Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Atria/Emily Bestler Books (2012), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 256 pages
Description
A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love with a human, in this original debut novel. R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn't enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead. Not just another zombie novel, this is funny, scary, and deeply moving.
User reviews
LibraryThing member SharonMariaBidwell
A book I first read about 4 years ago. With my hands on the novella prequel and the novel sequel, I dipped in again. First, a word on the film of the book. It’s not a bad film, but it uses the more humourous parts to convey the author’s much more visceral idea too lightly. When I first saw
With the characters of Julie and ‘R’ the setting is a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet set in a dystopian future where zombies outnumber the living. Even many of the survivors seem dead inside, imprisoned as they are behind their safety barriers. Like many zombie books this is a story that questions and reflects society, but particularly skilfully. An unexpected read the first time around, and no less pleasurable the second. The book contains threads of something dark and disturbing, yet enlightening. This book will speak to some people though not all; I hope it speaks to many. This is not a gory horror novel, not a teen Rom-com spoof. Hidden within its pages is a celebration of life in all its messiness. The story is a metaphor for so many things, the state of the world, life’s meaning, civilisation out of control. It imparts the essence of almost every zombie story and life itself. It’s a book about living.
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trailers I imagined the book to be a Young Adult ‘popcorn’ story, a jokey hoot. Do yourself a favour; if you’ve seen the film, regardless of whether you liked it, DO read the book. It’s a decidedly different experience.With the characters of Julie and ‘R’ the setting is a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet set in a dystopian future where zombies outnumber the living. Even many of the survivors seem dead inside, imprisoned as they are behind their safety barriers. Like many zombie books this is a story that questions and reflects society, but particularly skilfully. An unexpected read the first time around, and no less pleasurable the second. The book contains threads of something dark and disturbing, yet enlightening. This book will speak to some people though not all; I hope it speaks to many. This is not a gory horror novel, not a teen Rom-com spoof. Hidden within its pages is a celebration of life in all its messiness. The story is a metaphor for so many things, the state of the world, life’s meaning, civilisation out of control. It imparts the essence of almost every zombie story and life itself. It’s a book about living.
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LibraryThing member bragan
R is a zombie. Well, he's pretty sure his name used to start with an R, at least. Most of his identity is gone, but he does still retain a sense of self-awareness. More than most, anyway. But he does very little with it except wonder if there's much point to all this standing around and groaning,
I decided to read this now because I've seen trailers for the movie, and thought it looked like a lot of fun, but I'd heard the book was even better and figured I ought to read it first. I'm not sure, though, that "fun" is the first word that comes to mind to describe this. It is fun, I suppose; there's a lot of dark, wry humor to be found here. But it's also well-written and poignant and deeply metaphorical, and by the time I was just a few pages in, I was feeling completely blown away by it. Unfortunately, the second half of the book felt more uneven and less satisfying to me than the first half, but considering that the first half had me exclaiming, "Whoa, this is fantastic!", that's probably not as big a criticism as it might be.
Even though I don't share the sentimenet, I can totally understand why so many people are now heartily sick of zombies and their current pop culture over-exposure. But I think this book is proof of the fact that there's life left in the zombie idea yet. So to speak.
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until one day he eats the brain of a boy who loves a girl... and he begins to change.I decided to read this now because I've seen trailers for the movie, and thought it looked like a lot of fun, but I'd heard the book was even better and figured I ought to read it first. I'm not sure, though, that "fun" is the first word that comes to mind to describe this. It is fun, I suppose; there's a lot of dark, wry humor to be found here. But it's also well-written and poignant and deeply metaphorical, and by the time I was just a few pages in, I was feeling completely blown away by it. Unfortunately, the second half of the book felt more uneven and less satisfying to me than the first half, but considering that the first half had me exclaiming, "Whoa, this is fantastic!", that's probably not as big a criticism as it might be.
Even though I don't share the sentimenet, I can totally understand why so many people are now heartily sick of zombies and their current pop culture over-exposure. But I think this book is proof of the fact that there's life left in the zombie idea yet. So to speak.
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LibraryThing member Bodagirl
While I enjoyed the book's "living," feeling zombie protagonist and the (not so subtle) spin on Romeo and Juliet, the final cure for the plague was a big let down. There was no discussion of what actually was the cure.
Was it true love? Julie's zest for life? If it was the desire to live, then how
While the wrap up was unsatisfying, the rest of the book was highly entertaining and a pleasant change to usual fare in the zombie apocalypse genre.
Was it true love? Julie's zest for life? If it was the desire to live, then how
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did anyone contract the plague in the first place? Or was the plague the catalyst to desiring to live?While the wrap up was unsatisfying, the rest of the book was highly entertaining and a pleasant change to usual fare in the zombie apocalypse genre.
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LibraryThing member landslide
*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I must start by admiting that zombies were never really my thing. Seriously, of all the supernatural creatures, zombies were at the bottom of my list. So I never really paid much attention to this book. Until I saw the movie
"Warm Bodies" takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where zombies exist, and the living survive in communities living in stadiums. We never find out what happened, cause zombies have no memory and the living don't really talk about the past. We see the world through R's eyes, a nameless zombie who can only remember his name's initial, and with no memory, that lives a normal zombie existence: walks around the airport where he “lives” with the other zombies, tries to have conversations with his best friend M (unsuccessfully, since they both have the inherent speaking difficulty of being a zombie) and, when hunger strikes, he goes into town to hunt.
It's in one of these huntings that everything changes. The group of zombies attacks a group of young people, R eats the brain of a young man, and something very strange happens. R seems to absorb the young man's memories and, without having time to think about it, he does the unthinkable, he saves Julie, the girl the young man loved. From that moment on, R begins to change, to develop feelings for Julie, and protects her at all cost from everything and everyone, and he starts to think that, just because he is dead, it shouldn't mean he can't live...
I liked how the relationship between R and Julie evolved. Unlike what I initially thought, it wasn't creepy at all, on the contrary, it was quite sweet. In a world where humans have lost hope, for the carrier of said hope to be a living-dead was a brilliant irony. And the author excelled at demonstrating how sometimes it's people who commit the biggest attrocities, while the “monsters” are capable of holding on to their humanity.
The book is filled with memorable quotations, the kind that leaves us thinking about them and of how true they are. So make no mistake about it, this is not a light romance between a living and a living-dead, it's a treaty on humankind and on how it's important to keep it even when all hope seems lost.
I'm curious to read the sequel because, not only do I want to know what happens next, I'm also curious to know what happened to make the world the way it is and why did the zombies appeared (I think that's covered in a prequel but I'll have to look it up). And now I really want to see the movie!
I must start by admiting that zombies were never really my thing. Seriously, of all the supernatural creatures, zombies were at the bottom of my list. So I never really paid much attention to this book. Until I saw the movie
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trailer and I realized it wasn't a Twilight with zombies as I first thought, but it was something else and it had humor. So, when I saw it was available for request on NetGalley, I couldn't resist requesting it. And I was super happy when my request was accepted!"Warm Bodies" takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where zombies exist, and the living survive in communities living in stadiums. We never find out what happened, cause zombies have no memory and the living don't really talk about the past. We see the world through R's eyes, a nameless zombie who can only remember his name's initial, and with no memory, that lives a normal zombie existence: walks around the airport where he “lives” with the other zombies, tries to have conversations with his best friend M (unsuccessfully, since they both have the inherent speaking difficulty of being a zombie) and, when hunger strikes, he goes into town to hunt.
It's in one of these huntings that everything changes. The group of zombies attacks a group of young people, R eats the brain of a young man, and something very strange happens. R seems to absorb the young man's memories and, without having time to think about it, he does the unthinkable, he saves Julie, the girl the young man loved. From that moment on, R begins to change, to develop feelings for Julie, and protects her at all cost from everything and everyone, and he starts to think that, just because he is dead, it shouldn't mean he can't live...
I liked how the relationship between R and Julie evolved. Unlike what I initially thought, it wasn't creepy at all, on the contrary, it was quite sweet. In a world where humans have lost hope, for the carrier of said hope to be a living-dead was a brilliant irony. And the author excelled at demonstrating how sometimes it's people who commit the biggest attrocities, while the “monsters” are capable of holding on to their humanity.
The book is filled with memorable quotations, the kind that leaves us thinking about them and of how true they are. So make no mistake about it, this is not a light romance between a living and a living-dead, it's a treaty on humankind and on how it's important to keep it even when all hope seems lost.
I'm curious to read the sequel because, not only do I want to know what happens next, I'm also curious to know what happened to make the world the way it is and why did the zombies appeared (I think that's covered in a prequel but I'll have to look it up). And now I really want to see the movie!
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LibraryThing member molliekay
This isn't your typical zombie book, so it doesn't deserve a just any grade. We all know how the Living view the Dead, but what do the Dead think about us? Do they only want our brains so they can view our memories, or could there be something else in there, some piece of humanity left deep inside
It's not just the premise that I find so enthralling. I seriously could not stop laughing while reading, even during the "dinner" scenes. The dialog between R and M, best friends since death, is absolutely hilarious, and the zombie culture could not be more entertaining (how many zombies do you know that love to ride escalators?). I heartily raise a glass to Marion for bringing the lighter side of zombies to life.
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that only needs a Julie to coax it out? The next time you're out zombie hunting, think about their feelings.It's not just the premise that I find so enthralling. I seriously could not stop laughing while reading, even during the "dinner" scenes. The dialog between R and M, best friends since death, is absolutely hilarious, and the zombie culture could not be more entertaining (how many zombies do you know that love to ride escalators?). I heartily raise a glass to Marion for bringing the lighter side of zombies to life.
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LibraryThing member titania86
R is a zombie. He doesn’t remember his full name or what he used to do or anything about his life as a human. Like all the others in the zombie overrun world, he just shuffles around and mechanically goes through the motions in the barren post-apocalyptic world. Every day is basically the same
This is the best zombie book I have ever read. Ever. Everything about this book is exceptional and goes above and beyond what other zombie novels have done. The novel starts off as many zombie novels do: with the world a barren wasteland covered in zombies whose only interest in humans is in their brains. None of them are really self aware or have any care for what happens except for R. At first, R is much like the rest of them. He has a zombie wife and zombie children, but they aren’t really a family. He is only able to communicate in sparse syllables and shrugs. After he meets Julie, everything changes. He learns to speak and move more fluidly and she even teaches him to drive a car. Besides the physical improvements, he has mental and emotional ones. He treats Julie like his girlfriend. He protects her from the other zombies and strives to make her happy. He feels love for her and eventually stops wanting to eat brains at all. Instead of being satisfied being a dead automaton, he strives to regain his lost humanity. R is the only zombie I can think of that is the hero of a novel and develops as a character more than most human characters I’ve read.
Warm Bodies, beneath its zombies, is ultimately about us. The typical zombies are those that have forgotten how precious life is. They go around their daily lives mechanically and just care about mundane things like money and their jobs. The zombies in the novel go through what they would as humans, such as eating, being with their families, and having sex, but it’s a ghastly parody of actual human life. Even though it’s funny, it still shows us that we shouldn’t take our lives for granted and that we forget how important love really is.
Warm Bodies is a book I would recommend to everyone I know and many that I don’t. The eloquent language, clear voice, and relatable themes make this book reach people beyond the zombie genre. The ending was absolutely perfect and I really hope that Isaac Marion keeps writing because I will definitely be reading whatever comes next.
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and goes by in a bland gray blur except for the occasional dream he has. That is, until he goes with a pack of zombies to feed and eats a teenage boy’s brain. This in itself is nothing special, but he is suddenly flooded with the boy’s memories, something he never had himself. He looks at Julie, the boy’s girlfriend, and saves her from the other zombies after feeling the boy’s love for her. R’s decision to save Julie ultimately changes him in ways he never thought possible. After he takes her to the plane he lives in, they start their own awkward and strangely sweet relationship, much to the chagrin some of the other zombies. Can the living ever truly coexist with the living dead?This is the best zombie book I have ever read. Ever. Everything about this book is exceptional and goes above and beyond what other zombie novels have done. The novel starts off as many zombie novels do: with the world a barren wasteland covered in zombies whose only interest in humans is in their brains. None of them are really self aware or have any care for what happens except for R. At first, R is much like the rest of them. He has a zombie wife and zombie children, but they aren’t really a family. He is only able to communicate in sparse syllables and shrugs. After he meets Julie, everything changes. He learns to speak and move more fluidly and she even teaches him to drive a car. Besides the physical improvements, he has mental and emotional ones. He treats Julie like his girlfriend. He protects her from the other zombies and strives to make her happy. He feels love for her and eventually stops wanting to eat brains at all. Instead of being satisfied being a dead automaton, he strives to regain his lost humanity. R is the only zombie I can think of that is the hero of a novel and develops as a character more than most human characters I’ve read.
Warm Bodies, beneath its zombies, is ultimately about us. The typical zombies are those that have forgotten how precious life is. They go around their daily lives mechanically and just care about mundane things like money and their jobs. The zombies in the novel go through what they would as humans, such as eating, being with their families, and having sex, but it’s a ghastly parody of actual human life. Even though it’s funny, it still shows us that we shouldn’t take our lives for granted and that we forget how important love really is.
Warm Bodies is a book I would recommend to everyone I know and many that I don’t. The eloquent language, clear voice, and relatable themes make this book reach people beyond the zombie genre. The ending was absolutely perfect and I really hope that Isaac Marion keeps writing because I will definitely be reading whatever comes next.
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LibraryThing member JacobSeifert
While there are some interesting things Marion tries to do with zombie mythology, much of it feels false, melodramatic, and anti-climatic. I also couldn't stand the "poetic" metaphors he throws all over the place. It's a classic example of someone trying too hard to write "beautifully" instead of
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trying to create believable characters. The pacing was slow, much of R's interior monologue was sappy, and the action was mostly dull. I see what he's trying to do and I appreciate it, but he didn't pull it off for me. Not by a long shot. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnaAbner
I finished Warm Bodies tonight, and all I want to do is turn around and read it all over again. What a fantastic, horrible, beautiful, romantic story.
LibraryThing member EinfachMich
First, I will say that I am a long time fan of traditional, Romero zombies. I love them as a metaphor for death, inescapable social change and the fear of the consequences of the cold war (aka radiation poisoning). What can I say, I’m a horror nerd.
After having said that, I have to warn away my
Warm Bodies is a romance, pure and simple. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with romance (I’m a fan of that genre too). After struggling to read through this book and ultimately failing. I realized that at your core you have to WANT the romance in this story than you want a zombie story or post-zombie apocalypse world that even remotely makes sense.
Special note: There’s been a lot of debate, especially on the part of the author, about categorizing this book as YA. I agree that at first glance this book with its poetic navel gazing, emo-tastic protagonist and heavy dependency on romantic cliches, would appear to be a typical YA novel. However, I would never in good conscience actually recommend this book to a teen reader. There are far better paranormal romances out there, ones that do not stereotype young female protagonists (aka make them look like shallow morons) and don’t have a deeply disturbing thread of self loathing.
At the end of the day, Warm Bodies is a poorly executed Romeo and Juliet fan fic, with a zombie twist. It does, in fact, use zombies as Twilight uses vampires. Taking away almost every essential aspect of the classic monster in order to make him more desirable and appealing as a romantic lead. Sadly, those sacrifices cut away all the relevance this book has in being in this zombie genre. In addition, like Twilight, Warm Bodies is a superficial, romanticized ideal of young love. Casting a rosy-lensed gaze upon two of the most shallow, selfish and unlikeable characters I have had the displeasure of reading about.
If you’re not a fan of zombies, but still want to read this book, don’t worry. R isn’t a real one. (Oh the irony of that statement. *sigh*) The style of the narrative glosses over or diminishes the horror of the concept and reduces most of the zombies to cartoonish, comic relief (which I hated, but most readers seemed to delight in). So, I think that if you’re a fan of fantasy romance, who’s not big on zombies, but loves a simple love story with a high concept this might just be the book for you.
I’ll go into the spoilery details about how deeply this book fails, in my opinion, below. Read at your own risk.
In an effort to minimize my time I have to spend on a book I hate, I’m going to address my general complaints. There are many flaws in this book, but I would be here for a week if I were to attempt to list and explain them all.
Talk About Unreliable (Narrator)
For the record, I would accept the style of R’s narrative a lot easier if it were NOT first person. I struggled with believing that a walking corpse has such a high level of complex thought. While it could be argued this was done purposefully to connect with the “redemption” ending. It so contradicts the fact presented to the reader at the start of the story it makes it hard to ever get to the pay off.
Honestly, a reader should have to fight to accept and understand the fiction world being presented to them. It’s the job of the author to do that heavy lifting in that regard, by making the laws and rules of the fictional world obvious and easy to believe. I mean we’re already accepting that the dead have walking around, don’t distract me with trying figure out how his brain functions or how he can’t talk in the first part of the book and is then able to form entire sentences later on.
While the writing style employed is impressive and interesting, it certailyn captivated many readers, to me it seemed so out of place that it felt needlessly self indulgent on the part of the author.
"It's simple but senseless, arbitrary laws from some lunatic legislator in the sky."
"...the effervescence of life energy, like the ionized tang of lightning and lavender."
These are beautiful and complex metaphors who’s only conceivable purpose is to show how “dreamy and poetic” R is on the inside. /condescending tone intended.
Side note: At one point his internal thoughts are in latin. Yes, LATIN.
The Clumsy Construction of an Anti-hero
Much of the story, plot and even choices of the other characters all came off as confusing or even contradictory because they were so obviously bending to the purpose of making R look sympathetic, attractive and/or heroic. This often happened in situations where he was undoubtable the complete opposite of these noble traits.
A great example of this is the character assignation of Julie, who comes off as shallow and even moronic at times. From her cool and lightning quick acceptance of being kidnapped by a zombie who only hours earlier had been eating her friends to her cold hearted relief at learning of the death of her boyfriend.
”I mean, I think I get it. You don’t have a choice, right? And to be honest . . . I’d never say this to anyone, but . . .” She stirs her food. “It’s kind of a relief that it finally happened.”
I frown. “What?”
“To be able to finally stop dreading it.”
“Perry . . . dying?”
This goes even further and Julie confides that Perry had cheated on her. Clearly, this is another calculated attempt devalue Perry’s death and lessen the guilt of R for murdering him. Which in-turns weakens the entire reason why R is supposedly in love with Julie, aka the loving memories of her that R gained by eating Perry’s brain.
Flawed Metaphors and Why Shakespeare Hates this Emo Shit
Before I even started the book I knew it was based on Romeo and Juliet. Though honestly the links to Shakespeare's classic play about young love gone tragically wrong are so obvious I don’t know how anyone could miss them. Julie is Juliet, R is Romeo. R’s best friend M is obviously Mercutio and even fair Roslyn puts in a cameo.
On the surface this derivative story holds up, but if you look down deep the metaphors become muddled and confusing. At the start of the story R isn’t the happy go lucky, love-stuck youth that is the classic Romeo who is transformed into a serious and thoughtful man by true love. Instead R is a sullen, resentful youngman zombie, who hates both what he is and his people...er fellow zombies. His general loathing and fetishistic fascination* with the world of the living deviates even further from the classic version of Romeo, who only sees his former life as violent and points once placed into contrast with the care free happiness he experiences with Juliet.
*R’s loathing of his fellow zombies and zombie culture (which is a thing complete with religion, functional families that include spouse and children, and even zombie training schools for said children) borders on cultural dysmorphia. Which invites some really disturbingly problematic themes, especially if a reader views R as “the other” or member non-mainstream culture. In other words, if R were black and Julie is white how does his constant mocking and outright hate of his own people and his own identity look? Fucked up, that’s how it looks. I’m not saying this was the intention of the author, but rather I’m demonstrating how drastically these metaphors were mismanaged in the story.
To further deepen the divide between this book and R&R, we have Julie who is hollow, cold and disconnected from her own kind, aka the living. Her fascination with R is passive and weak to the point that at times I doubted her sincerity. Conversely the classic Juliet is the very soul of a loving, considerate young lady. She is by all accounts the very picture of a perfect daughter, who falls deeply and irrevocably in love with the one boy who her father will never forgive her for loving. In fact, it’s her loyalty, love and deep connection of her family that is the main conflict in her part of the story.
As Romeo and Juliet is a story of how young, ideal love cannot survive in a poisonous environment of hate and intolerance. Warm Bodies by reversing the outcome (with a ridiculous twisting happy ending) for the two lovers it unintentionally rendered the meaning and impact of their worlds completely irrelevant. Giving a completely unearned happy ending to one of the most tragic love stories completely ruins the entire point of it’s very relevant social commentary.
None of the this even addresses the numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in the narrative when it comes to technology (Julie’s iPod), the existence of complicated prepare food (Phad Thai) and inexplicable presence of power in the airport that allows one lone freezer unit to still have unspoiled food. Other one star reviews list even more flaws in the narrative that should have been caught by a competent editor or proofreader. Not to mention the sloppy punctuation (holy ellipsis abuse, Batman) and countless grammar errors. The ebook copy I read had numerous typos, but I believe that were cause by the conversion process, or at least I hope they were.
In my opinion this book will only be entertaining to someone who has absolutely no investment or expectations of it being anything other than printed in English.
After having said that, I have to warn away my
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fellow traditional zombie fans. This book is not meant for zombie fans. Even if it was written to be, it fails so utterly it disqualifies itself from the genre. Warm Bodies is a romance, pure and simple. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with romance (I’m a fan of that genre too). After struggling to read through this book and ultimately failing. I realized that at your core you have to WANT the romance in this story than you want a zombie story or post-zombie apocalypse world that even remotely makes sense.
Special note: There’s been a lot of debate, especially on the part of the author, about categorizing this book as YA. I agree that at first glance this book with its poetic navel gazing, emo-tastic protagonist and heavy dependency on romantic cliches, would appear to be a typical YA novel. However, I would never in good conscience actually recommend this book to a teen reader. There are far better paranormal romances out there, ones that do not stereotype young female protagonists (aka make them look like shallow morons) and don’t have a deeply disturbing thread of self loathing.
At the end of the day, Warm Bodies is a poorly executed Romeo and Juliet fan fic, with a zombie twist. It does, in fact, use zombies as Twilight uses vampires. Taking away almost every essential aspect of the classic monster in order to make him more desirable and appealing as a romantic lead. Sadly, those sacrifices cut away all the relevance this book has in being in this zombie genre. In addition, like Twilight, Warm Bodies is a superficial, romanticized ideal of young love. Casting a rosy-lensed gaze upon two of the most shallow, selfish and unlikeable characters I have had the displeasure of reading about.
If you’re not a fan of zombies, but still want to read this book, don’t worry. R isn’t a real one. (Oh the irony of that statement. *sigh*) The style of the narrative glosses over or diminishes the horror of the concept and reduces most of the zombies to cartoonish, comic relief (which I hated, but most readers seemed to delight in). So, I think that if you’re a fan of fantasy romance, who’s not big on zombies, but loves a simple love story with a high concept this might just be the book for you.
I’ll go into the spoilery details about how deeply this book fails, in my opinion, below. Read at your own risk.
Talk About Unreliable (Narrator)
For the record, I would accept the style of R’s narrative a lot easier if it were NOT first person. I struggled with believing that a walking corpse has such a high level of complex thought. While it could be argued this was done purposefully to connect with the “redemption” ending. It so contradicts the fact presented to the reader at the start of the story it makes it hard to ever get to the pay off.
Honestly, a reader should have to fight to accept and understand the fiction world being presented to them. It’s the job of the author to do that heavy lifting in that regard, by making the laws and rules of the fictional world obvious and easy to believe. I mean we’re already accepting that the dead have walking around, don’t distract me with trying figure out how his brain functions or how he can’t talk in the first part of the book and is then able to form entire sentences later on.
While the writing style employed is impressive and interesting, it certailyn captivated many readers, to me it seemed so out of place that it felt needlessly self indulgent on the part of the author.
"It's simple but senseless, arbitrary laws from some lunatic legislator in the sky."
"...the effervescence of life energy, like the ionized tang of lightning and lavender."
These are beautiful and complex metaphors who’s only conceivable purpose is to show how “dreamy and poetic” R is on the inside. /condescending tone intended.
Side note: At one point his internal thoughts are in latin. Yes, LATIN.
The Clumsy Construction of an Anti-hero
Much of the story, plot and even choices of the other characters all came off as confusing or even contradictory because they were so obviously bending to the purpose of making R look sympathetic, attractive and/or heroic. This often happened in situations where he was undoubtable the complete opposite of these noble traits.
A great example of this is the character assignation of Julie, who comes off as shallow and even moronic at times. From her cool and lightning quick acceptance of being kidnapped by a zombie who only hours earlier had been eating her friends to her cold hearted relief at learning of the death of her boyfriend.
”I mean, I think I get it. You don’t have a choice, right? And to be honest . . . I’d never say this to anyone, but . . .” She stirs her food. “It’s kind of a relief that it finally happened.”
I frown. “What?”
“To be able to finally stop dreading it.”
“Perry . . . dying?”
This goes even further and Julie confides that Perry had cheated on her. Clearly, this is another calculated attempt devalue Perry’s death and lessen the guilt of R for murdering him. Which in-turns weakens the entire reason why R is supposedly in love with Julie, aka the loving memories of her that R gained by eating Perry’s brain.
Flawed Metaphors and Why Shakespeare Hates this Emo Shit
Before I even started the book I knew it was based on Romeo and Juliet. Though honestly the links to Shakespeare's classic play about young love gone tragically wrong are so obvious I don’t know how anyone could miss them. Julie is Juliet, R is Romeo. R’s best friend M is obviously Mercutio and even fair Roslyn puts in a cameo.
On the surface this derivative story holds up, but if you look down deep the metaphors become muddled and confusing. At the start of the story R isn’t the happy go lucky, love-stuck youth that is the classic Romeo who is transformed into a serious and thoughtful man by true love. Instead R is a sullen, resentful young
*R’s loathing of his fellow zombies and zombie culture (which is a thing complete with religion, functional families that include spouse and children, and even zombie training schools for said children) borders on cultural dysmorphia. Which invites some really disturbingly problematic themes, especially if a reader views R as “the other” or member non-mainstream culture. In other words, if R were black and Julie is white how does his constant mocking and outright hate of his own people and his own identity look? Fucked up, that’s how it looks. I’m not saying this was the intention of the author, but rather I’m demonstrating how drastically these metaphors were mismanaged in the story.
To further deepen the divide between this book and R&R, we have Julie who is hollow, cold and disconnected from her own kind, aka the living. Her fascination with R is passive and weak to the point that at times I doubted her sincerity. Conversely the classic Juliet is the very soul of a loving, considerate young lady. She is by all accounts the very picture of a perfect daughter, who falls deeply and irrevocably in love with the one boy who her father will never forgive her for loving. In fact, it’s her loyalty, love and deep connection of her family that is the main conflict in her part of the story.
As Romeo and Juliet is a story of how young, ideal love cannot survive in a poisonous environment of hate and intolerance. Warm Bodies by reversing the outcome (with a ridiculous twisting happy ending) for the two lovers it unintentionally rendered the meaning and impact of their worlds completely irrelevant. Giving a completely unearned happy ending to one of the most tragic love stories completely ruins the entire point of it’s very relevant social commentary.
None of the this even addresses the numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in the narrative when it comes to technology (Julie’s iPod), the existence of complicated prepare food (Phad Thai) and inexplicable presence of power in the airport that allows one lone freezer unit to still have unspoiled food. Other one star reviews list even more flaws in the narrative that should have been caught by a competent editor or proofreader. Not to mention the sloppy punctuation (holy ellipsis abuse, Batman) and countless grammar errors. The ebook copy I read had numerous typos, but I believe that were cause by the conversion process, or at least I hope they were.
In my opinion this book will only be entertaining to someone who has absolutely no investment or expectations of it being anything other than printed in English.
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LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux
This book wasn't on my radar at all, it was actually purchased by Mrs Moreaux and she enjoyed it and then wanted to see the movie that's now out, being that I loathe to see a movie made from a book without first reading the book, especially if it's in the house I took the plunge and cracked it
I had visions of a sappy teen-romance set in a currently 'hip' genre thanks to the blurb but thankfully that's not the case at all. What it really is, is a fresh take on the whole zombie genre. In this novel rather than humans battling the endless hoards of undead we have a cognitive zombie named 'R' who is beginning to become more and more self aware.
It really is a rather interesting & light read which doesn't get bogged down in gore or fighting to the detriment of the plot line.
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open.I had visions of a sappy teen-romance set in a currently 'hip' genre thanks to the blurb but thankfully that's not the case at all. What it really is, is a fresh take on the whole zombie genre. In this novel rather than humans battling the endless hoards of undead we have a cognitive zombie named 'R' who is beginning to become more and more self aware.
It really is a rather interesting & light read which doesn't get bogged down in gore or fighting to the detriment of the plot line.
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LibraryThing member Great_East_Road
See my review of this book, and many more, at Tales from the Great East Road.
(Contains spoilers.)
What exactly happens to a person’s mind when they’re bitten by a zombie? R knows he has lost a huge part of himself to the virus, including his name, but that doesn’t mean he stops thinking – or
Despite this R is still a zombie: a monster that craves human blood. Until he meets Julie, a human girl, and find he has to save her life or reasons even he doesn’t know. Can R still be human in some way? Is it possible he’s falling in love?
Warm Bodies starts off beautifully. Through R’s first person narrative, we are shown the inner workings of a man who has become a monster, still clinging onto the last few pieces of his humanity. He wonders who he is, as “R” is all he can remember from his name, and tries to forge relationships with other zombies. He understandably becomes obsessed with human creations, like music, to try and feel connected to humanity again. This novel also uses the interesting idea that the reason zombies eat human brains is because they can relive a person’s memories through this. This leads to a hilarious scene between R and his friend M, sharing a brain like two teenagers sharing a joint.
If the book had continued in this fashion it would have been five stars. Then along come the love interest, Julie. This girl has survived a zombie apocalypse, watched the world fall apart around her, seen her boyfriend eaten in front of her, yet spends the whole book whining her life is so hard and that Daddy doesn’t love her enough, because he’s trying to save everyone else and fix the world. It’s near impossible to believe that she’s so special that she is supposed to be the one who cures all the zombies by spreading love. Also, how could you fall in love with the zombie who literally ripped apart your boyfriend right in front of your eyes?
The book would have worked so much better if it had been the story of R’s redemption by facing all the monstrous things he’d done to survive, but he is never punished for his actions and all the people he has killed, not even by himself. In fact, Julie forgives him for eating Perry, her boyfriend, almost instantly because they were having relationship problems. By eating Perry’s brain, R is (somehow) able to communicate with the dead man through his memories – these scenes are very weird and disjointed. The whole book was written in a a poetic style that felt forced, like the author was trying too hard.
Warm Bodies could have been such an amazing novel, but it quickly lost its harsh, realistic edge then continued to go downhill as it tried too hard for a “happily-ever-after” ending, which ruined it completely.
2 stars.
(Contains spoilers.)
What exactly happens to a person’s mind when they’re bitten by a zombie? R knows he has lost a huge part of himself to the virus, including his name, but that doesn’t mean he stops thinking – or
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dreaming. He spends his days wandering the airport he and his fellow zombies have overrun, losing himself in routine of walking in circles, as he tries to remember. He even has a friend he can talk to (albeit very slowly).Despite this R is still a zombie: a monster that craves human blood. Until he meets Julie, a human girl, and find he has to save her life or reasons even he doesn’t know. Can R still be human in some way? Is it possible he’s falling in love?
Warm Bodies starts off beautifully. Through R’s first person narrative, we are shown the inner workings of a man who has become a monster, still clinging onto the last few pieces of his humanity. He wonders who he is, as “R” is all he can remember from his name, and tries to forge relationships with other zombies. He understandably becomes obsessed with human creations, like music, to try and feel connected to humanity again. This novel also uses the interesting idea that the reason zombies eat human brains is because they can relive a person’s memories through this. This leads to a hilarious scene between R and his friend M, sharing a brain like two teenagers sharing a joint.
If the book had continued in this fashion it would have been five stars. Then along come the love interest, Julie. This girl has survived a zombie apocalypse, watched the world fall apart around her, seen her boyfriend eaten in front of her, yet spends the whole book whining her life is so hard and that Daddy doesn’t love her enough, because he’s trying to save everyone else and fix the world. It’s near impossible to believe that she’s so special that she is supposed to be the one who cures all the zombies by spreading love. Also, how could you fall in love with the zombie who literally ripped apart your boyfriend right in front of your eyes?
The book would have worked so much better if it had been the story of R’s redemption by facing all the monstrous things he’d done to survive, but he is never punished for his actions and all the people he has killed, not even by himself. In fact, Julie forgives him for eating Perry, her boyfriend, almost instantly because they were having relationship problems. By eating Perry’s brain, R is (somehow) able to communicate with the dead man through his memories – these scenes are very weird and disjointed. The whole book was written in a a poetic style that felt forced, like the author was trying too hard.
Warm Bodies could have been such an amazing novel, but it quickly lost its harsh, realistic edge then continued to go downhill as it tried too hard for a “happily-ever-after” ending, which ruined it completely.
2 stars.
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LibraryThing member YuliaS.B1
In the book, Warm Bodies by isaac Marion is very cliche. The main character's name is R. He eats the brains of Perry who was dating Julie. When a zombie eats someone's brain they can feel and see the emotions of the human. So R falls in love with Julie since Perry was. Instead of eating her he
MY REVIEW----
This book is extremely cliche and with some intresting factos. Since the begining I knew Julie would fall in love with the zombie and the zombies would become healed. This is how every cliche book ends ; with a happy ending. But there were little things that i really liked. The memories that the zombies see when eating a brain. Or how on each chapter there is a pictrue of a human body part with explanations. I like that he had a wife and how they adopted kids in the begining of the book. I especialy liked Perry's past story. How his father and mother were both zombies and killed. It's sad but shows us how Perry doesn't have a huge will to live anymore. This book is better then the movie but the movie was very good as well.
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leads her back to his home in the airport were he keeps her hidden. There they bond. In the beggining of the stroy R has a wife and kids that were zombies but his wife leaves him for another zombie. When Julie decides to go home R comes along later. With some make up she and her freind make him look human. The humans and zombies unite to fight against the corpses. Soon the zombies become healed with love and human effection. MY REVIEW----
This book is extremely cliche and with some intresting factos. Since the begining I knew Julie would fall in love with the zombie and the zombies would become healed. This is how every cliche book ends ; with a happy ending. But there were little things that i really liked. The memories that the zombies see when eating a brain. Or how on each chapter there is a pictrue of a human body part with explanations. I like that he had a wife and how they adopted kids in the begining of the book. I especialy liked Perry's past story. How his father and mother were both zombies and killed. It's sad but shows us how Perry doesn't have a huge will to live anymore. This book is better then the movie but the movie was very good as well.
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LibraryThing member drachenbraut23
"My friend 'M' says thie irony of being a zombie is that everything is funny, but you can't smile, because your lips have rotted off. "
“It does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because
This was a beautiful, fluffy and highly enjoyable read. I had this book already on my TBR pile for quite some time and only read it now because the movie is coming out in February.
Usually, our perception of zombies is as such that, well, they are dead, ugly, scary, obviously can’t think and that they are driven by a basic need to feed on other humans. Okay, that’s what we usually believe when picking up a zombie novel. However, this didn’t happen in this one. Here, we meet R a zombie who lives with others of his kind at an abandoned disused airport. R lives in one of the aero planes and collects music, he loves to ride the escalator and muses about his existence, and he feeds on other humans but doesn’t enjoy it. He just seems to be a different kind of zombie.
None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I’m still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a Living man in need of a vacation.
“Now I’m just standing here on the conveyor. Along for the ride. I reach the end, turn around, and go back the other way. The world has been distilled. Being dead is easy. After a few hours of this, I notice a female on the opposite conveyor. She doesn’t lurch or groan like most of us. Her head just lolls from side to side. I like that about her. That she doesn’t lurch or groan. I catch her eye and stare at her.”
On one of their feeding raids, he meets Julie, rescues her and that subsequent changes his existence, ahem, I honestly don’t want to use the term life here as he is a zombie.
“Eating is not a pleasant business. I chew off a man's arm, and I hate it.
Of course if I don't eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he'll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make me feel better. I'll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we'll stand around and groan for a while.”
This book was quite a surprise as I didn’t know what to expect from a zombie romance, but with all its puns the story undeniably delivered a considerable amount of entertainment. However, as it is such a small book it is also read fairly comfortable in one night session.
“I erupt from the dark, crushing tunnel into a flash of light and noise. A new kind of air surrounds me, dry and cold, as they wipe the last smears of home off my skin. I feel a sharp pain as they snip something, and suddenly I am less. I am no one but myself, tiny and feeble and utterly alone. I am lifted and swungthrough great heights across yawning distances, and given to Her. She wraps around me, so much bigger and softer than I ever imagined from inside,and I strain my eyes open. I see Her. She is immense, cosmic. She is the world. The world smiles down on me, and when She speaks it’s the voice of God, vast and resonant with meaning, but words unknowable, ringing gibberish in my blank white mind.
“It does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because
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I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are" This was a beautiful, fluffy and highly enjoyable read. I had this book already on my TBR pile for quite some time and only read it now because the movie is coming out in February.
Usually, our perception of zombies is as such that, well, they are dead, ugly, scary, obviously can’t think and that they are driven by a basic need to feed on other humans. Okay, that’s what we usually believe when picking up a zombie novel. However, this didn’t happen in this one. Here, we meet R a zombie who lives with others of his kind at an abandoned disused airport. R lives in one of the aero planes and collects music, he loves to ride the escalator and muses about his existence, and he feeds on other humans but doesn’t enjoy it. He just seems to be a different kind of zombie.
None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I’m still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a Living man in need of a vacation.
“Now I’m just standing here on the conveyor. Along for the ride. I reach the end, turn around, and go back the other way. The world has been distilled. Being dead is easy. After a few hours of this, I notice a female on the opposite conveyor. She doesn’t lurch or groan like most of us. Her head just lolls from side to side. I like that about her. That she doesn’t lurch or groan. I catch her eye and stare at her.”
On one of their feeding raids, he meets Julie, rescues her and that subsequent changes his existence, ahem, I honestly don’t want to use the term life here as he is a zombie.
“Eating is not a pleasant business. I chew off a man's arm, and I hate it.
Of course if I don't eat all of him, if I spare his brain, he'll rise up and follow me back to the airport, and that might make me feel better. I'll introduce him to everyone, and maybe we'll stand around and groan for a while.”
This book was quite a surprise as I didn’t know what to expect from a zombie romance, but with all its puns the story undeniably delivered a considerable amount of entertainment. However, as it is such a small book it is also read fairly comfortable in one night session.
“I erupt from the dark, crushing tunnel into a flash of light and noise. A new kind of air surrounds me, dry and cold, as they wipe the last smears of home off my skin. I feel a sharp pain as they snip something, and suddenly I am less. I am no one but myself, tiny and feeble and utterly alone. I am lifted and swungthrough great heights across yawning distances, and given to Her. She wraps around me, so much bigger and softer than I ever imagined from inside,and I strain my eyes open. I see Her. She is immense, cosmic. She is the world. The world smiles down on me, and when She speaks it’s the voice of God, vast and resonant with meaning, but words unknowable, ringing gibberish in my blank white mind.
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LibraryThing member Philotera
A Romeo and Juliet tale of tender love among, well, zombies. Funny, touching, and disgusting. This book has changed me. Now, when the zombieapocalypse comes, and I have to pulp zombie heads with a baseball bat, after I'll wipe away a tear and wonder what might have been.
LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
This book and its film adaptation have a horrible marketing team. I mean borderline brain-damaged. This is no TWILIGHT with zombies. The writing is crisp and fresh. Marion's gift for storytelling is remarkable, the way he can describe the smallest things with brilliant metaphors and similes. One of
SPOILED TURKEY COMING UP!
Now, the only reason I didn't give WARM BODIES a fiver is because the ending pissed me off. The ending of the movie pissed me off, too. I can't get over the fact that we're talking about zombies living and breathing again. They've been rotting for years. Then, all of a sudden, they all have fucking Wolverine's self-healing powers? Huh? Because of true love and a kiss? Grrrr... I know, I know, maybe I'm being too literal and cynical. I don't like happy endings as it is, but this one irked me more than most. It's inane. Le sigh...
END OF SPOILED TURKEY!
Besides that, I'm thrilled with having read this book. It was different enough to keep me interested. The prose if gorgeous, like wanna-hump-its-leg gorgeous. This book shouldn't be lumped in anywhere near Stephanie Meyer's stroke-fugue style of writing. Isaac Marion is leagues above many writers producing fiction these days. I can't wait to read something else from him.
Big shout out to my buddy Nettles! Thanks for sending me this treasure. Love yo face!
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my favorite examples is something I shared on Booklikes while I was reading the book: "Her hair is a natural disaster, post-hurricane palm trees." That ten-word sentence tells you so much in the context of the scene. What Julie looks like upon first waking, the fact that she tosses and turns in her sleep, that she could have possibly had a nightmare... so much. And the entire book is full of sentences like that. Most authors cannot produce a quotable line every chapter, much less every page, every paragraph. I'm in awe. SPOILED TURKEY COMING UP!
Now, the only reason I didn't give WARM BODIES a fiver is because the ending pissed me off. The ending of the movie pissed me off, too. I can't get over the fact that we're talking about zombies living and breathing again. They've been rotting for years. Then, all of a sudden, they all have fucking Wolverine's self-healing powers? Huh? Because of true love and a kiss? Grrrr... I know, I know, maybe I'm being too literal and cynical. I don't like happy endings as it is, but this one irked me more than most. It's inane. Le sigh...
END OF SPOILED TURKEY!
Besides that, I'm thrilled with having read this book. It was different enough to keep me interested. The prose if gorgeous, like wanna-hump-its-leg gorgeous. This book shouldn't be lumped in anywhere near Stephanie Meyer's stroke-fugue style of writing. Isaac Marion is leagues above many writers producing fiction these days. I can't wait to read something else from him.
Big shout out to my buddy Nettles! Thanks for sending me this treasure. Love yo face!
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LibraryThing member arielfl
I picked this one up because EW had a list of 10 YA novels coming to a movie theater near you. I was hoping this was one of the books I could read with my daughter. Fortunately I started it first and will not be passing this on to her. I had sort of gotten used to the chaste YA novel and this
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anything but. There are references to a dildo, porn, and zombie sex EWWW, that I would rather not discuss with her. This book is definitely geared to the mature teen/ adult. That being said it is a really good book. I like the refreshing take on having the romantic lead be a zombie, very clever. It is also a quick read (around 200 pages) that grabs you at the start and holds your attention through the book. I think it will make a great movie as it is filled with a lot of action sequences. I have never seen a Zombie book or movie from the point of view of the Zombie. It is a little bit of stretch because even though R claims to be working on a deadened senses, at times he comes up with complex emotional though processes in his head. It works if you don't think too much about it. In any case I give this an A+ for coming up with a unique and entertaining concept. Show Less
LibraryThing member jlparent
This is not your normal zombies novel. R is a zombie, he can't recall his name, anything of his humanity - except when he eats a brain, then snippets are brought back fleetingly. He's like most zombies, although barely rotted, able to produce words here and there, and he falls for a human girl
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(Julie). This starts a chain of changes within him and as other zombies witness it, some of them start to change as well. For better or worse? Well, that's a spoiler ;). I liked the book overall, it had some really great content and some meh content. I wanted to know more about the sinister Boneys and some of the other zombies (M) as they changed, could have done with a bit less in the italiziced "other voices" musings/dreams/etc. and felt the ending to be a bit rushed after all the prolonged musings. The real message is about change (wanting it, trying it) and hope - don't lose it. A fresh take on zombies - pretty good! Show Less
LibraryThing member KatPruce
This oddly poetic story about a dystopian world filled with zombies was such a unique book. I know that neither dystopian novels nor tales of zombies are new to the literary scene...but this book does something different than others that have come before it. I don't want to go into too much detail
"'Everything dies eventually. We all know that. People, cities, whole civilizations. Nothing lasts. So if existence was just binary, dead or alive, here or not here, what would be the f*ing point in anything?' She looks up at some falling leaves and puts out her hand to catch one, a flaming red maple. 'My mom used to say that's why we have memory. And the opposite of memory--hope. So that things that are gone can still matter. So we can build off our pasts and make futures.'" -pg. 115
My only qualm (if I'm being super-persnickity) is that the ending seems to be a bit oversimplified or, um, vague. I wouldn't have minded a bit more explanation of the conclusion (I can't say about what without spoiling...so I'll just leave it at that). Really though, this barely bothered me...I'm just nit-picking. I've read several rave reviews on the blogosphere about this book - which is the reason why I picked it up (I'll add links to their reviews at the bottom of this post). I think that most people will find that they really enjoy this book. As I said, it's not a typical read and even those that don't like zombie books will find themselves recommending it to others. So, final word...go check out this book!
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about that because I'm afraid I'd spoil the novel. Let me just say that the book allows you to strongly empathize with a zombie (and even care for him). Also, the message of the book is quite beautiful. Check out this little passage:"'Everything dies eventually. We all know that. People, cities, whole civilizations. Nothing lasts. So if existence was just binary, dead or alive, here or not here, what would be the f*ing point in anything?' She looks up at some falling leaves and puts out her hand to catch one, a flaming red maple. 'My mom used to say that's why we have memory. And the opposite of memory--hope. So that things that are gone can still matter. So we can build off our pasts and make futures.'" -pg. 115
My only qualm (if I'm being super-persnickity) is that the ending seems to be a bit oversimplified or, um, vague. I wouldn't have minded a bit more explanation of the conclusion (I can't say about what without spoiling...so I'll just leave it at that). Really though, this barely bothered me...I'm just nit-picking. I've read several rave reviews on the blogosphere about this book - which is the reason why I picked it up (I'll add links to their reviews at the bottom of this post). I think that most people will find that they really enjoy this book. As I said, it's not a typical read and even those that don't like zombie books will find themselves recommending it to others. So, final word...go check out this book!
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This was an excellent book. I had read some reviews on it that said it was really good, and they were all right! I was very impressed.
R is a zombie and has been for a while. He lives in a rundown airport with other zombies. Every once in a while they go hunting or a couple of them gets married or
There are parts of this book that are very, very funny. Especially in the beginning, hearing the whole zombie thing from the viewpoint of a zombie is humorous and thought-provoking all at the same time.
While the book starts out with zombies being your pretty typical mindless brain-eaters, it quickly turns into something more complex. You can see that the zombies have a sort of society and continue to try and mimic the lives they had when they were living.
R's romance with Julie is a bit creepy and strange at first; but it quickly develops into something heartwarming and literally lifechanging. There are a lot of really great characters in this book. By the end you will be reconsidering who the monsters are in this book; the living, the zombies, or the leaders that drive them into conflict.
What starts out as a funny, endearing zombie tale ends up as a story that delves into some really deep questions about societal norms and how some things are true because we have decided they are true, not because they really are. This book isn't as dirty or gritty as a lot of zombie tales out there, it is more thought-provoking.
The book ends well, I am not sure if there will be a sequel...if there was a sequel I would definitely read it!
Overall this was just an excellent zombie novel. Definitely a zombie novel with heart. It was funny and heartwarming. It was a story that pondered some big questions yet remained engaging, easy to read, and accessible. I would definitely recommend this novel for anyone young adult or older. There is something here for everyone...zombies, romance, action, and politics. One of my favorite zombie reads this year. A couple other great zombie reads are The Newsflesh series by Mira Grant and The Angels are the Reapers by Alden Bell.
R is a zombie and has been for a while. He lives in a rundown airport with other zombies. Every once in a while they go hunting or a couple of them gets married or
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something; but for the most part it's a lot of lost time and shuffling around. Unlike other zombies R can still talk pretty well. During a hunting raid he kills and eats a young man's brain and starts living out that young man's memories. Because of this he is drawn to a live girl named Julie, who was the young man's girlfriend. He brings Julie back to the airport to live with him. Then things start to happen and he starts to change.There are parts of this book that are very, very funny. Especially in the beginning, hearing the whole zombie thing from the viewpoint of a zombie is humorous and thought-provoking all at the same time.
While the book starts out with zombies being your pretty typical mindless brain-eaters, it quickly turns into something more complex. You can see that the zombies have a sort of society and continue to try and mimic the lives they had when they were living.
R's romance with Julie is a bit creepy and strange at first; but it quickly develops into something heartwarming and literally lifechanging. There are a lot of really great characters in this book. By the end you will be reconsidering who the monsters are in this book; the living, the zombies, or the leaders that drive them into conflict.
What starts out as a funny, endearing zombie tale ends up as a story that delves into some really deep questions about societal norms and how some things are true because we have decided they are true, not because they really are. This book isn't as dirty or gritty as a lot of zombie tales out there, it is more thought-provoking.
The book ends well, I am not sure if there will be a sequel...if there was a sequel I would definitely read it!
Overall this was just an excellent zombie novel. Definitely a zombie novel with heart. It was funny and heartwarming. It was a story that pondered some big questions yet remained engaging, easy to read, and accessible. I would definitely recommend this novel for anyone young adult or older. There is something here for everyone...zombies, romance, action, and politics. One of my favorite zombie reads this year. A couple other great zombie reads are The Newsflesh series by Mira Grant and The Angels are the Reapers by Alden Bell.
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LibraryThing member nlsobon
First off, I need to state just how much I loved this book.
WARM BODIES is the story of R, a zombie, and Julie, a living girl. What makes the story great is that it’s told in the zombie’s point of view. WARM BODIES is a different kind of zombie novel and I think that’s what makes it so
R lives in an airport full of zombies like him. During a feeding trip to the nearby stadium, everything changes when R kills Perry. When the zombies eat the living’s brains, they are able to view their memories, to relive them in a way. After R kills Perry, he finds himself wanting to save Julie. He doesn’t understand why, but he needs to protect her.
That’s when the story really begins to pick up. A zombie wanting to save a living girl? Yep. And while it might seem strange, it works in WARM BODIES. Julie and R ignite a change a world that’s been destroyed; they ignite hope for the future. Isaac Marion does a fantastic job of making you care. You want R and Julie to succeed, even though their relationship is ‘strange’.
If you haven’t read WARM BODIES yet, you need to.
WARM BODIES is the story of R, a zombie, and Julie, a living girl. What makes the story great is that it’s told in the zombie’s point of view. WARM BODIES is a different kind of zombie novel and I think that’s what makes it so
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fantastic. From the opening line until the very last line, you will find yourself hooked. R lives in an airport full of zombies like him. During a feeding trip to the nearby stadium, everything changes when R kills Perry. When the zombies eat the living’s brains, they are able to view their memories, to relive them in a way. After R kills Perry, he finds himself wanting to save Julie. He doesn’t understand why, but he needs to protect her.
That’s when the story really begins to pick up. A zombie wanting to save a living girl? Yep. And while it might seem strange, it works in WARM BODIES. Julie and R ignite a change a world that’s been destroyed; they ignite hope for the future. Isaac Marion does a fantastic job of making you care. You want R and Julie to succeed, even though their relationship is ‘strange’.
If you haven’t read WARM BODIES yet, you need to.
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LibraryThing member angieanzaldua
I WON THIS BOOK FROM GOODREAD.COM FIRST READS AND I MUST SAY I LOVE THIS BOOK... I WAS SUPRISED THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE WRITERS WRITING THE WORDING IN THIS BOOK IS BEAUTFUL AND A ROMANCE FROM AN UNLIKELY PLACE MADE IT MORE INTERESTING IT HAD ME ROOTING FOR THE ZOMBIES. GREAT BOOK.....
LibraryThing member booktwirps
R. spends his days aimlessly wandering the abandoned airport. Sometimes he attends “church”, and sometimes he goes to watch the children as they attend class at “school”. When he gets hungry, he gathers a group of friends and they walk into the city to hunt some humans. R. is a Zombie, and
One day, during an attack in an abandoned office building, R. his best friend M. and a few others, stumble upon a group of teens. A blood-bath ensues and as R. chomps on the brain of his young victim he sees flashes of a life he longs for. The boy he is eating had a girlfriend, one he loved very much. This same girl happens to be cowering in a corner as R’s friends advance upon her. R. saves her, disguises her as a zombie, and takes her back to the airport to live with him in the abandoned 747 he has claimed as his own. Something is coming over him. Something is changing. As days go by, he finds himself falling in love with this girl (Julie), and when Julie returns to the stadium from where she came, R. decides to go after her. He loves this girl, and he needs to be with her.
I’ve read many zombie books and watched countless zombie films, but I have never read anything quite like this. Isaac Marion has crafted a genius story told completely from a zombie’s point of view. I tore through this one and found myself laughing out loud frequently. Some of the funniest moments come early on in the book when R. describes how zombies (attempt to) have sex, and when he and M. eat pieces of brain in solitude, losing themselves in the memories of the person the brain belonged to. (This is the equivalent of smoking pot in zombieville.) R. and Julie’s relationship is very sweet, and I found myself rooting for them as the story progressed. The ending left me wanting more, but is tied up nicely. The writing flows well, and blends humor, horror and romance very nicely. I definitely recommend this one. Though it is categorized as adult fiction, older, more mature teens will enjoy it as well.
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this is his life.One day, during an attack in an abandoned office building, R. his best friend M. and a few others, stumble upon a group of teens. A blood-bath ensues and as R. chomps on the brain of his young victim he sees flashes of a life he longs for. The boy he is eating had a girlfriend, one he loved very much. This same girl happens to be cowering in a corner as R’s friends advance upon her. R. saves her, disguises her as a zombie, and takes her back to the airport to live with him in the abandoned 747 he has claimed as his own. Something is coming over him. Something is changing. As days go by, he finds himself falling in love with this girl (Julie), and when Julie returns to the stadium from where she came, R. decides to go after her. He loves this girl, and he needs to be with her.
I’ve read many zombie books and watched countless zombie films, but I have never read anything quite like this. Isaac Marion has crafted a genius story told completely from a zombie’s point of view. I tore through this one and found myself laughing out loud frequently. Some of the funniest moments come early on in the book when R. describes how zombies (attempt to) have sex, and when he and M. eat pieces of brain in solitude, losing themselves in the memories of the person the brain belonged to. (This is the equivalent of smoking pot in zombieville.) R. and Julie’s relationship is very sweet, and I found myself rooting for them as the story progressed. The ending left me wanting more, but is tied up nicely. The writing flows well, and blends humor, horror and romance very nicely. I definitely recommend this one. Though it is categorized as adult fiction, older, more mature teens will enjoy it as well.
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LibraryThing member missyreadsreviews
Every now and then, there's a book so prolifically amazing that you ignore the fact that its subject matter is something that you absolutely detest. For me, that book was Warm Bodies. Despite the fact that I love zombie movies, I have an extreme dislike for zombie books (save a few)... until now.
One of the things that sticks out so profoundly about this novel is the fact that R - the main character, a zombie - actually still holds on to some human attributes and there's more going on than just "Mmm... braaaiiiinnnnsss" in his thought process. On top of that, there's still feelings involved... which is something we don't see much of when it comes to the living dead. R wants to be more than what he is. He craves to feel, love and have more than just a normal zombie life. He's a character that will surprise you at how easily you can relate to and empathize with.
It would be against all crimes of this blog not to point out that I did creep out a little with the romantic interest in the novel. It was just something I couldn't wholeheartedly get behind. However, as disturbing as it was for me, it was also very beautiful and seemed to fit naturally into the story as a whole.
The story was amazingly written. R's perspective was completely enthralling and the story as a whole was nothing short of incredible. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop reading... even at the parts that made me cringe! The world building in Warm Bodies wasn't much different from present-day society... only, you know, it has zombies and stuff - which is something I am almost certain does not exist. Yet.
If zombie romances are your thing, then you absolutely MUST pick up a copy of Warm Bodies. Right now. If they're not your thing, then I would recommend picking up a copy of Warm Bodies. Right now. I have a feeling Marion will change your mind and steal your heart with this novel.
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Perhaps I was reading the wrong type of zombie books? Or maybe I just gave up too soon when I read a few bad ones in a row? Either way, Isaac Marion's novel has completely changed my mind about the matter and I am now more open to the world of zombies in modern literature.One of the things that sticks out so profoundly about this novel is the fact that R - the main character, a zombie - actually still holds on to some human attributes and there's more going on than just "Mmm... braaaiiiinnnnsss" in his thought process. On top of that, there's still feelings involved... which is something we don't see much of when it comes to the living dead. R wants to be more than what he is. He craves to feel, love and have more than just a normal zombie life. He's a character that will surprise you at how easily you can relate to and empathize with.
It would be against all crimes of this blog not to point out that I did creep out a little with the romantic interest in the novel. It was just something I couldn't wholeheartedly get behind. However, as disturbing as it was for me, it was also very beautiful and seemed to fit naturally into the story as a whole.
The story was amazingly written. R's perspective was completely enthralling and the story as a whole was nothing short of incredible. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop reading... even at the parts that made me cringe! The world building in Warm Bodies wasn't much different from present-day society... only, you know, it has zombies and stuff - which is something I am almost certain does not exist. Yet.
If zombie romances are your thing, then you absolutely MUST pick up a copy of Warm Bodies. Right now. If they're not your thing, then I would recommend picking up a copy of Warm Bodies. Right now. I have a feeling Marion will change your mind and steal your heart with this novel.
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LibraryThing member Poemyhero
R is his name, and the story is told from his mind...his perspective. The catch is, he's a zombie. His name is "R" because that is all he can remember and pronounce of his name. Otherwise, his memory is pretty much wiped. Warm Bodies tells the story of R, his struggles as a zombie, and how they get
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both complicated and intriguing when he begins to fall for a human. He begins to have feelings for her and thoughts once he eats a young boy's brain and sees that boys life. Then every things begins to change, for him, for the non-dead, and for the other zombies. For his first novel, Isaac Marion writes very well. I really enjoyed the story between R and Julie. The characters we're very likeable and easy to attach to. Though there were some small points that I thought did not fit the storyline or that of a zombie, it was really good. It was a fresh piece of work. But, hey, I can finally say I've been in the mind of a zombie. ;) Show Less
LibraryThing member wastepaperprose
WARM BODIES is a strange and wonderful merger of the sick and twisted and the sweet and poignant. It is a gritty, graphic love letter to life penned by a dead man relearning what it truly means to be alive.
Isaac Marion's debut novel will forever change the way you think of zombies. In a matter of
Zombies are the Dead. Everyone else is Living. Pulse or not, they are all human.
That was what amazed me about this book. Believability was never an issue. Through R and Julie's friendship it became easy to see both sides as a struggle for survival. The curse is at fault. It is the root cause of R's condition and Julie's misery. It has ruined the world they share and made for a bleak existence.
The world and characters Marion has created force you as a reader to question what makes us human. Is it as simple as a state of being? Is the ability to articulate and outwardly express emotion what defines us as people? Does having a pulse make you any more or less human?
Well, read it and find out...
Isaac Marion's debut novel will forever change the way you think of zombies. In a matter of
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pages, I had almost forgotten that R was one. (And no, he's not some hot guy who just happens to be deceased. He groans and shambles.)The set-up to this novel is so well done that I bought in instantly. Instead of seeing R and his kind as "zombies" and the living as "people" I found it easy to subscribe to R's worldview. Zombies are the Dead. Everyone else is Living. Pulse or not, they are all human.
That was what amazed me about this book. Believability was never an issue. Through R and Julie's friendship it became easy to see both sides as a struggle for survival. The curse is at fault. It is the root cause of R's condition and Julie's misery. It has ruined the world they share and made for a bleak existence.
The world and characters Marion has created force you as a reader to question what makes us human. Is it as simple as a state of being? Is the ability to articulate and outwardly express emotion what defines us as people? Does having a pulse make you any more or less human?
Well, read it and find out...
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-10-01
Physical description
256 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
147671746X / 9781476717463