 samurai movies and 5 kung fu movies and been far more educated on the subject than this book reflects. The book is unable to tell the difference between Chinese and japanese weaponry or clothing (despite this being a plot point), has a very limited idea of Shaolin (or Samurai or Ninja) training (Shaolin Soccer reflects more of Shaolin training than this book).
The illustrator sadly appears to be just as uneducated - the positions that Lizzie takes for her kicks are either anatomically impossible, or would result in great injury to herself - and does not reflect the shaolin style she's supposed to be a master of. A lexicon of chinese and japanese words seems to have been peppered into the text without any regard for context. (In one section it is mentioned that one has bad breath after eating raw eel. Anyone who has had even supermarket sushi knows it is served with ginger to cleanse the breath)
The author takes no responsibility for the world he has created - which is a shame because it had such potential. A paragraph at the beginning of the story setting the scene of the new Regency England would have been invaluable. There are plot holes and inconsistencies - it is indicated that martial arts training is part of a good education, but Darcy has it and Bingly does not, and they went to the same school.
This would have been an awesome subversive romp if it had been better thought out. Which is a pity, because behind all the flaws is a wicked sense of humor, and the beginnings of the creation of a truly unique and very awesome alternative Regency era.
12th grade readingJune 5, 2010 H. Bingham(Virginia) This is a great classic rewritten to satisfy the needs of the this 30+ year old. I love complex reading mixed with fun like this great book. Seth has made me a fan of classics retold. I am going to read a lot more books of this caliber. It not often that advanced reading could be this much fun and I am going to encourage my children when they get to high school to read material like this.
When I first saw this book, the title caught my attention immediately and I fell in love; I had to read it. Now that I have I recommend it to others.
Descriptions were shallowJune 4, 2010 R. Johnson(Shelton, WA USA) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first 15 chapters were quite boring and the descriptions in general were pretty shallow. The last half of the book got better, but still pretty cheezy overall.
Interesting, but not worth the timeJune 1, 2010 A. S. King(Albuquerque, NM United States) I'm a big fan of the original and was interested to give this book a try. I was sorely disappointed. I started it with an open mind looking forward to reading a spoof. However, I only managed to get through half of it. The zombie storyline didn't mesh well with the characters or the setting. I think the author stuck to close to the original instead of branching out and making his own story.
BlahMay 30, 2010 L. Boyd 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Do you love period romances? And zombies? And a bit of tongue-in-cheek, low ball humor? If you answered yes to all three you should love this book, but unless you drastically lower you expectations now you will not.
With all of the rather high praise I read in the press for this book coupled with the fact that I love novels in both genres, I fully expected to dig it. After barely making it through, I came to the conclusion that the critics must have lauded the thing strictly because of the fabulous concept and cover art without having ever actually read it. I mean, it really should have been great, but numerous times I wondered if it were not written by a twelve year old boy. Surely no one but the author bothered to edit this, given the numerous typographical, grammar, context, and other errors. As someone else already pointed out, doing a decent job tacking on 30 pages of new material to an existing work could not have been that hard.
There is little to add to what the other reviewers here have said. I wish this had been done by someone who could have handled the material better and even made the vomit and (incessant) ball jokes funny, e.g., Max Brooks or the authors of John Dies at the End or the Monster Island trilogy.
Maybe I am being too hard on it, knowing how awesome (or even moderately funny) it could have been, but I doubt it.
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