Review: Warm Bodies

Goodreads

Have you guys heard about this movie or the book?  Well recently I heard about the movie while trolling the internet late at night and when I realized there was a book I had to read it.  A trip to the amazon site and a few days later I was flying through this page turner called Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.

I haven't read that many zombie books despite their popularity.  The blood and gore doesn't really bug me I just haven't picked up the zombie genre.  Now I think this might change.  Warm Bodies throws a twist in the zombie books by allowing the zombie to narrate the story.  This adds a new perspective that I had really never thought of.  It turns out zombies don't just want brains they have them.

R is a great character and you immediately fall in love with him.  Even though he spends most of his time attacking and eating humans he is surprisingly human.  He is funny and insightful which is a characteristic I would not expect in a zombie.  In the end R's narrative/thoughts makes the novel. I mean when do we get to be in the mind of the monster?  That is right hardly ever.

The book is also a good mixture of young adult and adult material.  While the writing is pretty simple the questions the book raises are adult in nature.  There were certain lines that had me sighing because of their beauty.  The characters are also in that precarious age between childhood and adulthood making them relatable to both age groups.  It is nice to find a book that bridges this gap.

Now I must comment on the world.  So often I find myself reading books that take place far into the future, and I am unable to pick out the pieces of my world from the rubble.  This isn't always a bad thing, but I feel it makes it more realistic to build upon what is left from our world.  Marion's world is recognizable.  You can see where our world has decayed and been replaced.  Maybe it is my fascination with the history of dystopian societies but I love to see how my world has been changed.

The only thing I wish was explained more fully in this book was the reasoning behind the zombies.  I am a science person and I like to know the science behind the books.  I wish Marion had added some more details about how the zombies became, well, zombies.  Other than this the book was a fun read.  The gore was not overwelming, which might upset some people, but I think it makes the book more accepted by other audiences.  Overall, a great read and I strongly recommend it.

Oh and here is a look at the trailer!