Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Titan �9.99)

Writers Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (adapted by Tony Lee), artist Cliff Richards

NOW this is more like it! The works of Jane Austen may have their admirers, but there’s nothing wrong with spicing them up with some wanton undead action!

The dead are rising across England, and it is the duty of every society daughter to devote their lives to destroying the hoard of “unmentionable” zombies whenever and wherever they emerge. Elizabeth Bennet’s abilities with a blade are matched only by her quick wit and sharper tongue, but when she encounters the formidable Mr Darcy in both the ballroom and on the battlefield, it seems she may have met her match at last…

This bloody graphic novel surprisingly succeeds in capturing the tone of Austen’s original novel, carefully reworking the dialogue to reflect the horrors of this reimagined world, and although it may have offended scholars and ardent fans, you have to admire Grahame-Smith’s skills in crafting such a well-honed pastiche.

The black and white artwork is elegant and detailed, even in its scenes of violent slaughter, and the Heroine of Hertfordshire, aka Elizabeth Bennet, is arguably far more interesting as a sword-wielding zombie killer than she is in the source material.