By Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

This book was a given from the moment I reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It was so interesting to see what Mr Winters would do with Sense and Sensibility.

“From the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes a new tale of romance, heartbreak, and tentacled mayhem.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi,  two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities. As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen’s biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It’s survival of the fittest- and only the swiftest swimmers find true love.”

On the whole, I would say if you liked Sense and Sensibility than you will like Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. It does seem a bit weird at times.

For this story, I have three thoughts.

Firstly, all the sea monsters. I’m going to compare this to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and I see an interesting contrast because this novel has been given a much wider spectrum of monsters. There are some other different types of sea creatures that can become dangerous. And unlike in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, where the main change with the Bennets are their fighting skills, the Dashwoods shift in many different ways. Anytime food is mentioned, they are eating fish; Marianne is fascinated by the stories of shipwrecked sailors and Elinor whittled driftwood. There is one thing that I would like to question: in the book, instead of going to London, they go to Substation Beta. For anyone who hasn’t read the book, this is the second city under the sea. The first one was destroyed be the sea. This raises two very important questions: 1, if you are at war with the sea why would you build a city in enemy territory? 2 After the first one failed, why would you try a second time?

Secondly, John and the woman on Pestilence Island. By this I am referring to the fact that most of the women on Pestilence Island are natives of a former island that Sir John Middleton kidnapped from their home after killing all others of their friends and family. Ok this feels like something that Mr Winters added to make is story different no matter the reaction. It is especially bad because he doesn’t show this as an evil thing. It feels a bit like Charlotte slowly turning into a zombie; it is happening, and no one talks about it.

Thirdly, there are two different problems I have with the last 50 pages of this book. Firstly, Lucy Steele, the sea witch. The idea that this is why Eleanor was feeling off about being around Lucy undervalues one of the core tenets of the original book, and her eating Robert Ferrars feels like when the movie  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies reveals that Wickham is a Zombie. Secondly, throughout the book we hear Margaret repeat K’yaloh D’argesh F’ah! Which we later find means “Leviathan slumbers, but day will come of wakening.” In the end Leviathan does wake, and we find that it was a hill that the Dashwood’s had been living on. None seem to have been surprised by this; there is just a reference to them living in a tent until the marriages happen. It just feels a bit anticlimactic.

Thank you for joining me; this has been an interesting look at this quirky classic and until next week when we look at the best-known adaptation.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.