It just sounds so ridiculous and silly: Abraham Lincoln, one of the most iconic American presidents of all time, led a secret life slaughtering the undead. What next? Maybe George Washington fought zombies? Did Julius Caesar clash with a minotaur? Adam and Eve vs aliens? Good lord, the possibilities are endless!
The funny thing is, Seth Grahame-Smith wrote this unbelievable concept in such a manner that's so straight-faced, you can take the book seriously. There is plenty of action and vampire slaying, certainly. There's also a lot of drama, a little bit of politics, and a little bit of war, just as can be expected in a Abraham Lincoln biography. The author took great lengths to incorporate journal segments, and even photos, that appear like creditable primary sources. The book's style is purely biographical, so it reads like non-fiction, with bursts of fantasy action. Not only does this make the novel a unique oddity, but it's also fast-paced and pretty easy to read.
Written in the style of a biography, the book covers pretty much all of Lincoln's life, sometimes skipping over the years to get to the vampire slaying. Although I'm pretty oblivious to the historical facts of the man's life, the book appears to incorporate as much historic truth and fact as it can, going so far as to tying in the drama of his wife, children, the war, and the ultimate assassination into the story. It also covers some ground regarding the Civil War, politics, and slavery, and they're all tied into the overall man-vs-vampire conflict. As the central character, Lincoln proves to be decently nuanced, with a decent level of pathos.
The novel's style is pretty much described above: half action-packed, half biography, all pretty easy to read. I have no complaints about the quality of the writing, and I think the author did a fine job of using the proper language and style for this story.
4/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Book: Good)
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