Warm Bodies

A Novel

By: Isaac Marion

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

R is a young man with an existential crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. His ability to connect with the outside world is limited to a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend, Julie.

Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His choice to protect her will transform not only R but his fellow Dead and perhaps their whole lifeless world. Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies explores what happens when the cold heart of a zombie is tempted by the warmth of human love.

©2011 Isaac Marion (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“I never thought I could care so passionately for a zombie. This story stayed with me long after I was done reading it.” (Stephenie Meyer, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Twilight series)

Hidden gem!

I love the whole zombie genre and saw this movie for that reason alone. I really wasn’t impressed with the screenplay, though I did like the actors. When I by chance saw a paperback copy of the book at my favorite thrift store I grabbed it not even knowing it was based on the book. So it was with VERY low expectations I started the book and was immediately blown away at how beautifully it is written! The screenplay does NOT do the writing justice. I was floored and devoured the book in less than 24 hours. The same is true of the audiobook. It’s a love story between a human and zombie and is so well written that you get wrapped up in the somewhat silly storyline and don’t even notice it. I have never been so impressed or surprised by a book and always recommend it as one of my favorite hidden gems. The book is performed well though the narrator does struggle with the different characters and zombie “dialects” but it’s not enough to detract from the words. I am convinced that this story is so well written that it simply cannot be diminished by anything.

Loved the movie, but the book was better.

I loved the characters and knowing more of the story. I missed so much with the movie that I wanted to know and I'm glad I listened to this to make sure I knew the whole thing. i know they have a sequel, but I wish they expanded the ending to this one a bit more. The narration was great.

okay

last few hours made it worth the listen. Starts of extremely slow but picks up about half way

Interesting read

The one thing I ce a complaint about is the "teenager" mentality of the book. But the concepts and R's contemplations about humanity are very interesting. Love it!

Book is deeper than the movie

If you could sum up Warm Bodies in three words, what would they be?

Cherish Life

What other book might you compare Warm Bodies to and why?

None. I've never run into a book about zombies from the zombies perspective that wasn't someone turning into a zombie and losing their mind and humanity. This is opposite. very Cerebral. Pun not intended.

What does Kevin Kenerly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings the voice of R. He make are, for lack of a better term, come alive and be a distinct voice instead of a boring narration.

Who was the most memorable character of Warm Bodies and why?

R of course . Gives us a really idea of what it might be like to exist as a zombie and if capable of thought why they don't just die.

Any additional comments?

I biased because I liked the movie and saw it first, but I ended up liking the book more in a lot of ways since it discussed things we didn't have time to delve into in the movie. Also the ending is a little less happy ending and more uncertain, but still ... sorry no spoilers. Buy it.

A new favorite of mine

This has everything i love to read-dystopian with humor, written like an action packed poem. gruesome and sweet, im off to listen again.

Outstanding

I absolutely loved everything about this! From the story to the narration! It was fantastic!

Lots of potential, not as good as I had hoped.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I loved the idea of this story. I did not love the story itself. I felt the author let too many things go unanswered, and did not develop the characters as well as he could have. The story was good though, just not as good as I had hoped. The Romeo and Juliet feel was fun though, and I loved how he uses music as language. There were a lot of good parts to this book, it just left me wanting and feeling flat overall. Worth a read, but only if you have some time on your hands and want a different take on the zombies theme.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I did not care for the ending. I think the movie ending was a little better honestly, although I liked the book much more than the movie.

B&B with zombies

beauty and the beast with zombies. not bad but far from original. good for what it is.

Surprisingly enjoyable after having seen the movie

I enjoyed the movie (very cute, heartwarming), so I did not expect to enjoy the book (the surprise element being gone). I was wrong. Even though the two are nearly identical, the novel was still a fun listen. The narrator is excellent. The story is still endearing the second time around.