Warm Bodies Summary through Step One: Wanting:
Credit: Warm Bodies Wikipedia page.
After a mysterious plague wipes out most of the world's population, humanity is reduced to small, concentrated groups held behind massive salvaged sporting domes. The narrator is an undead who only remembers that his name once began with an "R"; he is one of the few still capable of thought. R is friends with "M", an older male who is also able to think and to speak. Life is changed around every now and then by the governing "Bonies", described as skeletons with skin stretched over them and a peculiar humming noise emanating from their otherworldly forms. The undead feast on living flesh, and consuming brains allows them to experience the victim's memories.
One day, R and M lead a small hunting party to the city where they attempt to overtake a small party of living teenagers. R eats the brain of a young man named Perry Kelvin and experiences his emotions regarding his lover, Julie Grigio, whom he was protecting. Acting quickly, R smears his blood on Julie to mask her living scent and convinces her to follow him by addressing her by name. Upon arriving at the airport, Julie tentatively lives in R's abandoned 767. She begins to speak with R and they bond. Julie confides in R that her friend Nora witnessed R taking Julie, meaning people may come to rescue her from the zombie-filled airport.
R has kept a portion of Perry's brain and continues to snack on it, experiencing more of Perry's memories and learning Perry had been an orphan and had developed suicidal tendencies. Wracked with guilt, R is unable to tell Julie that he killed her boyfriend.
R begins to have regular shutdowns that seem to be dreams. Waking up from one of the dreams, R realizes that Julie is being attacked in the Terminal by a group of zombies, including M. R promptly stops the attack, realizing it's time to get Julie back to her people in the Dome. He discusses this with M, who is both curious and jealous of R's new evolution. R accompanies Julie out of the Terminal, but they are attacked by Bonies attempting to kill Julie. They ultimately escape in the Mercedes Benz R has been teaching himself to drive.
After a long drive in the rain, R and Julie decide to stop at a house along the way. During the night, while Julie sleeps, Perry pops up in R's head, revealing that he is still partially alive in there and is helping R to change, becoming R's conscience. In the morning, Julie is able to contact her father in the Dome with a landline phone. She sends R to collect some gasoline, but takes the car and leaves while he is gone. R decides to return to the Terminal, but encounters M and several other undead who have been chased away by the Bonies because of the changes they are experiencing.
Discussion Questions:
1) What do you think of this book so far?
2) How do you feel about R and Julie, the two main characters?
3) Do you think that the Bonies are humans that have been zombies for a long time, or that they came from somewhere else? Why?
4) What do you think triggered the changes in R? What do you think will happen to him?
5) R is getting ready to head back to the stadium for Julie, what do you think will happen when he gets there?
Credit: Warm Bodies Wikipedia page.
After a mysterious plague wipes out most of the world's population, humanity is reduced to small, concentrated groups held behind massive salvaged sporting domes. The narrator is an undead who only remembers that his name once began with an "R"; he is one of the few still capable of thought. R is friends with "M", an older male who is also able to think and to speak. Life is changed around every now and then by the governing "Bonies", described as skeletons with skin stretched over them and a peculiar humming noise emanating from their otherworldly forms. The undead feast on living flesh, and consuming brains allows them to experience the victim's memories.
One day, R and M lead a small hunting party to the city where they attempt to overtake a small party of living teenagers. R eats the brain of a young man named Perry Kelvin and experiences his emotions regarding his lover, Julie Grigio, whom he was protecting. Acting quickly, R smears his blood on Julie to mask her living scent and convinces her to follow him by addressing her by name. Upon arriving at the airport, Julie tentatively lives in R's abandoned 767. She begins to speak with R and they bond. Julie confides in R that her friend Nora witnessed R taking Julie, meaning people may come to rescue her from the zombie-filled airport.
R has kept a portion of Perry's brain and continues to snack on it, experiencing more of Perry's memories and learning Perry had been an orphan and had developed suicidal tendencies. Wracked with guilt, R is unable to tell Julie that he killed her boyfriend.
R begins to have regular shutdowns that seem to be dreams. Waking up from one of the dreams, R realizes that Julie is being attacked in the Terminal by a group of zombies, including M. R promptly stops the attack, realizing it's time to get Julie back to her people in the Dome. He discusses this with M, who is both curious and jealous of R's new evolution. R accompanies Julie out of the Terminal, but they are attacked by Bonies attempting to kill Julie. They ultimately escape in the Mercedes Benz R has been teaching himself to drive.
After a long drive in the rain, R and Julie decide to stop at a house along the way. During the night, while Julie sleeps, Perry pops up in R's head, revealing that he is still partially alive in there and is helping R to change, becoming R's conscience. In the morning, Julie is able to contact her father in the Dome with a landline phone. She sends R to collect some gasoline, but takes the car and leaves while he is gone. R decides to return to the Terminal, but encounters M and several other undead who have been chased away by the Bonies because of the changes they are experiencing.
Discussion Questions:
1) What do you think of this book so far?
2) How do you feel about R and Julie, the two main characters?
3) Do you think that the Bonies are humans that have been zombies for a long time, or that they came from somewhere else? Why?
4) What do you think triggered the changes in R? What do you think will happen to him?
5) R is getting ready to head back to the stadium for Julie, what do you think will happen when he gets there?
- Current Location:Waltham, MA
- Current Mood:Pleasantly Surprised
- Current Music:Great Big Sea fangirling
Comments
I like it! It's definitely unconventional and not what I am used to, but it is growing on me. I am not so sure about the romantic undertones, but we'll see how it goes.
2) How do you feel about R and Julie, the two main characters?
I like R and I appreciate his level of stubbornness. I am not sure how I feel about Julie yet, she seemed to be a bit too indifferent, too forgiving and a little too lacking in emotions. I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt though, because all we see of Julie is what R sees.
3) Do you think that the Bonies are humans that have been zombies for a long time, or that they came from somewhere else? Why?
I think evidence is implying that they are not the humans of that time period that have just been zombies for a long time. I think I am leaning towards the theory of them being old beings that have been buried in the planets crust for a few million years, over them being aliens that are just wreaking havoc. They don't see to be very intelligent or have impressive tech. I also like the idea of them being humans that were trying to make themselves immortal, and fucked everyone else over in the process.
4) What do you think triggered the changes in R? What do you think will happen to him?
I think in a way, by hanging onto his humanity, he was always different and changing. Julie being there, and Perry's brains, have sped up a process that was already in progress, albeit slowly. I don't like the idea (yet), that R is in romantic love with Julie. I think he has to be linked to Perry in some way, like they are brothers (Perry is an orphan), maybe that is why R is changing much faster than M. We'll see!
5) R is getting ready to head back to the stadium for Julie, what do you think will happen when he gets there?
I think Julie's dad will almost kill R, but R will live on in the end. He's continue to change, there will be sexxorz, and M will get a living girlfriend... Nora?
2) R seemed a little too thoughtful to be a zombie to me. I loved his perspective and thoughts, but it wasn't entirely believable to me. But. It's a book about zombies, so I'm very willing to overlook that. I enjoyed how practical Julie was without being cynical. She's a cool chick. I love the two of them together. Julie is so understanding and accepting with R and he is incredibly sweet and considerate...especially for a zombie.
3) At this point I figured they must've been zombies for a really long time and that becoming a bonie was the consequence of time.
4) That's a good question. I think it really was because of Perry. Here he was, a person who had become a shell as it was, it seemed like his parting gift to R was showing him an appreciation for life. Or something.
5) I've read it, so ziiiiip.
Some favorite quotes:
"In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, it all collapses."
"She is Living and I'm Dead, but I'd like to believe we're both human. Call me an idealist."
"But I don't want to ruin this improbably warm moment with my stupid undead hangups."
"Every time I go to sleep, I know I may never wake up. How could anyone expect to? You drop your tiny, helpless mind into a bottomless well, crossing your fingers and hoping that when you pull it out on its flimsy fishing wire it hasn't been gnawed to bones by nameless beasts below."
"It's probably the best compliment I've received in my entire Dead life."
I also couldn't help but laugh at the whole exchange when they catch R's wife "cheating" on him. I shouldn't have found it funny, but...zombies! Cheating! Lols.
Edited at 2013-02-14 04:05 am (UTC)
#2) I like them both! I love R beyond words and Julie is such a strong female character (YAY!) She's a badass & a beacon of hope, a great combination
#3) I think Bonies are basically what happens when zombies "die", basically the next phase in the life/death cycle. Humans ---> Zombies ----> Bonies
#4) I think it's been kind of a gradual thing, R has never really wanted to be a "zombie" and that in itself...self-awareness. So he was already different from the rest. I definitely think Perry's memories helped spark the true momentum. I think (and hope) that he will become more human over time. Eventually starting a chain reaction for other zombies (not Bonies, they're too far gone) to become more human as well
#5) Since I'm almost done...I don't want to answer and spoil anything ^^; But I can't wait for the final discussion!
1) What do you think of this book so far?
I really really enjoyed it. R's voice is so humorous that I got drawn into his world and perspective quickly. I liked the first part so much that I couldn't put it down and actually finished the whole book in about a day and a half.
2) How do you feel about R and Julie, the two main characters? I really like R. I think had it been switched and Julie were who's eyes we were seeing it though, I may have put it down. He just has such a voice that it's new and entertaining. Julie is a bit...I don't know...hard to connect with.
3) Do you think that the Bonies are humans that have been zombies for a long time, or that they came from somewhere else? Why?
At this point I thought there might be a possibility that they are a new form of zombie, like they evolve it to them.
4) What do you think triggered the changes in R? What do you think will happen to him?
I think its more that he kept some of himself, he didn't want to let go of his feelings, so he fought the change into being a zombie.
5) R is getting ready to head back to the stadium for Julie, what do you think will happen when he gets there?
I think I get disqualified for this question by finishing the book. I didn't even contemplate what I thought might happen, I just kept going :P
I've been enjoying it.. but kind of irritated as well! :P For no good reason either. I just saw the movie recently, and the first half of this book is almost identical to the movie, and I was really expecting/hoping the book to be different enough to keep me entertained.. so that's why I was into reading it this soon after seeing the movie. But I'm hoping the 2nd half changes things up a bit so that I'm not feeling like I'm just reading the same story I just saw a week or so ago :P
I know that is an extremely silly answer, but yeah :P
2) How do you feel about R and Julie, the two main characters?
I really like R and taking the journey with him to rediscover his humanity. He's a really good character :)
Something I'm wondering though is how he is going so long without eating.. I'm expecting him to go on a rampage and eat people soon, and then have an emo-fit about it
I also loled at the idea of having a emo-fit over eating someone. Ha!
2) I really like them individually. The romance is a bit sketch lol xD but we'll see. Right now it is pretty platonic though obviously R likes her very much.
3) I thought of them as being humans who have been zombies for a long time but it's true they seem to be different from a lot of the other zombies. interesting!
4) He always has seemed to be a little bit different. I actually would probably bring this back to his desire to know his name, and the names of other zombies.
5) I already read past (seeing as how I am joining in almost a week late, I better have read past that point haha) so can't answer this one!
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Overall I'm really enjoying it! It's addicting and the book is nothing like what I expected. I don't really know what I expected I guess? But it's interesting to have so much of the story happening in the inner dialog in R's head.
Also the zombie sex is ridiculous lol. I hope they don't go there with R and Julie because a) gross, b) gross, and c) what are they going to do anyway if he has no blood flow? ughhh I don't want to think about it omg