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)

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.

Literary Limbo-ing

A GOOD dystopian read, including some of those inhabited by *reconstituted beings*,the zompirepocalypse reads (i.e. I Am Legend, World War Z, The Strain,only book one--) is one of the hardest books to find, in my opinion, and one of the most fun. I loved The Road; Dog Stars will always be my favorite, there's Alas Babylon, Brave New World, Hunger Games, The Handmaid's Tale,...take me away dystopia. But I draw the line pretty sharply between GOOD and HOKEY ( a few hokey limbo-ing under the pole/line occasionally).

This book was suggested to me, I took one look at the cover and muttered to myself, "yeah, sure." But then I scrolled through my library and saw the jacket for Patient Zero, which I liked something awful. We never judge books by their covers....Reapers was a great surprise -- not so much about the *reconstituted* (aka *zombies*) at all, but more of a philosophical survival story western style, with a heart. Young Temple is anything but polished, born into a time that has always known the *meatskins*, danger, survival, and almost self-raised, or feral. Her survivalist nomadic life is interrupted when she saves a lumbering gentle giant that is mentally challenged and unable to speak. The narrator handles these one-sided discussions aimed at the wall of a man with warmth and heart--Temple talks about her own moral judgements, memories, and losses during her brief but difficult life, as the two of them embark on a quest Temple feels honor bound to see to the end. One of the bigger surprises was the quality of writing--really nicely done with some touching insights. Personally, I enjoyed this more than Cronin's Passage books (and it's only 7 hrs. long - and $9 on sale!) *but will refrain from final judgement on that until the series wraps. Whether you are looking for a little diversion before diving into Moby Dick (couldn't pass it up at $9.66), or tired of looking up pictures of cute puppies while you anxiously await the re-release of the expanded World War Z, you just might find this a pleasantly unpleasant book to spend time with. (BTW check out the Tibetan Mastiff puppy!)

More Than Just Another Zombie Tale

Turns out zombie stories can be more than gory 2D character, plot-driven action or parody add-ons to classic tales. Bell has written a story where the living dead are both real and metaphor. If you???re looking for action or parody, you can miss the richness of the metaphors and the mirrors: life and death, male and female, civilized and uncivilized, rule-bound and chaotic, care-giver and cared-for, father and daughter, god and godless.

Temple is a 15 year old girl who cannot remember her parents. She remembers living in an orphanage for awhile, but then it was overrun by zombies. For a long time she lived in the wild with a younger boy who may have been her brother. They lived with a kindly man for a few years until he was bitten by a zombie. Now the younger boy is gone and Temple wanders post-apocalyptic North America with a dignity and morality so often missing in stories of survival and the decay of civilization.

Sadly, for all the good Temple is and does, she thinks herself evil and seeks redemption. Temple is able to take care of herself against the best of enemies with all the skills heroes possess. She still has a vulnerability, a child-like quality, an innocence that caused her to be vulnerable to self-retribution that pained me and invited me to worry for, care for her and feel protective of the zombie slayer.

The richness of this story is not just in contrast to the usual thinness of these stories. It is a stand alone masterpiece that will mostly go unappreciated only because of the genre to which it???s been relegated. Too bad. It???s a rich emotional adventure described by Publishers Weekly as ???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.???

AMAZING

I suspect those who will dislike this book, and the reviewer who panned it, are looking for the typical zombie action story - with loads of gore and action and maybe a bit of medical/scientific explanation of what zombies are... Hasn't that been thoroughly explored and enacted though in loads of other zombie fiction? It is troubling how "zombie" seems to imply all kinds of required stereotypes and expectations that limit what the story can be.

Fortunately, this, like many other great stories featuring zombies, is not a slave to those expecations and stereotypes. It has its share of action and intrigue and mysteries and it is an amazing survival story, but more than that, is a deeply philosophical tale, and a psychological exploration of hope, loneliness, alienation, grief, loss and perserverance. The characters are truly compelling and well explored and developed, and some of the relationships are truly profound. There are no easy, simple, predictable good guys and bad guys, but rather complex human beings in an inconceivable scenario making what htey can of it. It is a very intriguing and intelligent exploration, but at the same times, a very entertaining and fast moving tale. The main character is absolutely amazing.

I was riveted to the story, and think it is a real accomplishment. It moves along very nicely too, is never boring, never gets bogged down, and progresses with purpose toward an amazing resolution. I highly recommend it.

Not your grandma's zombies

I was very pleasantly surprised by this story. First, the narrator was perfect. The story, against all logic moved right along and held my interest. I'm an avid fan apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic/dystopian/speculative fiction. The angle this author chose was challenging and inspired. I am NOT, as a rule, a fan of zombies in general; (I find there are too many of them in public office of late) but, if you, too, aren't fan, don't let that put you off this title. It's unusual and thought-provoking.

Zombies meet fallout

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

Surprise! Not a mindless zombie apocalypse novel

I am blown away by this book. I think this is considered YA and I typically have a difficult time with the language and general immaturity of of characters in YA novels, but this book is VERY different. The young protagonist, Temple, is just 15, but has lived on her own for years since zombies attacked her orphanage as a young girl. Temple was born after the world was taken over by Zombies 25 years prior, so this is the only life she knows. Temple has a shocking maturity level for her age, but most of all she retains a surprising sympathy towards the slugs (zombies), even though they have killed loved ones in the past.

This book is not your mindless zombie apocalypse novel, it is full of substance and philosophy-most definitely a worthy read.

7.5 hours ago, I was against book burning.

I hate this book so much. God I hate this book. It's got everything you never would have asked for: an illiterate 15 year old girl statutory-raping a 25 year old army veteran, at least 3 different male characters in their mid-thirties with nearly identical personalities and descriptions who idolize this child for her ability to...be sassy sometimes? The girl also has frequent, lengthy inner monologues "about life" that would make even an 8th grade Wattpad writer cringe. I'm glad I only spent a free credit on this book instead of money, but I'll forever regret the hours of my life I let it take from me.

P.s. 4 stars for Tai Sammons' reading, though. Her performance was fine and I'm sure it somehow hurt her more to recite this abomination than it did for me to hear it.

Very Entertaining

This is a story about resilience, survival in the apocalypses, and a
pandemic turned to zombie infestation. Now those serve as a background
and unlike other zombie or apocalyptic novels, the characters have
internalize their fate and stories are more about living than
surviving.

A philosophy of life blossoms under the most dreadful and depressing
circumstances very moving with amusing moments as well as sad and
terrifying ones.

Very satisfying.

Favorite book

This is my favorite novel of all time & I loved it! I originally read it years ago & fell in love with the story & characters. I'm so glad I got to revisit it in audio form & revamp my love for this book.