Title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Narrator: Scott Holst
Length: 11 hours, 4 minutes

Ok, so what do we really know about Abraham Lincoln from our history books? That he successfully led his country through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union while ending slavery, and promoting economic and financial modernization? Sure, that’s all true. But did you also know that ‘Honest Abe’ was a slayer of the undead?

Seth Grahame-Smith generated a lot of buzz with his novel ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’. It was the first of the current trend of mash-ups, taking the original text from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and mixing in zombie attacks and martial arts. Now he’s back at it, only this time it’s with vampires. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is another bizarre, fun and weirdly well-researched mash-up in which Grahame-Smith skillfully blends historical facts of Lincoln’s life with vampire-killing crusades and slave-trading ghouls.

Using Abraham Lincoln’s top secret diary, Grahame-Smith tells the untold story of one of America’s greatest presidents/axe-wielding super heroes. The death of his mother at the hands of a vampire when Abe was just a young boy turns him into a sworn enemy of vampires and he is inspired to be one of the premier vampire hunters (and killers) of his day.

This was the first book narrated by Scott Holst that we’ve listened to and we were big fans. We were especially impressed with his flawless portrayal of Lincoln’s Midwestern accent. His voice was soothing, his pitch was perfect and, with the help of a funny and fast-paced story, he created a unique listening experience.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is an engaging and entertaining listen. Even if you think you know what’s going to happen next (assuming you paid attention in history class), the vampire twists will keep you guessing throughout the entire book. So, if you like vampires, historical fiction, biographies and mash-ups or just want to be thoroughly entertained, save this book to your shelf.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, but vampires aren’t really your thing, check out these other great listens: