ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

I wonder if it would vex my high school English teachers if they knew that in adulthood, I would mostly read books about vampires and zombies. For every sonnet or play from Shakespeare we analyzed, I would go on to read three books about a world-wide apocalypse brought upon by the undead.

The current book I’m reading is entitled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The book is written as a biography of the 16th President of the United States. The biography, however, is fictional (I think) because it includes the fantastical notion that Lincoln was one of the greatest vampire hunters the world has seen. Lincoln’s life is told from the time is he a little boy right on through to his untimely demise. The book purports that he kept journals which recorded his most personal thoughts and his most vicious actions against vampires.

I have been quite taken by the book and I’ve had little time to put it down. I’m about half way through it and I wonder how his last days will be interpreted within the vampire theme. I am also been left in a curious mood about Lincoln. Since the author has mixed in authentic details about the President’s life with his own fictional accounts, there are some items that I cannot determine if are historically correct or not (excepting the parts where Lincoln vanquishes the undead). I am almost positive that when I finish this book, I will read up on Lincoln’s life in great detail, as to determine what his life was really like. Before this, I only knew Lincoln as the man who freed the slaves in the US and that he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. You know what’s odd? The Lincoln and vampire connection is never mentioned in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I guess Nic Cage’s character didn’t dig deep enough.

In any case, if you’re into that type of stuff, I definitely recommend the book. It’s fascinating to discover how Lincoln balanced being a father, husband, lawyer, and ultimately President, with staking vampires in the chest.