A quick, enjoyable read, the NOVEL: “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter” proved to be a page-turner of real history intertwined with an
ax-wielding Abe Lincoln turned action-hero saving the nation from Confederate
vampires. The novel can make even the most bored history student intrigued by
the events surrounding the Civil War and light a flame of academic curiosity to
search for what was ‘real’ versus ‘twisted’ history.
My recommendation for age-appropriate for the NOVEL would be 13 or 14, not
because of violence or vampires but because the children should be old-enough
to understand and enjoy spoofs, parodies and even dark comedies. I was
envisioning the film version to be something along the lines of a Civil War
version of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". After all, Mr. Burton and Seth
Grahame-Smith had just collaborated on the spoof of the television series, “Dark Shadows”.
So imagine my surprise to see that the film version of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” was not a PG-13, tongue-in-cheek look at history, but
an R-rated, blood and guts, slasher movie. So I ask again, Did Tim Burton and I
read the same book? I know he is Hollywood’s artsy, creative darling but I wish someone should
have stood up to him on this one. The great thing about Seth’s books is that
they encourage teens to learn and become fascinated by history and literature without
even realizing that they are doing it. I hope this journey to la-la land doesn’t detract
Seth from his true purpose of drawing teens into a lifetime of learning.
Meanwhile, here's my advice: Read the book. Skip the movie.
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