Warm Bodies: A Novel

Isaac Marion

Apr 2011 · The Warm Bodies Series Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

“Gruesome yet poetic…highly original.” —The Seattle Times
“Dark and funny.” —Wired
“A mesmerizing evolution of a classic contemporary myth.” —Simon Pegg
“A strange and unexpected treat…elegantly written, touching, and fun.” —Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife
“Has there been a more sympathetic monster since Frankenstein’s?” —Financial Times

In Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion’s New York Times bestselling novel that inspired a major film, a zombie returns to humanity through an unlikely encounter with love.

“R” is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

Ratings and reviews

Imagine you are in the head of a zombie. You hunger, you moan, you go about routines, and you search for something. Wow, this book takes you there and it's not at all what you would expect. Yes, they is the eating of flesh/brains and the rotting, but there is also desire for more. they can't remember how they became, nor their old lives. The living are few and killing them at every chance. Everyone is in survivor mode, there has been no time for discovering what this new existence is. Till "R" eats a brain that takes him down a road of revelations that change everything. His friend "M" is a favorite character and steals several scenes. I loved, loved, loved this book. I found myself cheering for the zombies, I really liked them.

Writing a book with "mythical" creatures is always a hard job. One of the reasons is because there aren't any official documents stating how they should act or look like. As a result, we always end up going for what is the most "popular" view. In my own concept, zombies are nothing more than walking corpses with only the utmost primary function of the brain still functioning, and that would be the need for feeding, regardless of the methods and obstacles. That being said, I will state that even though the book was well-written, it didn't reach half of my expectations. I respect the author's decision to write a romance with a zombie as one of the members of the party and I do have an idea of how hard it must be to make it plausible for the readers. The thing is that in my opinion some concepts should not be broken. Vampires suck blood. Werewolves are humans turning into wolves-like monsters. And zombies are dead people. They are putrefying bodies. They don't look "nice". They have the stench of a corpse. They can't talk, they can't communicate because the cells responsible for the diction are probably no longer functional. If a zombie can talk or have dreams or desires, then the creature is simply no longer a zombie. Perhaps this was the biggest "mistake" of the book. The story itself is not strong. There are no particularly elaborated conflicts or intrigues. It's another teenage romance. In this case, ANY other creature would have made it better. Spirits, mutants, beings from other planets or even a new kind of humanoid monster. They would have made a better story. Maybe the fact that the definition of what is a "zombie" is what didn't make this book so easy to accept. How can you take it seriously when the said "zombie" can even drive a car? Nice romantic story. Well-written, nothing too deep that will want to make you think about the mysteries of humanity. But not my style.

I wasn't sure about reading this book because usually zombies freak me out, but the cover intrigued me, and then I read the first paragraph, and then I couldn't put it down, it is such an enthralling read, I found myself identifying and sympathizing with R and wanting his love for Julie to transform him back to the living. So much of this book spoke to me, how we become zombies, dead to our existence and forget to live to breathe and be involved in our own lives. It helps that R loves Sinatra and the eloquent writing style of Isaac Marion just envelopes you in a warm embrace and you can't help but loose yourself in the story. Loved it, can't wait to see if it's turned into a movie. Very moving, emotional and even though sole parts are gross, I found myself entranced anyways! Must read!!!!

About the author

Isaac Marion grew up in the mossy depths of the Pacific Northwest, where he worked as a heating installer, a security guard, and a visitation supervisor for foster children before publishing his debut novel in 2010. Warm Bodies became a #5 New York Times bestseller and inspired a major Hollywood film adaptation. It has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Isaac lives in Seattle with his cat and a beloved cactus, writing fiction and music, and taking pictures of everything. Visit IsaacMarion.com for more on these endeavors.