Content levels
Trigger warnings
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Indiana. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness." "My baby boy..." she whispers before dying. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House. While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years. Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.
Tags
Is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This alternate history blends real historical events with vampire horror, featuring strong violence including ax combat, vampire killings, and blood. The Civil War backdrop and historical narrative frame makes it adult-oriented despite the supernatural premise.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include murder, death of parent, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
History buffs and horror fans will love this wild reimagining of Lincoln as a secret vampire hunter throughout his life and presidency.