"I cannot speak of the things I have seen, nor seek comfort for the pain I feel. If I did, this nation would descend into a deeper kind of madness, or think it's president mad. The truth, I am afraid, must live as paper and ink. Hidden and forgotten until every man named here has passed to dust." ~Abraham Lincoln in a journal entry from the book, "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter"~
Like Christmas and Valentine's Day, I struggle with the whole partying and celebrating ritual that goes on today. It's not that I don't appreciate the struggle that occurred over a hundred years ago for the right of "individual freedom." But I also feel greatly saddened that we Americans in particular still keep the original natives here locked away on reservations denying them their voice and legal justice or the shame we don't want to address with slavery. But, I don't want this post to get too depressing or preachy. So, I'm going to do a book review based on a true hero of mine, Abraham Lincoln who refused to look away for individual freedom.
The book I'm talking about is not a book focusing on dry facts on the Civil War although that's the background and major action point pointing to Lincoln. Rather the book focus' on Lincoln's role of wiping out a certain group of Vampires who opposed him personally and politically. Huh??? I knew I had to read this book, "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer" written by Seth Grahame-Smith. as soon as I heard about it. Combine the supernatural with a person I admire and you've got my attention. You may have read or heard about Grahame-Smith's other parody supernatural-horror book, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!" which I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet. I absolutely LOVED this book and if you have any interest in the supernatural realm and history, go get it!
Grahame-Smith manages to tie in Lincoln's horrible childhood, with a father who couldn't couldn't take care of his family financially or emotionally and the toll it took on them all. To prevent financial ruin, Lincoln's father makes a deal with an evil Vampire. The day that the Vampire comes to collect his part of the bargain, Lincoln's father instead sacrifices his wife's life in order to save himself. A young Lincoln witnesses this horrible transaction and with a helpless agony watches the Vampire kill his mother. Here's where Grahame-Smith had proven how good an author he is, because he manages to weave historical facts with fiction. Lincoln then vows to wipe out every vampire he meets to avenge the mother he was extremely close to. On his path, a Vampire named, "Henry" introduces himself to Lincoln and shows him that not all Vampires are the evil demons, Lincoln is out to exterminate. Actually, he is the supernatural equivalent of Lincoln with his belief on killing his own kind that kill for pleasure or profit as well as ending slavery. Henry tells Lincoln about the Vampires who are perpetuating both slavery and killing for sport. Here's a short fun, promotional video for the book. I want to state that I think there was nothing funny or light about slavery, the war or the depression that almost sucked the life out of him, the same way, certain Vampire's can.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
"The true rule, in determining to embrace or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more of evil than of good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing ... is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded." ~Abraham Lincoln~
In the book, we learn about the Vampires role in the Civil War as well as the historical path Lincoln undertook against slavery and uniting the North and South. Grahame-Smith has obviously done a lot of research in such a way that by the end of the book, I actually started to believe that history happened the way it was written in this book. I bet if you read it, you would start to believe the same way I do. Well, maybe not, but I do recommend this book if you have an interest in the historical times of Lincoln as well as the Undead.
Ending on a more serious note, there is an online program called "Let's Say Thanks" where you can send a personalized postcard to soldiers overseas thanking them for what Independence Day first stood for. I don't believe or support the war that we're involved in, nor do a lot of the Soldiers who are involved. However, I absolutely respect and honor all soldiers and feel this is some small way of letting them know.
May each of you have freedom from any type of slavery, internally or externally that threatens you. This is my Fourth of July postcard to all of you.
"The true rule, in determining to embrace or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more of evil than of good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing ... is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded." ~Abraham Lincoln~
In the book, we learn about the Vampires role in the Civil War as well as the historical path Lincoln undertook against slavery and uniting the North and South. Grahame-Smith has obviously done a lot of research in such a way that by the end of the book, I actually started to believe that history happened the way it was written in this book. I bet if you read it, you would start to believe the same way I do. Well, maybe not, but I do recommend this book if you have an interest in the historical times of Lincoln as well as the Undead.
Ending on a more serious note, there is an online program called "Let's Say Thanks" where you can send a personalized postcard to soldiers overseas thanking them for what Independence Day first stood for. I don't believe or support the war that we're involved in, nor do a lot of the Soldiers who are involved. However, I absolutely respect and honor all soldiers and feel this is some small way of letting them know.
May each of you have freedom from any type of slavery, internally or externally that threatens you. This is my Fourth of July postcard to all of you.
3 comments:
Will definitely look out for this book - thanks for the tip off (not likely this will hit the UK best sellers lol).
Blessings
Lyn
Sounds fascinating! And that is a neat little video they made to promote the book. Alternative history is always fun, I really enjoyed "The Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove, where South African white supremacists bring automatic weapons from the future to help the South prevail in the civil war. Despite the outlandish premise, it was well grounded in solid research and was a great read.
On the vampire front, years ago some friends and I used to play a role-playing game called "Vampire: the Masquerade", which took place in a world where vampires, werewolves, etc existed and had helped shape history. We played in settings ranging from ancient Rome, Byzantium, the middle ages, and the modern day. But we never thought to have Abraham Lincoln as a vampire slayer!
My name is Selma Espinosa I'm a 46 years old mother with 3 adorable kids and I have been married for 17 years now. After the birth of our last daughter 2 years ago, I noticed something about my husband that was completely different. He comes home late every night, sleeps on the couch never in the bedroom with me and doesn't give attention to me or the kids. I remember the night he came home drunk and told me he was no longer attracted to me after I had kids.
I cried myself to sleep that night, I could not believe that the man I have loved all my life will someday stopped loving me. Just few days to our wedding anniversary, he stopped coming home and would not take my calls. I had to talk to a friend and she suggested I contact a spell caster who could help me bring back his love and attention. It was the first time I heard such stuff existed, I give it a try with high expectations. After my contact with the Priest spellcaster, he helped me cast a spell that made my husband return home to me and our kids. I know a lot of people need this to help them stay happy in their marriages. You can contact Priest Obongibok let him help you; write him on email OBONGIBOK@PRIEST.COM or WhatsApp +13612367973.
Post a Comment