the buzz log

Get the smelling salts. The biggest literary debut arrives now.

No, no, not Dan Brown and his silly little puzzle book. We're talking imprudent headstrong maidens, men in flannel waistcoats, and creatures from the deep. From the late Jane Austen with scandalous liberties taken by one Ben H. Winters of Brooklyn comes "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters." Read it and weep...with heartrending sobs.

Monster mash-up
Quirk Books pushed out titles "Christopher Walken: A to Z," "Stuff Every Man Should Know," and "The Baby's Manual," before the publisher single-handedly created the "literary monster mash-up genre" with "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." At last look, the gory adventures of ninja-trained Elizabeth Bennet ranked #175 on Amazon. The freakish success landed co-author, Seth Grahame-Smith, his newest project: Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter.

Some outlets are treating the new sea-monster entry almost as legit lit: New Yorker noted a publishing celebration in its "Goings On About Town" section, and Entertainment Weekly took the time for a proper book review. Reaction: Lukewarm, with EW wondering if "the whole Austen-and-monsters series has already jumped the shark?"

Other Austenian adaptations
Well, if impolite zombies and octopi with a taste for human flesh are already passé, the Austen canon has recently inspired an all-male stage play in England called "Jane Austen's Guide to Pornography," plus movie from Elton John's production company called "Pride and Predator." 

All these Austenian adaptations means a whole new audience for the all-time great novelist. Not just the "younger" generation: guys in general, who no longer have to fear the emasculating effects of intelligent reading.

If you want a taste of 19th-century mayhem flavored with 21st-century before you commit to buy (or bypass), check out this book trailer.