Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Fate and Free Will

There are two characters who feel destined for great things in this book: Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. Spoiler Alert: only one of them is right. But does Abe's life boil down to his destiny? Does he have any say in whether or not he will become Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? It sure doesn't seem like it, especially when you consider the fact that Henry and the other vampires seem to be able to see the future, and that future always involves Abe wielding an ax. Still, there are times in the novel when Abe does seem to call the shots, flying in the face of fate.

Questions About Fate and Free Will

1. How much is destiny responsible for what happens to the characters? How much free will do they have? How can you tell?
2. Lincoln and Booth feel destined, but do any other characters have destined fates?
3. Do characters ever get angry at the idea of not having control over their lives? How do characters respond to the idea of fate?
4. Certain elements in the book make destiny seem like a real thing, from the vampires telling the future to Abe's dreams of the future. But do you think destiny is really at work? Or are these just coincidences?

Chew on This

If characters are driven by destiny in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, then we don't have to worry about questions of good and evil. Thank goodness.

Seth Grahame-Smith needs to introduce the "destiny" issue to make sure this plot follows the history we know.