Mrs Darcy vs the Aliens (available online to read) by Jonathan Pinnock is probably the strangest and most refreshing Austen ‘sequels’ I’ve read in a while. Jonathan Pinnock uses crass and witty humor to present a swashbuckling tale of an alien invasion during regency times that you can’t help but laugh at. Truly, how would Austen’s characters have reacted to tentacled beings from another planet?
Through a wonderful amalgam of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Russel T. Davies’ Torchwood and Chris Carter’s X-Files we are brought right into the thick of the invasion when Mrs Darcy witnesses her husband’s arch enemy, Wickham, fending off an alien attack near Pemberley.
But is Wickham really a foe to Darcy? All is not as it seems as is the case with many of the characters in this adaptation. Charlotte is constantly experimenting with psychotropic drugs, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is, well, she honestly hasn’t changed much in my opinion (she only seems to have added a tentacle and a sucker or two) and Wickham seems to be honorable beyond the pale.
Pinnock adds historical figures to his character list as well as recognized names from the present you’ll get a hearty kick out of if you are a regency film fan. Macfayden and Firth fans… I’m looking at you.
I will happily report that it is vulgar and cheesy in some passages and even has a lady of the night as a main character. It only adds to the charm of the story. I’m also even happier to report that I have no idea where the story is going and that is a checkmark in the bonus column as sequels and adaptations have a tendency to become somewhat formulaic.
Mrs Darcy vs the Aliens is an easy flowing read, until you get to some parts where local dialect is emphasized, but then it is sometimes so humorous your reading will slow down regardless. I recommend sitting down at the computer for a paranormal evening of slimy regency horror.
Completely unsuited for purists, I give this 4 out of 5 stars. Mainly because the work is unfinished and I have yet to see where this goes.
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