Showing posts with label Warm Bodies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warm Bodies. Show all posts

Friday, June 9, 2023

Book Review: "Warm Bodies" by Isaac Marion: A Refreshingly Unique and Heartwarming Zombie Love Story



Isaac Marion's "Warm Bodies" is a captivating and unconventional novel that breathes new life into the zombie genre. In this review, we will explore the innovative concept, engaging characters, and underlying themes of hope and redemption that make this book a standout in the realm of paranormal romance.

Review: "Warm Bodies" presents a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse, told from the perspective of R, a zombie who finds himself grappling with existential questions and an unexpected connection to a living girl named Julie. Set in a decaying world where the undead roam, Marion combines humor, romance, and introspection to craft a truly unique and memorable story.

One of the strengths of "Warm Bodies" is the skillful and imaginative execution of its central concept. Marion brings a fresh perspective to the zombie narrative, diving deep into the inner thoughts and emotions of R as he navigates his un-dead existence. Through R's first-person narrative, readers gain insight into the complexities of his newfound consciousness, his longing for connection, and his yearning to regain his humanity.

The character development in "Warm Bodies" is excellent. R's transformation from a mindless zombie to a complex and self-aware protagonist is a journey filled with growth and self-discovery. His interactions with Julie, a spirited and strong-willed survivor, propel the narrative forward and allow for an exploration of themes such as empathy, redemption, and the power of love.

Marion's writing style is engaging and filled with dark humor and introspection. His prose strikes a delicate balance between poignancy and levity, capturing both the bleakness of the post-apocalyptic world and the flickering hope that resides within it. The author's ability to inject humanity and emotional depth into a story about the undead is commendable and adds an extra layer of depth to the narrative.

While "Warm Bodies" is predominantly a paranormal romance, it also delves into deeper themes. The story touches upon the power of human connection, the transformative nature of love, and the capacity for redemption. Marion explores the idea that even in the darkest of times, there is room for growth, change, and the possibility of a brighter future.

However, some readers may find the pacing of the story to be a bit slow at times, particularly in the earlier parts of the novel. The focus on introspection and character development may detract from the urgency and action typically associated with the zombie genre. Nonetheless, the emotional depth and thematic exploration make up for the slower pace.

"Warm Bodies" is a refreshingly unique and heartwarming novel that breathes new life into the zombie genre. Isaac Marion skillfully blends elements of romance, humor, and introspection to create a story that challenges preconceptions and explores the enduring power of love and redemption. If you are seeking a thought-provoking and unconventional take on the paranormal romance genre, "Warm Bodies" is a must-read that will leave you rooting for the undead protagonist and questioning the boundaries of humanity.



Saturday, October 31, 2015

ZOMBIE CRAWL - Paint your face undead


I've always been a fan of the undead and the zombies created by Hollywood, even if they give me nightmares and prevent me from walking my dog after nightfall.  Each television show and movie has makeup artists that bring the undead to life. This task is both impressive and terrifying. One of my favorite zombie books was Warm Bodies. Of course, before I watched the movie, I read the book and fell in love with it. I knew this makeup artist had his work cut out for him. An undead James Dean, count me in!  Wondering how the makeup artists made R undead but still a little handsome? Watch below:





Don't forget to take a peek at the interview with Warm Bodies author Isaac Marion




Giveaway Details:

For a chance to win a Kindle eBook copy of THE NEW HUNGER by Isaac Marion
1. Share this blog post
2. Comment below
3. Share the Isaac Marion blog post AND leave a comment on the Isaac Marion blog post

Make sure you visit the rest of the participants of the ZOMBIE CRAWL in the links below!


z crawl schedule

Zombie Crawl 2 - Blog Party

October 22 - 31, 2015
How it works: Each day, the scheduled authors and bloggers will post awesome zombie-tastic content for your enjoyment along with a giveaway on their site/blog/page. You can hop around to all of the participating sites and enter as many giveaways as you like! If you would like to be emailed links to the new posts each day, join this Zombie Crawl Daily Digest list which will ensure you don't miss a post (or join the party on Facebook to get notifications). Make sure to leave comments and interact with the participating sites. Thanks for joining the party!

The Schedule:

OCTOBER 22 - Thursday
Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans (Party & Grand Prize Host) 
  Jo Michaels Blog (author) 
  Rissa Blakeley (author) 

OCTOBER 23 - Friday 
  Claire C. Riley (author) 
  2 Girls & A Book (blog) 
  Emily Shore (author) 

  OCTOBER 24 - Saturday 
  Kathy Dinisi (author) 
  Us Girls & A Book (blog) 
  The Voluptuous Book Diva (blog 18+) 
  

  OCTOBER 25 - Sunday 
  Casey L. Bond (author) 
  THE KATY blog (blog) 
  

  OCTOBER 26 - Monday 
  Saul Tanpepper (author) 
  Warren Fielding (author) 
  The Leighgendarium (blog) 
  

  OCTOBER 27 - Tuesday 
  Kody Boye (author) 
  Rhiannon Frater (author) 
  ER Arroyo (author) 

  OCTOBER 28 - Wednesday 
  Allen Gamboa (author) 
  Armand Rosamilia (author) 
  
  OCTOBER 29 - Thursday 
  Kate L. Mary (author) 
  aftershockzombieseries (author) 
  Eli Constant (author) 
  
  OCTOBER 30 - Friday 
  Aria Michaels (author) 
  Brian Parker (author) 
  
  OCTOBER 31 - Saturday 
  Cindy Carroll (author) 
  M. R. Pritchard (author) 
  Toni L.H. Boughton (author) 
  Digital Dirty Girl (blog)

To learn more about Band of Dystopian and/or to enter our Grand Prize Giveaway, visit BandofDystopian.com and don't forget to join the group on Facebook!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Please Welcome Isaac Marion author of WARM BODIES











Way back in 2013, I read WARM BODIES. It made me laugh out loud, it made me a little sad and it made my heart go pitter patter. Since then R's deepest thoughts have stuck with me and made me smile. So when the super awesome Isaac Marion said, "Heck yeah," to an interview, I was super pumped!

Let's see what Isaac had to say about reading, writing & Zombies!



1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Isaac Says: Cormac McCarthy because he probably knows about guns and he could intone bleak poems about our misery while we sit around the campfire. Miranda July because she could pacify the zombies with whimsical bittersweetness. Joseph Aguilar because he’s an old friend and I don’t want to spend the apocalypse hanging out with a bunch of creepy celebrities I’ve never met before.




2. I tend to write about my fears, and one of those fears is losing authors whose books I love. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first?
Isaac Says:  Stephen King, because I owe a good sized portion of my creative identity to him and he’s already had one brush with death; seems unfair for him to drown a few years later.




3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Isaac Says:  Currently in the middle of the above-mentioned Joseph Aguilar’s book of poetry and flash fiction, Half Out Where. Also Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Isaac Asimov’s The End of Eternity.




4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Isaac Says:  There is definitely no such book. I have a restless mind. There are maybe four or five books I’ve read twice, but that’s as far as I can go. The one that seems the most inviting to reread is probably Everything Matters by Ron Currie Jr.




5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Isaac Says:  Since you said this same thing in your interview with Andy Weir, I half expected you to tell me your favorite was Warm Bodies but it seems you’re speaking from the heart! Well, 2014 feels so achingly far away so I don’t know if I can even remember which books I read that particular year...I may be forgetting other favorites but Steppenwolf, by Hermann Hesse, springs to mind.
Meredith says: My favorite read from 2013 was "Warm Bodies." This blog held a placeholder for my Goodreads review of "Warm Bodies" in the top right-hand corner for almost 3 years :) I wish I had a screen shot to prove my love and dedication.



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Isaac Says:  Now this is easier. I don’t even know if this counts as a “book” but I read the complete works of H.P Lovecraft (I may have skipped one or two less essential tales) and it sent my mind screaming into an illimitable void of nameless gibbering horrors!




7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Isaac Says:  Immutability. My body can never be affected or altered by anything. This makes me invulnerable to everything: physical injury, disease, age, hunger, thirst--immortal and entirely self-sufficient. In this state I’d be able to explore every inch of the world and every activity in human life without any fear or urgency.




8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Isaac Says:  I do almost all of my writing at local coffee shops. I spend enough time home alone already; if I made it my workplace too, I’d go crazy. But I do tend to do my editing at home, since I’m more easily distracted while editing, and I do most of that on my back yard deck overlooking downtown Seattle.




9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from one of your books.
Isaac Says:  I’m probably biased by their freshness but my favorite scenes are definitely in my upcoming Warm Bodies novel, The Living. But since I can’t talk about those yet, I’d have to say it’s a scene in my short story “Jerry Lives Forever” (published in Tethered by Letters issue #7) when Jerry lives through the expansion of the sun and subsequent collapse of the universe. I really enjoy going all the way out there.




10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Isaac Says:  Sometimes in short stories I don’t make much effort to separate the narrator from myself, but in any of my novels, it’s never me. I guess R from Warm Bodies comes the closest, but he’s just one slice of my personality, or maybe my personality at a certain era in my life, long ago. Combine R with Perry and you come a little closer.




11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Isaac Says: My writing music is very different from what I’d listen to for pleasure. It has to be instrumental with fairly flat dynamics--no vocals and no big shifts in mood or intensity because that will throw me out of my head space. I have a playlist with a bunch of different songs for different moods, and I play whichever one matches the mood of the scene I’m trying to write--sad, bittersweet, triumphant, creepy, etc. A few that I come back to often are “Villa del Refugio” by This Will Destroy You, “Prospectors Arrive” by Jonny Greenwood, “Bookstore” by Jon Brion, “Lamb’s Breath” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and “An Ending (Ascent)” by Briaan Eno.
Meredith says: I think "Lamb's Breath" is going to give me nightmares, I could only listen to a tiny bit of that.



12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Isaac Says:  Don’t write “for an audience.” That leads to safe, impersonal, formulaic pandering. Don’t write “for yourself.” That leads to masturbatory noise that does nothing for anyone but you. Write to communicate. Write to connect to other minds and share something.



Connect with Isaac







About this author

Isaac Marion is a young hermit living in Seattle with his beard and his cat, starving, hysterical, naked. His first novel, WARM BODIES, was adapted into a film in 2013. A prequel novella, THE NEW HUNGER, will be released some time in 2015, and he is currently working on an absurdly ambitious concluding volume, which will hopefully be released late 2015 or early 2016. And he will let you in on a little secret: no one wrote this bio about him. He is writing it in third person, pretending to be some raving publicist or besotted fan for some reason of ancient and baffling literary convention. He is me. Hello, I'm Isaac, hello.


Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win a copy of THE NEW HUNGER!