Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

In paperback from Amazon.com for $8.99

Buy it if: You can't help yourself.  A good story is a good story, no matter how ridiculous the premise.

Don't Buy it if: You were a history major or history teacher who finds historical fiction that masquerades as historical fact repugnant.

                I know you’re thinking at least one of the following things about this book: 

A - How good can it be?  The movie previews look a little ridiculous.  Abe Lincoln wielding an ax like a Jedi warrior amidst a sea of the undead?  Pass.

B - OK, well, it’s just another literary farce (love it or hate it) like Grahame-Smith’s previous Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

C - Abe Lincoln is killing vampires?  Perfect storm of awesome.

And here’s the thing, all of the above are absolutely true.  My caveat:  I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t speak to the whirly twirly “300-esque” ax fighting style of our 16^th president as depicted on film.  But, in terms of eminently readable fiction, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a remarkably successful book.  Unlike the author’s previous Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which was bogged down by Jane Austen’s dreary (sorry, I just never got on board with her) prose, the writing style here is neatly in harmony with its subject matter.  Indeed, it’s surprising how many times you will find yourself trolling Wikipedia pages in disbelief of how many completely accurate facts, quotes and historical events are seamlessly woven into the tale.  And all neatly juxtaposed with a world populated by vampires far less pouty than the Twilight cast.  

Allegedly based on a secret diary kept by Lincoln for the majority of his life, the book is largely narrative with passages from said journal quoted every few pages.  Remarkably, the author apes Lincoln’s style effectively and apart from the mentions of fangs, the undead and vampire society, could well have been penned by the erstwhile protagonist himself.  Even better are re-imagined contexts which use real Lincoln quotes to describe the supernatural events told within.  All in all, the story neatly sidesteps hokiness in exchange for elegance, no easy task and a relief to this reader.  Stephenie Meyer, take note, please.

That being said, the story itself is essentially just a clever retelling of history.  Those familiar with the Civil War and Lincoln biographies will be assuaged by the historical accuracies, while those who dozed through sophomore history may actually learn something.  (Though I urge you to please check your facts before making pleasant small talk at a Washington cocktail party about Jefferson Davis’ hidden alliance with the vampire underworld.)  While Grahame-Smith may not replace Gore Vidal as the former president’s most laudable biographer, he’s done his due diligence and this is no ‘hack’ job. 

Game Change – John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

In paperback from Amazon for $11.20

Buy it if: National politics is your bag, but you’re sick of partisan offerings a la Mark Levin

Don’t buy it if: You want the bare-knuckles, down-in-dirt-version of the of the movie. They are largely the same with regard to the Sarah Palin storyline.

I know what you’re probably thinking: You watched “Game Change” on HBO and it sure seemed like it was true. Crazy, but true. After all, much of the mostly unbelievable dialogue was nothing more than a direct lift from actual interviews, so is it really possible that the stuff from behind closed doors was just as accurate? If you’re like me, your instinct is telling you that the picture painted by in the film is disturbingly on target.

So who wouldn’t want to get the book and observe the veracity of the facts? Especially if there’s even more that simply didn’t make the cut…

Well, for those searching for a ‘director’s cut’ amount of Sarah Palin gaffs and foibles, I’m sorry to say the movie has already delivered most of the salient details. It’s fairly reassuring (or completely distressing, depending upon how you look at it) to read that most everything played out on HBO’s small screen was verified by multiple sources or outright recorded and transcribed. Even the staunchest Palin defender would have to have their head fairly deep in the sand to question the accuracy of the authors’ writing, especially given the deep context and sources to which they were privy.

However, purchasing the book for the Palin drama alone would be a mistake. All told, there are fewer than 80 pages about McCain’s erstwhile running mate. The majority of the writing contained within has do with showdown between Obama and Clinton in the primaries and McCain’s come from behind campaign leading up to his own nomination. Indeed, the authors, to their credit, focused on things that have had and will have a major impact on how the US chooses the executive branch of the government in the years to come. I haven’t read such a compelling take on the process in a long time and anyone with even a passing interest in the subject will be certain to enjoy their long peek behind the curtain that often obscures the dirty (though not as much as you think) machinery of national politics.

You may come to see just how nuts things really got on the McCain/Palin ticket, but you’ll surely end up equally – if not more – fascinated by what really went into choosing the president in 2008.