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Quick answer: If you liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Last American Vampire, World War Z and Dracula. All mix history with monsters and tongue-in-cheek humor.
Seth Grahame-Smith's novel presents Lincoln's life as a secret war against vampires, written as a mock-biography with real historical details. The books below share that mash-up of history and horror. Some are comic and some are scary. All are real, in-print books for adult readers.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pride and Prejudice and Zombies | Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen | Adult | mash-up classics |
| The Last American Vampire | Seth Grahame-Smith | Adult | more Grahame-Smith |
| Unholy Night | Seth Grahame-Smith | Adult | history twists |
| Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters | Ben H. Winters and Jane Austen | Adult | mash-up humor |
| Android Karenina | Ben H. Winters and Leo Tolstoy | Adult | sci-fi mash-ups |
| Jane Slayre | Sherri Browning Erwin and Charlotte Brontë | Adult | gothic parody |
| Little Women and Werewolves | Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand | Adult | family monster tales |
| Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter | A.E. Moorat | Adult | royal horror |
| Dracula | Bram Stoker | Adult | classic vampires |
| I Am Legend | Richard Matheson | Adult | apocalyptic horror |
| World War Z | Max Brooks | Adult | zombie history |
| Warm Bodies | Isaac Marion | Adult | zombie romance |
| 'Salem's Lot | Stephen King | Adult | small-town horror |
| The Strain | Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan | Adult | outbreak thrillers |
| The Historian | Elizabeth Kostova | Adult | scholarly vampires |
1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
Austen's novel with zombies added. The book that started the mash-up craze.
Best for: mash-up classics.
2. The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith
A vampire named Henry Sturges tells his story through American history. Grahame-Smith's follow-up.
Best for: more Grahame-Smith.
3. Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith
A thief becomes entangled in a nativity story told as an adventure. Fast and irreverent.
Best for: history twists.
4. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters and Jane Austen
The Dashwood sisters face sea monsters. Light and absurd.
Best for: mash-up humor.
5. Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters and Leo Tolstoy
Tolstoy's novel with robots and science fiction. An odd but daring experiment.
Best for: sci-fi mash-ups.
6. Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin and Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre with vampires and werewolves. Gothic and silly.
Best for: gothic parody.
7. Little Women and Werewolves by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand
The March sisters battle werewolves. Cozy meets scary.
Best for: family monster tales.
8. Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter by A.E. Moorat
Queen Victoria fights demons in a Victorian alt-history. Silly and violent.
Best for: royal horror.
9. Dracula by Bram Stoker
The classic vampire novel told through letters. Moody and iconic.
Best for: classic vampires.
10. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
A lone survivor fights vampires in a ruined world. Short and bleak.
Best for: apocalyptic horror.
11. World War Z by Max Brooks
An oral history of a zombie war. Smart, global and vivid.
Best for: zombie history.
12. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
A zombie falls in love with a living girl. Dark, funny and tender.
Best for: zombie romance.
13. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Vampires invade a small Maine town. Scary and atmospheric.
Best for: small-town horror.
14. The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
A virus-like vampire outbreak hits New York City. Fast and creepy.
Best for: outbreak thrillers.
15. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
A scholar tracks Dracula across Europe. Slow, literary and rich.
Best for: scholarly vampires.
How to Choose
For mash-up fun, begin with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For more vampires, Dracula or 'Salem's Lot. For zombies, World War Z. For history, The Last American Vampire. Know that mash-ups can be uneven, so sample a chapter first. These books are part of a wave of 'literary mash-ups' that started around 2009. They work best when you know the original story, so a quick refresher on Lincoln's life or Austen's novel helps. Treat them as light entertainment and not as history lessons. If you want a less silly path into the genre, begin with Dracula or I Am Legend and then work toward the parodies.
Related: 15 Best Books on Abraham Lincoln: Biographies, Histories and Novels · 15 Books Like Warriors by Erin Hunter You’ll Love: Animal Clans, Loyalty and Epic Adventure
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter a true story?
No. It is fiction presented as a biography, built on real facts about Lincoln.
Is the book different from the movie?
Yes. The 2012 film is more action-oriented, while the book reads like a diary-based biography.
Who wrote it?
Seth Grahame-Smith published it in 2010.
Is it funny?
It is dry and tongue-in-cheek, with moments of gore.
Are there other books in this style?
Yes. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies started a wave of classic mash-ups.
Is the book historically accurate?
The facts about Lincoln's life are mostly real, but the vampire plot is invented.
How long is the book?
About 350 pages in most editions.
Did the book inspire other mash-ups?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came first, and Lincoln's novel followed soon after in the same wave.
What other horror comedies are there?
Warm Bodies and World War Z mix horror with humor or satire.
Which mash-up is the funniest?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is the best known, and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is similarly absurd.
Is Lincoln really a vampire hunter in history?
No. Lincoln never hunted vampires. The idea is invented for the novel.