Picking up where the classic comedic romance Pride and Prejudice left off, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre takes up the beloved characters and plot threads of Jane Austen’s novel and weaves them into a supernaturally-wrought adventure.

Immediately following their wedding, Elizabeth and Darcy leave for mainland Europe, departing from their plans to honeymoon in England. As they travel, meeting more and more of Darcy’s far-flung family, his new wife begins to notice changes in her husband; he is almost preoccupied, and she fears that a dwindling of love is to blame. The truth, however, is more fearful than she can possibly imagine, and though the audience knows from the title what afflicts the hero, Elizabeth must piece together the truth behind her husband’s strange behavior on her own.

Although this book might try a little too hard at times to identify itself with Pride and Prejudice through occasionally incongruous references to specific events of Austen’s book, Mr. Darcy manages to continue the saga nicely and fill in some of the blanks in ways that only preternatural twists could. The characterization and dialogue is strong, and though the prose itself deviates fairly far from the original tone of Austen, this can hardly be faulted; it is a colorful book with lovely descriptions and wonderful settings.

The plot is fast-paced and keeps a reader’s interest, though occasionally some points in the plot (including the book’s climax and resolution) seemed a bit rushed. A little bit more length and attention to not glazing over some scenes may have done the novel some good.

On the whole, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre manages to be faithful to the spirit of the original Austen book and enjoyable enough to stand alone as a paranormal novel in its own right. However, I think most of the charm that it offers would be lost on a reader not at least somewhat acquainted with Pride and Prejudice, and to those who are, I would recommend this book most heartily.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402236972
• ISBN-13: 978-1402236976

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