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Yeah, you've seen them. If you haven't read any of them, you've wondered what they're like, those books where an author takes a story that's in the public domain and have "enhanced" (some may substitute enhanced with ruined...) the original by adding some type of monster into the story.
They're out there.
And they're out there because people read them.
Today I finished Lynn Messina's Little Vampire Women, an interesting look at the classic, but with vampires. The first time I ever read one of these books was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I found this book fascinating because I had not yet read the original Pride and Prejudice, though I had seen many screen adaptations. When I finally got around to reading the original, my mind kept drifting back to the Bennett sisters attacking the undead.
This time around, I read the original Little Women first. I think what draws people into these books is how the new author incorporates the monsters into the story. Jo and her family are vampires, while Laurie and other characters are humans. The two species co-exist, but there are those who want to kill the vampires. Jo's family are not killers. They only eat animals and do not feast on human blood, or at least, blood of living humans. There are the clever twists that turn the awkwardness of growing up as a vampire and compare them to the awkwardness of just plain growing up as a teenager that make the story amusing. We know where the story will go (because it has to) so the main point, at least for me, is seeing how the author ties the story all together.
I didn't seek out this story. I was available at the library. Will I read another of of these? I can't say for sure that I won't. But, it was available at the library for a reason. All in all, a fun read, especially if you love the original.
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