One of the more unexpected announcements to come along in recent memory was that Seth Grahame-Smith was re-working Jane Austen‘s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by adding a storyline that featured a zombie infestation. The title of the book would of course be Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and whether you liked the book or not (Read: Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), it was one of the more entertaining ideas that we’d heard in a long, long time. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before this fun new idea was turned into a fun new movie, and that moment is approaching.

To kick things off right, the trades are reporting that Natalie Portman will not only star in the movie, but that she will also be producing it. Portman will produce through her own Handsomecharlie company, and she will appear in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, a firecracker of a woman who’s stuck in between fighting off zombies and a budding love with Mr. Darcy.

Oh how I love the Fall — the changing of the leaves, jacket weather, Halloween, my birthday (!). And on my birthday wish list is typically a slew of books by my favorite authors and publishers released from early September through November. Anne Rice’s The Vampire Armand, Clive Barker’s Abarat, Max Brooks’s World War Z all came out during this season, and nearly every Fall Neil Gaiman (Coraline, The Graveyard Book) offers up something new.

For 2009, here are some of this Fall’s coolest literary offerings of vampires, zombies, monsters, mysteries, and more. Note, I’ve kept the list to just novels (meaning, no graphic novels), and remember, these are just items that I’m interested in. If you have more suggestions, we’d love to know ’em!

Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter
By A E Moorat
Hodder | Eos
October 15, 2009 (UK) | January 5, 2010 (U.S.)

A few weeks ago, I received a publicist’s email asking me if I’d like a copy of Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter for review. I didn’t read any further before I hit Reply with an “Absolutely” as my response. Serious, Queen Victoria as a demon hunter, that’s really all I needed to know. When the book arrived, I figured I’d leaf through it and take a few seconds to familiarize myself with it; next thing I knew I was a third of the way through the book. Yes, it was that good.

I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so even if various types of demon folk weren’t involved, I think I’d have enjoyed the story of a young Victoria coming of age as the Queen of England and falling in love with Prince Albert nevertheless. But add in the Queen’s inherent ability to battle demons, along with demons, zombies, reanimators, and two-headed creatures, and damn if that’s not good stuff. It’s an historical fiction/horror mash-up sprinkled with humor in all the right places. One of my favorite characters is a manservant who becomes zombie lunch only to return to life … to continue being a manservant! Seriously, I love this guy, and you will too.

As the follow-up to their mega-successful Jane Austen horror mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Quirk Books has recently released their newest take on an Austin classic with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. While Zombies was 85 percent of Austen’s original work, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters contains 60 percent of Austen’s original novel, Sense and Sensibility, with the edition of all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, swashbuckling pirates, and other seaworthy creatures co-written by Ben H. Winters.

As a special treat for our readers, Quirk has given Geeks of Doom five (5) copies of the book to giveaway!

Five (5) winners each will receive:

• One (1) copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

What do you have to do to get a chance to win? Glad you asked ’cause it’s really easy. Just make sure you’re a subscriber to our email digest, and then go ahead and fill out the handy dandy form below. Done.

Good luck!

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps: (1) Make sure you’re subscribed to the Geeks of Doom email digest. If you’re not then click here and sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, then go right to the next step.) (2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Quirk Books announced today that the follow-up to their Jane Austen horror mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will be Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

While Zombies was 85 percent of Austen’s original work, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters will contain 60 percent of Austen’s original novel, Sense and Sensibility, with the edition of all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, swashbuckling pirates, and other seaworthy creatures written by Ben H. Winters.

Check out the book cover here at right; below are two black and white illustrations from the novel and a trailer for the book, along with a description of this unique twist on the classic tale. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, which will be released on September 15, 2009, is available for pre-order now.