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)

Fantastic!

The story was beautifully written, almost poetic. I really enjoyed the narration. I would recommend this to everyone!!

Just Okay

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found it hard to follow. I am thinking there wasn't enough pause time to indicate changes of thoughts.

Would you recommend Warm Bodies to your friends? Why or why not?

No, I wouldn't. It wasn't that great.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Kenerly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Kevin Kenerly before. I would definitely listen to him again. Very good.

Was Warm Bodies worth the listening time?

Not really.

The dead are more alive than the living

Where does Warm Bodies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the more entertaining audible books I've listened to, made me wish my 30 minute commute was longer.

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

I don't have a comparison that fits at this time. I was thoroughly entertained though. The pace was perfect.

What about Kevin Kenerly’s performance did you like?

Mr. Kenerly's carfeul distinction and characterization for multiple character voices created a rich, living, breathing canvas of personalities. His women's voices were seamless to the story line.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Romeo and Juliet in the post walking dead Zombie Apocolyptic aftermath with a surprisingly human and satisfactory ending. The old bard would be proud.

Any additional comments?

Wonderfully written story of humanity distilled to what makes us human at the end of the day when sitting at the end of the world.

Start from the beginning, with feeling.

A post-breakout introduction to a familiar but gruesomely changed landscape. A zombie who has thoughts and experiences but lacks the ability to express himself encounters a group of humans on a supply run. From there, the reader is introduced to the beginning of the end of the end. Romantic and curious, this book gets four stars due to the well written interaction. I rarely write five stars. I enthusiastically give Warm Bodies a four star rating.

never ceases to amaze

I've now listened to this 4 times. perfect mix of love and the macabre.

Extradordinary

Do not read this if you are looking for the usual shuffling, flesh eating, mindlessness of a zombie. If you want something unique from a zombie (reflection, reasoning, self-awareness and yes love) this story is for you. I will be honest, I did not like this at first. The first few minutes I regretted wasting a credit.

It was the narrative style that did not first appealed to me, then… . Yes I became hooked on the story. I could not put it down. It was different to find a zombie character that you could have hope for. I became enthralled with the metamorphose of the zombies.

A virus started the plague, not unusual, but the complacency of the zombies perpetuated the disease. In addition to nourishment from eating a human, a zombie also experienced a euphoria from the memories of the person when they ate their brains.

The catalyst for change began when R, a zombie ate a human, Peter’s brains. We watch R’s bafflement in his physical and emotional transformation based on Peter’s love of Julie. Their adventure begins a new world for humans and zombies. So this is about a hope for a new civilization.

This is a zombie story, which is not based on destruction of a species but the discovery of a new one and a new way of living.

The 1st book I immediately re-read!

Would you consider the audio edition of Warm Bodies to be better than the print version?

Yes. This is one I would say I liked more BECAUSE of the Narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. I loved the prose, the way R's thoughts were articulated through verse, the angsty refreshing vibrancy of Julie's character, the plot, and storyline, the humor (laugh out loud, chuckle, snort, giggle, etc.) and the relaxing narration by Kevin Kenerly. He nailed it.This book is hard to describe. It is complex for sure. Surprisingly.

Which scene was your favorite?

I actually cried during the scene where John Lennon's lyrics "Nothing's going to change my world..." were playing in the background while both main characters had realized that EVERYTHING about their world had changed.

If you could take any character from Warm Bodies out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Definitely Perry...I would ask if he would change anything knowing how everything turned out.

Any additional comments?

I REALLY got "into" this book. It is definitely not just some superficial teen zombie romance book. It is very emotional & a book lover's FEAST. More like a buffet. It has a little bit of everything. And of course, the humor, the youthful hope for a better world, the internal monologue of "R", and love "M"'s character too.MORE PLEASE, MR. Isaac Marion.

:-)

A whole new look at zombies!! You can't help but fall for R and his desire to be alive.

My favorite book of 2012

What Anne Rice did for vampires, I predict Isaac Marion will do for zombies. This book goes far beyond just zombie mayhem, but actually makes you take a deeper look at society and the end-of-the-world literature boom. I found myself hitting the 30-second repeat button on my iPod more times than I could count to re-listen to Marion's prose that border on the poetic mixed in with a smart, hopeful and nihilistic critique of current affairs of the world. This is one book I will probably listen to once year for the rest of my life (or until the world ends in zombie plague). I predict, if we survive to 2050, this book will emerge as a classic that have captured our 2012 ennui better than any novel written to date. Bravo Marion!

Very enjoyable!

Would you listen to Warm Bodies again? Why?

Yes, I probably will. It was fast paced and detailed and I felt like I got to know the characters and the universe. I enjoyed this a lot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I favored 'M', actually, he always made me smile when he appeared. The protagonists were great but the side characters made me want to know more.

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

I really liked the dialect he chose for Nora.