Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (novel)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Company type	Novel
Industry	Publishing
Founded	March 2, 2010 (2010-03-02)
Founder	Seth Grahame-Smith
Products	Hybrid biographical action-horror novel
Parent	Grand Central Publishing

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a hybrid biographical action-horror novel authored by Seth Grahame-Smith, released on March 2, 2010, through New York's Grand Central Publishing.

Plot summary

Framed as the confidential diary of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, the narrative is purportedly entrusted to the writer by a vampire named Henry Sturges and subsequently found in Rhinebeck, New York.

At age eleven, Lincoln is informed by his father Thomas about the existence of vampires, which are connected to the deaths of his mother and grandfather. Determined to avenge them, he kills a vampire on their farm. In 1825, while investigating vampire activity along the Ohio River, Lincoln is rescued and mentored by Henry Sturges, a benevolent vampire turned by the same entity responsible for the Roanoke Colony's downfall. Henry equips Lincoln with knowledge about malevolent vampires whom Lincoln then pursues.

As he matures, Lincoln journeys to New Orleans where he befriends Edgar Allan Poe—also knowledgeable about vampires—and uncovers that vampires feed off enslaved people. Concluding that abolishing slavery would weaken their power, Lincoln adopts abolitionism alongside advancing his business and political career in New Salem. After his fiancée Ann Rutledge is murdered by a vampire who was her former fiancé, Lincoln kills the attacker but pauses his vampire hunting to focus on law and politics, including winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In Washington D.C., Poe explains vampires’ European origins and their influence on American history through the slave trade. He warns of their danger before being killed by vampires. In 1857, Henry introduces Lincoln to the Union—a faction of benevolent vampires—who disclose Southern vampires’ scheme to provoke civil war for domination. Lincoln rises in prominence through debates with Stephen A. Douglas (an ally of Southern vampires), earning the Republican nomination and winning the presidency with Union backing.

Lincoln’s administration prompts Southern states to secede and sparks the Civil War. Early Union losses are exacerbated by Confederate vampires. To undermine them, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, encouraging enslaved people to resist and shifting war dynamics. After a vampire assassinates his son Willie at the White House, Lincoln refuses Henry’s offer to transform Willie into a vampire and expels all vampires from the residence.

The conflict concludes with Confederate defeat; Southern vampires flee overseas as slavery collapses. Lincoln is assassinated at Ford’s Theatre by vampire John Wilkes Booth; however, Booth is later killed by Henry. Henry oversees Lincoln’s body returned to Springfield.

In 1963, Henry and Lincoln attend Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" address; Lincoln contemplates his prolonged existence as a vampire guest of John F. Kennedy and reflects on his enduring legacy embodied by the Lincoln Memorial.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times commended Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for its inventive fusion of 19th-century American history with an original vampire storyline, emphasizing the author’s distinctive narrative style. Time provided a mixed critique, recognizing Grahame-Smith as "a lively, fluent writer" but noting that the novel’s thematic treatment felt somewhat superficial, hinting at potential for a more profound exploration of its intertwined horrors.

Film adaptation

The movie version, produced by 20th Century Fox, premiered on June 22, 2012. It was helmed by director Timur Bekmambetov, who also served as a producer alongside Tim Burton and Jim Lemley. The role of Abraham Lincoln was portrayed by Benjamin Walker.

Sequel

Released on January 13, 2015, the follow-up novel The Last American Vampire explores the 20th-century adventures of Henry Sturges.

See also

• Mashup novel
• The Amazing Screw-On Head, a comic and animated series featuring Abraham Lincoln and vampires