Book: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Why I Read It: My little sister loves romance movies and I love zombie books, so this was the perfect entertainment for us to share. We agreed to read the book and then see the movie together.
First Line: "I'm dead, but it's not so bad."
First Impression: Huh. I am genuinely surprised by how funny this guy is. I'm liking the zombie sense of humor.
Last Impression: Oh, so close! There was a great idea here but just not enough follow through. They keep saying they are going to change the world, but have no ideas, no direction and no clue that it is already happening.
Ratings
Overall – 3 Resting Heart Rate As a huge zombie fan, this felt like a combination of the movies Fido and Wasting Away, with a little bit of Shaun of the Dead sprinkled in. I love the dialogue about humanity. What makes us human? Is it the desire to connect with one another or the blood in our veins? Here it's the desire to connect and embracing the idea that love can heal all wounds; even being undead. It's not on the same level as other zombie texts, such as World War Z, but it's playful and unique.
Characters – 4 The main character, R the zombie, is definitely a 5 for me, but Julie, her father and other main characters were 2s and 3s, so we're settling on 4. R is an engaging, funny and refreshing protagonist. Everyone else is mainly around to keep him company.
Story – 3 The story was a bit typical for the zombie overridden post apocalyptic world. She's the daughter of the deranged general running the zombie-free zone, he's a zombie. It's not stretching very far beyond the typical tragic archetypes, but it works.
Narration – 4 I loved the language. I was not expecting much in terms of elegant phrasing from a teenage zombie love story, but Marion continually surprised me. The tone was somber yet light-hearted and felt genuine. The main character, R, related social faux pas, the daily routine, and emotional experiences of the zombie world.
Read Again? No. There is only enough substance for one read through, but it was a great read.
Tell Others to Read? If they are zombie or romance fans, yes. If not, then no.
Excerpt: "No one I know has any specific memories. Just a vague, vestigial knowledge of a world long gone. Faint impressions of past lives that linger like phantom limbs. We recognize civilization - buildings, cars, a general overview - but we have no personal role in it. No history. We are just here. We do what we do, time passes, and no one asks questions. But like I've said, it's not so bad. We may appear mindless, but we aren't The rusty cogs of cogency still spin, just geared down and down till the outer motion is barely visible. We grunt and groan, we shrug and nod, and sometimes a few words slip out. It's not that different from before.
But it does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are."
Excerpt content property of Simon and Schuster.
No comments:
Post a Comment