As a young boy, Abraham Lincoln befriends a black child named Johnson. When Lincoln stops a slaver from beating his friend, it gets his father fired. His mother is killed the next day, and his father tells him the slaver poisoned her. When Lincoln goes after the slaver, he is quickly dispatched, as the slaver is revealed to be a super-strong vampire. Before Lincoln is killed, he is rescued from the vampire by a man named Sturges. Sturges tells Lincoln all about the world of vampires and teaches him, over the course of the next decade, how to become a successful vampire hunter. Once he begins hunting vampires, he finds the slaver that killed his mother; he is shocked, however, to learn in the slaver's dying words that Sturges is also a vampire. Apparently, Sturges was infected by Adam, the vampire from whom all vampires come from, who lives in New Orleans as a slave owner. Yet since vampires cannot kill other vampires, he has been recruiting for ages, looking for a man to train to kill Adam for him. Lincoln abandons vampire hunting as a result, going into politics, eventually becoming the president. When Lincoln tries to free the slaves, however, he is warned that the vampires use slaves and they will be displeased. A vampire sneaks into the White House and bites his young son, sending Lincoln into a fury, and when the Confederation allies with the vampires, only Lincoln alone can save the Union.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It roots its dark fantasy deeply in real history, which gives the story an extra kick. Walker is terrific as Lincoln, and the action is fantastic beginning to end.
Best scene in story:
In one scene, during a horse stampede, Lincoln must jump from horseback to horseback in pursuit of a vampire. It's a ridiculous but incredibly fun sequence.
Opinion about the main character:
Lincoln is motivated by revenge-- each time he is called to action, it is because a family member has been taken from him. Anyone can sympathize, and Walker is a gifted young actor in the lead.
