Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion
ISBN-13: 9781439192313
ISBN-10: 1439192316
Publisher: Atria Books
Date: April 2011
Page Count: 256
Advance copy received from publisher for honest review.
Book Synopsis
A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly 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, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving. (Goodreads)
Review
When I got an email request asking if I’d like to review Warm Bodies, I have to admit I was very skeptical. The synopsis sounded interesting and even though there was the mention of ‘eating brains’, I was still intrigued. Since I’ve never read a ‘zombie’ book before and not being sure if I’d like it or not, I decided that I’d give it a try. I didn’t want to say, “No, zombies aren’t for me.” before I even gave the story a chance.
So I started the first page, and then the second, and the third, and before I knew it I was 50 pages in. I couldn’t put this book down and when I wasn’t reading I was constantly thinking about it. Isaac Marion blew me away with this story. He was able to describe this crazy world so vividly. To the point that I could almost feel myself standing in the abandoned airport, roaming around with the zombies and riding the escalator back and forth just to pass the time away. Details, it’s all in the details and Marion knows just how to get you ‘in’ the story.
I also loved reading this from “R’s” point of view. He’s the main character and a zombie. He’s different than the other zombies. There’s a little spark of reasoning that’s inside of him, telling him he doesn’t want to live this way. But also throw in the fact that the last brain R eats keeps giving him flashes of past memories of their life, which are cherished by R. As he tries to learn from them, he connects with the victim’s girlfriend and together they work at changing the course of everyone’s existence.
I never knew one could grow an attachment for a zombie, but I sure did. I was rooting for R the whole way, even when he “accidently” rips someone’s throat out. Weird, yes… Did I care? Not so much, and I think that has to do with Marion, and his wonderful way of writing. He makes all these feelings and emotion seep out of the page and makes you feel the same emotions.
I was fascinated by this story, and the ending was about as perfect as its chaotic world would allow. Warm Bodies will be a book that stays in my thoughts for a long time.
I absolutely 100 percent recommend this book to everyone. Even if zombies aren’t for you, give it a shot. It’s definitely worth the effort!!