It is a truth universally acknowledged that every* Jane Austen novel must be in want of a ghoulish mashup. Below is a list of some of the recent spate of monster mashups drawing on Austens fiction. The last two in the list are in a slightly different vein, though, and involve Jane getting her own back at these mashup writers.

What do you think about the recent mashup trend (which has spread beyond Austen and to all manner of classic works: see Jane Slayre, Little Vampire Women, and Android Karenina for example)? Is it harmless fun, clever literature, or a pox we from which we should rid ourselves at all costs?

(*Before you point out that Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are'missing from the list, I should note that Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons is slated for publication in 2011. Persuasion seems to have been spared for now)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Blurb: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but shes soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.

____

Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Jane Austen and Steve Hockensmith

Blurb: At the opening of the international bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Elizabeth Bennet is already a seasoned warrior-trained in the martial arts, skeptical of romance, and determined to wipe out the deadly dreadfuls. But how did Elizabeth get that way? And where did all of the zombies come from? Readers will witness the birth of a heroine in Dawn of the Dreadfuls a thrilling prequel set three years before the horrific events of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This comic-horror novel is an all-new work of fiction from acclaimed novelist, Steve Hockensmith. As our story opens, the Bennet sisters are enjoying a peaceful life in the English countryside. They idle away the days reading, gardening, practicing instruments, and daydreaming about future husbands-until a funeral at the local parish goes strangely and horribly awry. Suddenly corpses are springing from the soft earth-and only one family can stop them. As the bodies pile up, we watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naive young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords, and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Through it all, of course, readers will be treated to scene after scene of absurd zombie carnage.

____

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H Winters

Blurb: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities. As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen's biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It's survival of the fittest'and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love!

____

Mansfield Park and Mummies by Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian

Blurb: Spinsterhood or Mummification!'Ancient Egypt infiltrates Regency England in this elegant, hilarious, witty, insane, and unexpectedly romantic monster parody of'Jane Austensclassic novel.'Our gentle yet indomitable heroine'Fanny Price must hold steadfast not only against the seductive charms of'Henry Crawford but also anAncient Egyptian Pharaoh!'Meanwhile, the indubitably handsome and kind hero'Edmund attempts Exorcisms'Miss Crawford vamps out'Aunt Norris channels her inner werewolf'The Mummy-mesmerized'Lady Bertram collects Egyptian artifacts'There can be no doubt that'Mansfield Park has become a battleground for the forces of Ancient Evil and Regency True Love!

____

Vampire Darcys Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation by Regina Jeffers

Blurb: This is the greatest literary love story of all time, transformed into a heart-pounding vampire tale of romance, lust, and danger. In Austens original novel, Darcy and Elizabeth are compelled to overcome countless obstacles but thats nothing compared to what they face in Darcys Hunger. This inventive, action-packed novel tells of a tormented Darcy who comes to Netherfield to escape the intense pressure on him to marry. Dispirited by his familys 200-year curse and his fate as a half-human/half-vampire dampir, Darcy would rather live forever alone than inflict the horrors of a vampire life on a beautiful wife. Destiny has other plans. Darcy meets Elizabeth and finds himself yearning for her as a man and driven to possess her as a vampire. Uncontrollably drawn to each other, their complex relationship forces them to confront their pride and prejudice like never before and to wrestle with the seductive power of forbidden love. Meanwhile, dark forces are at work all around them. Most ominous is the threat from George Wickham, the purveyor of the curse, a demon who vows to destroy each generation of Darcys and currently has evil intentions for the vulnerable Georgiana.

____

Mr Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Blurb: Elizabeth Darcy is the happiest woman alive when she steps into the carriage that is to take her on her wedding tour until she sees the look of torment on Mr Darcys face and discovers that he has a deep, dark secret that nearly destroys their love, their marriage and even her very life. Darcy and the rest of his family are vampires that cannot be outside during sunrise or sunset. Lady Catherine is at the source, having turned Georgiana into an undying friend for her vampiric daughter, Anne, and then Darcy as the perfect mate for Anne. Now Lizzy and Darcy must travel across the Continent to the Pyrenees to find a way to break the curse. But Lady Catherine wont give up her undead without a fight The Y in Vampyre is a tribute to the first vampyre story in print in the English language called simply The Vampyre. It was written by John Polidori, a physician in the employ of Lord Byron and who, whilst staying by Lake Geneva with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Marys stepsister Claire Clairmont amused themselves by reading and writing ghost stories. Two of the greatest horror stories came from that night Mary Shellys Frankenstein and The Vampyre.

____

Emma and the Vampires by Josephson Wayne

Blurb: Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes shes the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literally) undying love for her.

____

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Blurb: Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature she loves'but now its because shes the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York. Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves'along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations. Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own.
To make matters worse, the manuscript she finished just before being turned into a vampire has been rejected by publishers'116 times. Jane longs to let the world know who she is, but when a sudden twist of fate thrusts her back into the spotlight, she must hide her real identity'and fend off a dark man from her past while juggling two modern suitors. Will the inimitable Jane Austen be able to keep her cool in this comedy of manners, or will she show everyone what a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper set of fangs can do?

____

Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany

Blurb: Jane Austen: 'Novelist . . . gentlewoman . . . Damned, Fanged, and Dangerous to know.Aspiring writer Jane Austen knows that respectable young ladies like herself are supposed to shun the Damned'the beautiful, fashionable, exquisitely seductive vampires who are all the rage in Georgian England in 1797. So when an innocent (she believes) flirtation results in her being turned'by an absolute cad of a bloodsucker'she acquiesces to her family's wishes and departs for Bath to take the waters, the only known cure.'But what she encounters there is completely unexpected: perilous jealousies and further betrayals, a new friendship and a possible love. Yet all that must be put aside when the warring French invade unsuspecting Bath'and the streets run red with good English blood. Suddenly only the staunchly British Damned can defend the nation they love . . . with Jane Austen leading the charge at the battle's forefront.