Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Seth Grahame-Smith is fast becoming my favourite author. This is the third book of his I've read, the other two being How To Survive A Horror Movie and Pride And Prejudice And Zombies.
ALVH is a biography of sorts, telling the life of the sixteenth President of the United States through his journals and letters from the time he was a small boy until his assassination in 1865.
The book starts rather cheekily with Dan Brown-esque 'FACTS' about vampires and the existence of Abe's journals, apparently their existence is debated amongst historians and the like.
As a young boy, Abe watched his mother Nancy die a horrible death. A few years later during a drunken stupor his father Thomas reveals to Abe that her death was caused by a vampire.
With revenge in his heart, Abe and his trusty axe go in search of these dark eyed, blood suckers.
Strapped for cash Abe helps his father out financially with whatever jobs he can find. One night, while hunting vampires, he meets Henry Sturges. Henry is a vampire. A good vampire. Henry gives Abe lists of names and addresses of vampires that need to be put to death. Abe obliges him for some years.
Slave auctions are held in many of the southern towns he visits, much to Abe's disliking. He discovers that the vampires are feeding on the young and weaker slaves, leaving the stronger ones for hard labour.
Abe, born with the gift of the gab, gets himself elected into the House of Representatives in a hope to get his voice heard about the plague of the south and to abolish slavery.
He suffers many hardships throughout the years, the death of loved ones haunt him; Henry offers to turn them into vampires so they can live forever but Abe declines.
As President, Abe encounters his biggest test yet, the Civil War. The hatred from the south is fueled by vampires not wanting their slaves to be free. After a long, bloody fight, the South eventually surrenders. Most of the vampires flee to other countries.
One vampire that stayed behind would soon change the course of that nation's history.
His name was John Wilkes Booth.
We all know of that fateful night on April 14th, 1865 at Ford's Theatre when Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in cold blood. The next day, April 15th, the sixteenth President of the United States, freer of slaves and friend of his country, died.
Or did he???
Dun dun duuuuuuuun...
Seth Grahame-Smith has a gift. His ability to weave such unbelievable tales into fact is masterful. The illustrations throughout the book are cleverly photo-shopped. Many of Lincoln's monumental moments are captured on film with the addition of pale figures wearing dark glasses.
I'm amazed at the attention to detail Graham-Smith has put into this book. He must have done so much research into Abe's life to get to know him that well to anticipate what his actions might be in any situation, to give it that extra level of authenticity. Not knowing much about Lincoln's life made the experience even more enjoyable adding a certain mystery about the man.
My favourite book of the year, so far.
The good news is, Seth Grahame-Smith is currently adapting his novel into a screenplay.
I.
Can't.
Wait.
Nine out of ten.