By: Isaac Marion
ISBN: 9781476799650
Series: Warm Bodies 0.5
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 10/6/2015
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars
The must-read prequel to the “strange and unexpected” (Audrey Niffenegger) and “highly original” (Seattle Times) zombie love story Warm Bodies—the New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the hit film— from the critically acclaimed author whose clever debut turned the classic horror story on its head.
The end of the world didn’t happen overnight. After years of war, societal breakdown, freak storms, and rising tides, humanity already hovered near the edge. Then came the most unexpected threat of all: the world’s corpses rising up to deliver the final blow.
Born into this bleak and bloody landscape, twelve-year-old Julie struggles to hold on to hope as she and her parents drive across the wastelands of America on a nightmarish road trip in search of a new home.
Hungry, lost, and terrified, sixteen-year-old Nora finds herself her brother’s sole guardian after her parents abandon them in the not-quite-empty ruins of Seattle. And in the darkness of a forest, a dead man opens his eyes. Who is he? What is he? With no clues beyond a red tie and the letter “R,” he must unravel the grim mystery of his existence—right after he learns how to think, how to walk, and how to satisfy the monster howling in his belly…
My Review
A special thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Issac Marion delivers his prequel THE NEW HUNGER (Warm Bodies 0.5) to the “zombie loving” Warm Bodies, the inspiration for the hit film of zombie apocalypse—with its popular ‘Zombie Romance’. The New Hunger takes place eight years before Warm Bodies. A glimpse of R’s first days as a zombie, Julie and Nora’s journeys through the wastelands, and a key moment that set all three on a path toward each other. It’s not just a prequel; it’s a bridge to the upcoming sequel, introducing people and things that will have big roles to play in THE LIVING. offers a backstory of Julie, Nora, and R, as he begins to come back to life. In Warm Bodies the world is facing dark days, and the human race is largely living as a rather unpleasant zombie hoard. There is one exception to the rule however in the form of R; Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and the pair embark on an unusual relationship. Is it really possible for R and Julie to maintain a relationship while fighting for survival--hoping to build a better world for everyone? The world has ended and the corpses are rising up. When did the city die? Was it something quick, earthquakes, or rising tides. Radiation. Viruses. People. Death will introduce itself in its own time. It is about survival, finding food, weapons, and shelter. Nora and her 7 year old little brother Addis are in a city. Hungry, lost, and scared, 16-year-old Nora without their parents. She is taking care of her brother and herself. They sleep in doorways or alleyways. Addis’ last meal was two days ago; and Nora can’t recall hers. Turns out they are in Seattle. Julie, 12-yr. old, with a woman’s weathered poise. She was born into this dark world, holding on as she and her parents drive across America to their new home in Canada. She has fired a gun into a human head. She has watched a pile of bodies set alight. She has starved and thirsted, stolen food and given it away, and glimpsed the meaning of life by watching it end over and over. She likes horses and never kissed a boy. She has more nightmares than dreams come true. Graveyards rising out of the ocean. Her friends’ corpses in the light of their burning school. Skeletons ripping open men’s chests and crawling inside. She endures it waiting for the horror film to end and the theatre to go dark. Then there is R, a dead man in the forest near the river– now awake. Is he in the world? He is trying to find his way back. Marion is quite the storyteller, setting the stage with a haunting and emotional account of devastation, horror, fear, and survival. From zombies, monsters, and humans, Warm Bodies'fans will love it! We find out how these characters came together, and get a peak into Book 2, THE LIVING, in a post-apocalyptic world. When nothing is permanent. Not even the end of the world. “A hard climb toward humanity. A past life that won’t stay buried. And a new threat so insidious, even the dead are on its payroll. R’s journey continues into the beautiful terrible world of THE LIVING.”
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Praise
PRAISE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING WARM BODIES
“Gruesome yet poetic…A paean to the power of storytelling…The words Marion uses to describe his grim near-future are silken smooth. They slip through the mind’s grasp easily, pleasurably, leaving hardly a hint of themselves in the images they evoke.” – The Seattle Times
“Dark and funny.” – Wired
“A mesmerizing evolution of a classic contemporary myth.”
– Simon Pegg, New York Times bestselling author of Nerd Do Well
“It’s got the boarded-up stronghold and mob mentality of Night of the Living Dead – but also romance.” – Time Out New York
About the Author
Isaac Marion is an American writer and musician. He is best known as the best-selling author of the "zombie romance" novel Warm Bodies.
Before Warm Bodies, Marion had self-published three other novels. Warm Bodies was published by Atria Books on October 14, 2010. It received critical acclaim from publications such as The Guardian, The Seattle Times and Paste Magazine] and authors Audrey Niffenegger and Stephenie Meyer. Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the novel,and it has been made into the film Warm Bodies, written and directed by Jonathan Levine and starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich. The movie was released on February 1, 2013.On January 28, 2013, the prequel novella to Warm Bodies called The New Hunger was published by Zola Books as an eBook.Marion has also confirmed that he is working on a sequel.[12]
Marion also has one short story published, "Jerry Lives Forever," with the literary nonprofit organization Tethered By Letters.
Besides writing books, Marion also writes music. He has a 2007 solo album, Dead Children (released under the name "Isaac Marion's Moon Colony"), which he considers a companion piece to Warm Bodies. He was also part of a brief electronic/indie rock duo named The Tallest Building in the World, with guitarist Jared McSharry. The pair released their lone concept album, Look Down, in 2005. Both albums made available to download by Marion.
Marion is also a photographer and a painter.According to his Simon and Schuster biography, Marion decided "to forgo college in favor of direct experience." He began writing while still in high school, and self-published three novels before Warm Bodies.
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