Warm Bodies Book Review

I'm so glad I've gotten around to writing this before the film adaptation is released in theaters! While I am not a staunch believer of reading originals before watching adaptations, I still believe that having experienced one format will influence the reception of the other. In other words, it is best for me to get this out of the way before I allow the film to "contaminate" my opinion of the book, so to speak.

I first heard of Warm Bodies while working at Barnes and Noble, attempting to find a copy for a customer. I usually don't read books about zombies, just watch TV shows and movies or read graphic novels about them, but I was intrigued after hearing that the zombies in this story are for the most part "sentient." I like unique twists on themes I already enjoy and, after learning that a film was going to be made based on the story, I was compelled to grab a copy of my own. I am very pleased I did.

It seems to me that the main inspiration of this book is, "What if zombies, though sluggish and hunger living human flesh, had consciousness? What if they had no recollection of who they once were as living people and appear as oafish as your stereotypical zombie, but actually have the acumen of that of a living person?" The protagonist happens to be this sort of a zombie, and an existential romantic at that. Sounds hilarious? I guarantee you will find yourself giggling at the predicament of this peculiar creature as he plods through his post-apocalyptic world in first-person narration. Not that the humor is all slapstick, but more often than not very dark, as many of his grim reflections of his deteriorated reality bear strong resemblance to that of our own experiences of present-day modernity.

Another important zombie "add-on" is their ability to passively experience memories like chopped omnisensory movies when eating the brains of victims. It's because of this the protagonist (who goes by "R") spares a girl and saves her from being devoured by his zombiemates. As R continues in his attempts to come to terms with his zombieness for pretty much the rest of the novel, the story persistently questions the meaning of being human, the concept of civilization, and utility vs. aesthetics. All of this being glued together via quasi-necrophilial humor and romance. The squeamish need not worry too much regarding the erotic--the gore is still there, but the zombie sex is only described enough to get its morbid point across.

The book can be easily read and enjoyed in a couple of days for the more speedy readers. Slower readers with either no time or ADD (or both, like me) will still be able to appreciate the narrative; Marion does a great job in pulling you in at every paragraph with his use of clever twists, analogies, and irony. Marion's skill does make the book rather difficult to put down and still a challenge to ignore. I honestly believe that only those too snobbish against anything sci-fi or horror would find the book unappealing in the slightest. The romance is there, but it is very mild and is meant to provide an optimistic light at the end of a death-infested tunnel. As he is a new writer, I seriously hope Marion has many more books to come!

This being my very first serious book review, I hope I'm able to do Warm Bodies any justice, as short as it is, without giving away too many spoilers. Though it would be difficult to convert this book into movie format, I still look forward to its attempt, as long as the wit remains for the most part the same. And to those who prefer to see the original cover art, sorry, I couldn't really tell from all the versions out there and just stuck with the only version still left in print. If you've also read the book, what do you think? Please comment and share your thoughts!