• Warm Bodies

  • A Novel
  • By: Isaac Marion
  • Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
  • Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,174 ratings)

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Warm Bodies  By  cover art

Warm Bodies

By: Isaac Marion
Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
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Editorial reviews

"Narrator Kevin Kenerly helps, too, especially since a large part of the narrative takes place inside R’s head, detailing his thoughts and feelings in an articulate, lyrical way that he’s unable to express via his extremely limited zombie vocabulary. Kenerly’s somewhat hushed tones draw the listener in right away, when R has yet to meet Julie and is instead just one more anonymous member of the undead, shuffling around an abandoned airport and occasionally venturing into the nearest city to feast on the flesh of the living. R’s musings about the end of the world and what it means to be a zombie have a stark and beautiful immediacy, and Kenerly gives them all the power and reverence they deserve." (Josh Bell)

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)

Featured Article: Mmmm, Brains...Satisfy Your Cravings with the 20 Best Zombie Audiobooks Ever


Zombies have been a potent cultural force for decades. Something about the concept of a ragtag crew of survivors facing off against endless masses of shuffling brain-munchers really seems to speak to people! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of zombie-themed stories out there. But which ones are the very best? And which zombie audiobooks will have you double-checking the locks and sleeping with a baseball bat next to your bed?

What listeners say about Warm Bodies

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

This review is from a hard core Zombie fan.
I enjoy gory, sadistic, and terror driven zombie and apocalyptic books. I did not think I was going to enjoy this book and put off listening to it for a while. I finally broke down (ran out of Zombie books to listen to) and began to listen. I was amazed, SHOCKED, and totally hooked from the first paragraph to the very last word. I have fallen in love with the characters, even the dead ones. I could not stop listening. I believe this book would make a GREAT blockbuster movie. A MUST LISTEN FOR ALL ZOMBIE FANS!!!!

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible!

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

I've never read anything remotely similar.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Kenerly – was your favorite?

R

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It definitely had me laughing!

Any additional comments?

I loved this book!! My most unique read so far, I'd say. I loved R's mind and thinking process. He was so sweet. Isaac Marion did an excellent job. I loved hearing his progression throughout the book.

This was my first Zombie book, so I can't compare it to others. However, I never thought I'd like a book about zombies let alone love one. In my opinion, the ending was just a tad bit weak.

I wholeheartedly recommend listening to this book rather than reading the print edition. The narrator was incredible. You could tell he put a lot of hard work into reading it. I'm sure it wouldn't have been quite the same reading it for myself. Anyways, awesome!

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

That's a Terrible Plan, Okay Let's Go

IT'S A SHITTY WORLD AND SHIT HAPPENS,BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BATH IN SHIT.
The first three hours of this book is some of the best listening I have done this year. The story is from the respective of a Zombie. It is cool to hear how a Zombie thinks and what his life is like. The narrator speaks in a kind of a hush whisper which adds to the ambiance of the story. The prose is pretty cool, such as describing the spray of blood from a man's throat as citrus spray.

TINKERBELL STREET
After about three hours Marion runs out of new things to say and new perspectives, so he takes a lesson from Edgar Rice Burroughs and has this huge chase scene. The prose starts to sound a lot like the teenage rambling in Shatter Me. HE HAD A VOICE LIKE STEEL MELTING. Really, how actually does that sound. The narrator continues to talk in a hushed whisper and I am starting to get irritated with him, I would put him on fast play, but then I can't make out what he is saying as I tool down the highway in my big truck. As the book goes on, I am getting more and more annoyed with the lack of story and the monotone narration. You can not make as much money on a short story as you can a novel, so Marion writes on. He self published this in 2010 and he is still working on the sequel, that should tell you something about his creative skills.

ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD, IT HARDLY MATTERS WHAT ROUTE TOOK YOU THERE.
The narrator should be locked in a room and made to listen to his own low whispering monotone voice for eight hours and then taken to the funny farm.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Zombies with emotions...it's weird and wonderful!

I am not a big fan of zombie stories (with the exception of the Walking Dead). I decided to get this book based on all the good reviews on Audible. I am so glad I did!!! This story was so unique and so captivating. It's both weird and wonderful. I've never read anything like it. Kudos to both Issac Marion for writing such a rich and enthralling story and to Kevin Kenerly for bringing it to life with his amazing performance. 5 Stars all around!!!

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You will cheer for the zombies!

This story follows a zombie who is called ‘R’ because he can’t remember his whole name. While he is on his quest for brains he comes across a young man and starts eating his brain. R is able to pick up this man’s memories of his girlfriend, Julie. R finds Julie and decides to keep her instead of eating her brain. This sets off a chain reaction of events that will change everything.

This is a great zombie story and I loved it! Issac Marion’s story has a Chuck Palanick feel to it. Although R is a zombie, you can’t help starting to like him and want him to take over the world! If you read one zombie story, it should be this one. You will never think of zombies the same ever again!

The Narration Review
This book was narrated by Kevin Kenerly. He has the perfect voice for this zombie story. You never know what to expect with zombie-speak, but he did a good job of portraying them.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

This was...OK

Would you try another book from Isaac Marion and/or Kevin Kenerly?

Probably not.

Has Warm Bodies turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I generally like zombie books. I'm a fan of the genre, and I was excited about this new twist on the typical storyline. It was a little too juvenile for me. The teen romance parts undermined the philosophical moments R has throughout. The scene with zombie "sex" was also pretty weird.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The voice was a little whispery, which sometimes enhanced the work, but it also made it slow and it conveyed a tone that didn't always seem to fit. The voice shift for Julie was particularly difficult to enjoy.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I think R has a lot of thoughts about what it means to live as a human. These moments are pretty deep, and I enjoyed them.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice, but not quite as nice as the movie.

I know not everyone liked the movie quite as much as I did, but the characters in the book felt just a little rough around the edges in terms of coherence. There were a number of small things that I felt the movie improved upon, minor differences in the world and the zombies that made it work together a bit more smoothly. An example being that the zombies in the book come across as too human and the movie ones more primal and what you would expect of a zombie. It is a bit odd they were coherent enough to form a simplistic religion while some even had trouble with the concept of what a name is.

The narrator did a good performance overall and nice voice work for the characters, I just don't feel his voice sounded like the best choice for this particular book. He does this breathy whisper that came across ill-suited and took me out of the experience on occasion.


I hope the negatives in my review dont put anyone off, because the book is still a fun, unique listen and I had an enjoyable time with it.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great Narrator, Decent story but slow.

What did you love best about Warm Bodies?

Isaac Marion is a killer voice actor.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less introspection?

Which character – as performed by Kevin Kenerly – was your favorite?

Whatever the black chic's name was and M.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

The only thing reviewers really should post is their love and hate list so you know who to listen to.

Love:Author Robert Cormier, Author David Sedaris, Author Augusten Bourroughs,Laura Hillenbrand. Book The Gargoyle, The posionwood bible, memoirs of a geisha, the help, water for elephants, The five people you meet in heaven, Ghost boy, The great book of amber, UNBROKEN (all time fav), A midnight clear...you get the idea.

Books I hate: A million Little pieces (or tiny or whatever). Here is my impression of that book, are you ready? This and that and this and this and he and she and and and and. Dear God the whole thing is one giant run-on sentence. 50 shades of sad horny housewife. The "author" could have been a 13 year old boy. Wicked. I bought this excited to read it, it is covered in dust after I couldn't force myself to read any more.I think I left off on the witch going down on the scarecrow or something.

Audible Books I love: World war Z (Alan Alda is in it!) Girl at the end of the world (best audible book i've heard and I wish it was a series) The body of Christopher Creed (Even though the narrator doesn't get teenage colloquialisms) Ghost boy, Warm Bodies (GREAT narrator but almost boring plot. No buyer's remorse though)

Audible Books I HATE: Following Christopher Creed. The narrator is horrible, just horrible. No segway from one character to another, all voiced the same without so much as a change in inflection. Can't follow along. The curious incident of the dead dog. Good narrator, horrible overkill of tangents designed to create empathy for the main character's disability.The entire plot, if written without the gaps of pages long tangents would be maybe 3 pages. Bad Games. Here is a QUOTE from this 5 star best seller "There was one undeniable truth (they) couldn't deny..." Need I say more? If that doesn't make you want to call the editor then ignore everything I have said, you and I have no business.

Lastly, my guilty pleasures audible books: The cat who series by Lillian whatever whatever. The books are stupid, the author tried too hard to show versatility in her writing and ends up being transparent in her overuse of a thesaurus, the narrator does a good job with different voices but rushed dialogue and the cat worship makes me roll my eyes BUT these are like meatloaf with gravy or macaroni and cheese. You know they are bad but they are so comforting and cozy you don't care. These are great insomnia listens. I hope that helps

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I was surprised and a bit blown away

Ok, zombie Romeo and survivor Juliet kind of story. I expected to be kind of cheesy and I had low expectations for this book.

I did not expect to be in awe of the words, the flow... It was like music or wind. This was not the next War and Peace or anything but I absolutely loved it.

I loved R and his eloquent inner monologues.

“Are my words ever actually audible, or do they just echo in my head while people stare at me, waiting? I want to change my punctuation. I long for the exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.” - R

If you're on the fence, I'd say go ahead and give it a try.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

a nice change

I don't really like a lot of zombie stories, mainly because I like happy endings and don't like characters getting killed, and those preferences don't tend to mesh with the zombie genre. But I saw the movie based on this book a while back, so when this book was on sale at one point, I picked it up.

It was an enjoyable book. The main difference between the book and the movie is that the movie was a pretty light romantic comedy take, but the book is much less funny and more philosophical. Both are interesting and different takes on zombies, but they definitely come at the same basic story from slightly different angles.

I'd recommend this for a listen, though I doubt I'll need to re-read it at any point. I'll probably just watch the movie again, because I think I preferred the movie's more humorous angle.

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5 people found this helpful