The Reapers Are the Angels

By: Alden Bell

Narrated by: Tai Sammons

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

For 25 years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can’t remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her off on her personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulted remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

©2010 Alden Bell (P)2010 Blackstone Audio

Critic reviews

“Bell (a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, author of Hummingbirds) has created an exquisitely bleak tale and an unforgettable heroine whose eye for beauty and aching need for redemption somehow bring wonder into a world full of violence and decay.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Haunting

Probably one of my all-time favorite books. I wouldn't call it a zombie novel, really. It's definitely post apocalyptic--maybe even post post apocalyptic. But to be honest it's much more than that. It's a story of humanity. Of vengeance and death and sorrow. But also of life, beauty, and compassion. The writing is beautifully haunting and poetic and the narrator has done a fantastic job conveying the emotions and lyrical quality of the writing.

If you're looking for a typical zombie novel with blood and guts and violence and adventure, I'd look elsewhere (though this book does have all of that, too). If you're looking for something different, any kind of different, I'd give this book a try.

Very Cool

This book would make an amazing film. May be my favorite zombie book. The story moves quickly but doesn’t seem to rush each scenario. Don’t want to give anything away in my review so I’ll just say this isn’t an ordinary zombie tale and that’s why I like it so much. It’s like zombies and fallout and “no country for old men” mixed together. Some reviews don’t like the amount of resources still available in the world after 25 of the apocalypse but that doesn’t bother me. Perhaps things we’re built to last in this reality. So many died so quickly much was left for survivors. Anyway. Good story.

Excellent

There are few things scarier than a post-apocalyptic world where the dead rise from their graves and humanity struggles to survive. Alden Bell’s The Reapers Are The Angels takes readers on a journey through such a hellscape. It’s a story of survival and redemption told through the eyes of a young girl named Temple.

Bell set the novel in an undetermined future where a mysterious virus has decimated much of the world’s population and turned them into the undead. Temple, born after the apocalypse, knows nothing but this bleak existence. She’s a survivor, tough and resourceful, who has evaded the dangers of the world while traveling alone.

On her journey through the ruins of America, Temple encounters various characters, some friendly and some hostile. Her interactions with these characters shape her journey and help her understand the world around her. One of the notable characters she meets is Maury, a disabled man who becomes close to her. Their relationship is heartwarming and adds a layer of humanity to the story.

The Reapers Are The Angels explores the human condition and the meaning of life in a world where death is all around. Bell’s writing style is poetic, and his descriptions of the landscape are vivid and haunting. He captures the atmosphere of a dying world with precision and beauty.

The novel isn’t without its flaws, however. Some parts of the story feel rushed, and there are loose ends that are not tied up. These minor shortcomings, however, don’t detract from the overall experience of the novel.

The Reapers Are The Angels is a must-read for anyone who loves post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s a haunting and beautiful novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Temple’s journey is one of survival and redemption. And the ending kicks you right in the gut.

I wish this book was three times as long

We've been inundated with zombie stories over the past few years, and I've read a lot of derivative, not especially interesting stuff. So I give Alden Bell credit for putting together a well-written story with a couple of fantastic characters. This book sucked me right in, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

I understand the complaint that the world of this book is not entirely sketched out. Clearly the author didn't set out to write that particular story, though I wish he would have. The story is instead focused on a young girl who has grown up in this zombie infested world and kind of accepts it as her reality. If you want some long, epic book about the end of the world, you can always check out Stephen King's THE STAND or Cronin's THE PASSAGE.

If you've read THE HUNGER GAMES or any of that trilogy and enjoyed it, I would recommend this book to you. The main character reminds me some of that book's heroine. Although fair warning, this is not a YA title and has some graphic, gruesome stuff in it.

This is probably really a four star book in my opinion. But I thought the only other review on here was so wildly off base, I wanted to give it the full five stars and encourage people to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised how good this was and really wished it would have gone on longer.

I learned something

This book is amazing. It's not so much a zombie book as they are barely in the periphery of the story as it is a story centered around the wonderfully written female character Temple and her journey of survival & self-discovery.
What I loved about Temple was her intelligence despite her lack of any sort of formal education, her fierce nature that has allowed her to thrive in a world where everyday is a struggle to survive, her positive attitude and hard-won wisdom in spite of it all. She's a character that is so well-written as to be completely believable and convincing unlike so many others in other series that are so bad-ass and competent as to be unrealistic. And I loved her for her unyielding sense of morality, her desire to do right by others while being stunned by her ability to see what's really important in life and still discover a measure of beauty in the world regardless of all the death surrounding her.
It was also nice and refreshing to finally see that a good number of good, decent people can exist in a (fictional) post-apocalyptic world as opposed to the over-abundance of looters/bandits/etc depicted in most other books of the same genre that take over the ruined landscape and continuously prey on the handful of decent folk trying to eke out a living.
And finally, the narration. Tai Sammons did a fantastic job by managing to sound both youthful and wise at the same time while voicing Temple as well being able to deliver convincing male performances. She even sung 2 short songs which is a first for me amongst the many audio books that I've listened to and she did a great job at both.

Great book!!

wow!! the narration was fantastic, the book was fabulous. I just loved it !!! wow!!!

Zombies meet fallout

Not your typical zombie novel...it had feelings of the video game Fallout about it. Narrator did a great job.

One of the best zombie novels

How is this not a movie!? This is such a good novel. The characters are compelling, the plot is evenly paced and genuinely interesting. I have recommended this to anyone who likes the zombie books or other post-apocalyptic stories. Very satisfying.

Different but worth the listen

Not the typical zombie story. I like typical zombie reads. This was worth a listen though because it was such a change of pace. Sometimes had the cadence of, I don’t know…a musical…with no music. A bit wordy sometimes. A lot of inner monologue. But a couple of the characters are interesting enough to be worthy of some development. The main character is interesting enough that you want to know what’s in her head. Don’t know if I’d want a series of it. But pretty strong on its own.

I loved it.

The narrator did a good job. I wish she had not died though. But happy Murray is taken care of.