Warm Bodies #0.5
Isaac Marion
January 28th, 2013
Zola Books
140 pages
Zola Books
New York is a bayou. New Orleans is a reef. The entire country has been devastated by natural disasters and governmental collapse, and on top of everything else there is the annoying problem of zombies trying to devour you at every turn. But sixteen-year-old Nora and her younger brother Addis are about to discover the most frightening thing yet: being abandoned in this horrific world by their own parents.
Left with only a bag of clothes and a first-aid kit, Nora and Addis begin a harrowing journey to connect with anyone who isn't looking to rob them or eat them. A wounded man wrecks a meal of green beans and French fries at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle. An attempt to get a good night’s sleep in a fortified motel is ruined by an undead face staring at them through the window. And they just can’t seem to shake someone – something – that’s been following them everywhere they go….
Meanwhile, a girl named Julie is traveling toward the city in an SUV with her parents. She is only twelve, but has already seen friends die and her school burn. She has watched her father become nearly as cold and remorseless as the Dead. All she wants is someplace to call home, even if it never really will be.
And somewhere nearby, a tall man awakens in the woods, unsure of exactly where he is, or even who he is. As he struggles to remember details of his life, a single consonant comes to him: R. He is…a name that begins with R….
Isaac Marion once again demonstrates his remarkable gifts as a storyteller as he brings the world of WARM BODIES back to life. Grounding his characters in real emotion, Marion makes you root for them to save the world even as they simply try to stay alive.
So, it's another prequel. The story mostly centers on Nora, Julie's housemate in the novel, and her little brother as they make their way across the country. Through her point of view, we learn about M's death. We also learn why she is alone, and why her finger is missing.
We learn more tragic things about R, the way he wakes up and slowly learns about himself in his new state of zombism.
We also follow 12 year old Julie on her cross country trip with her family, avoiding looters and zombies while trying to find somewhere decent to settle down.
Of course, it all converges in Seattle near the stadium where the humans are living in the novel.
I know that most people don't like R's meandering mind, his insights and his sarcasm. I missed it. This book was missing a lot of the soul that the novel held. Everything was detached and methodical. No one though harder than they had to about anything that happened, no one sat down and mused anything over. I heard that the short story was somewhat rushed, to get it out around the movie release. I don't know if that is the case, but the edges are rough and the characters follow the strings intended for them, without all of the witty snark of the original.
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