Jane Austen: From zombies to sea monsters

If at first traditional readers rejoiced over the rock star-like status that Jane Austen enjoys today, they may be rethinking that enthusiasm now. The first half of this year brought us mash-up novel "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." And now prepare for the sequel: "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters."

Both books, obviously, are parody novels, taking full advantage of the fact that Austen's works are now in the public domain. The first, by Seth Grahame-Smith, which combines about 85% of Austen's work with 15% new text, quickly achieved bestseller status. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that the publisher, Quirk, is trying again.

The new book, by Ben H. Winters, will use about 60% of Austen's text and 40% "additional monster chaos," according to Quirk.

"Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters" is scheduled for release on Sept. 15. But if you want a preview, catch a glimpse of this video on YouTube. For Austen purists, the 2-minute video may be as much as they can handle. For everyone else, it's worth at least a grin.