I, Zombie [Paperback]

Hugh Howey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 15, 2012

***WARNING: NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION***

This book contains foul language and fouler descriptions of life as a zombie. It will offend most anyone, so proceed with caution or not at all.

And be forewarned: This is not a zombie book. This is a different sort of tale. It is a story about the unfortunate, about those who did not get away. It is a human story at its rotten heart. It is the reason we can't stop obsessing about these creatures, in whom we see all too much of ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hugh Howey is the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling WOOL series. The WOOL OMNIBUS won Kindle Book Review's 2012 Indie Book of the Year Award - it has been as high as #1 in the Kindle store - and 17 countries have picked up the work for translation. Look for WOOL in hardback in 2013 from Random House UK and keep your fingers crossed that Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian will do something exciting with the film rights! Hugh lives in Jupiter, FL with his wife Amber and their dog Bella. When he isn't writing, he's reading or taking a photograph. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; First Edition edition (August 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1477401296
• ISBN-13: 978-1477401293
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (224 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hugh Howey is the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling WOOL series. The WOOL OMNIBUS won Kindle Book Review's 2012 Indie Book of the Year Award -- it has been as high as #1 in the Kindle store -- and 17 countries have picked up the work for translation. Look for WOOL in hardback in 2013 from Random House UK and keep your fingers crossed that Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian will do something exciting with the film rights!

Hugh lives in Jupiter, FL with his wife Amber and their dog Bella. When he isn't writing, he's reading or taking a photograph.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#23 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#4 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#6 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#4 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#6 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 196 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply philosophical August 15, 2012

By Gromit

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I, Zombie is not "a zombie book". It is a deeply philosophical, literary, and raw exploration of free will; personal identity; and the importance of (and constraints on) taking charge of one's life. Each of its many characters faces what may be the ultimate horror: complete lack of control over the bodies they inhabit. In becoming a zombie, each "person" becomes only a passenger -- although a fully-aware observer -- along for the ride as their bodies go about their horrific zombie business. And as these characters try to come to terms with their new existence, we come to understand something: Even before becoming zombies, this lack of control, this sense of being a "passenger", was always, already, a binding presence in their lives. Worse: we realize that it is an inescapable condition of being human -- for all of us.

You may be asking:

- Are there gross and disgusting bits? YES, VERY MUCH SO. There are some excruciatingly vivid descriptions of zombies eating humans and worse. And although it's possible to skip over the worst passages without "missing something" critical to the rest of the book -- and that book is so worth reading! -- if you're squeamish, be forewarned. Also be aware that there is foul language.

- Is it disturbing? Yes. The gore is not nearly as discomfiting as some of the horrific things that happen. This is mature content.

- Is it depressing? Oh, absolutely. And soul-crushing. And uplifting. Liberating. Inspiring. And potentially life-altering.

- Is it about zombies? Yes, in much the same way that Romeo and Juliet is about Italians. The characters are, indeed, zombies; but that's not what the book is "about". I, Zombie is about a group of unfailingly human souls; it's about how they cope with agonizing self-realization; how it changes them; what they learn from it; and what we can learn from them.

I came away from this book realizing something: I am a zombie. In so many ways, we're all at the mercy of the natural inclinations of the bodies and brains we inhabit. Are you an early riser? A night owl? Laid-back or high-strung? Shy or gregarious? An addict? A thrill seeker? Or would you prefer to curl up with a good book? In order to BE flesh and blood, we must, to some extent, share the driver's seat WITH the flesh and blood. This realization -- that our "will" is but one among many inputs driving our behaviors -- doesn't relieve us of responsibility for our actions. But it does help us to understand them, and with that understanding, we can develop better strategies for achieving the results we want. We may not be able to control the zombie fully; but if, instead of fighting it, we just "lean into it", maybe we can get where we want to go.

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings August 21, 2012

By David L.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all let me say that I think Howey is an incredibly talented writer. I could go on forever, but to sum up the man knows how to tell a story. And tell it well.

Secondly, I am a big fan of end of the world fiction, especially zombie stuff. Wool is phenomenal and I would compare the writing in "I, Zombie" with Mira Grant's Newsflesh books in quality (I just finished them).

That said, I've had the book for a week or so now and I can't get past the first few chapters. And it's not Howey's fault. Like I said his writing rocks. And this story is a good one.

It's my fault.

It's just that I enjoy stories with a some hope in them. Sure, zombie stories are by their very nature kind of hopeless. No matter what you do, people get eaten in them. Or bit and turned. No matter how careful the characters are someone you have grown fond of is going to die. But usually there is some small flicker of hope that in the end someone is going to survive. Or that humanity is going to survive.

Not in this book.

In this book, there is no hope because the characters are already lost. They cannot be saved. Even if one of them is put down by that epic shot to the head you, the reader, don't feel any relief because you know there are millions of others like them out there, helpless, hopeless, and full of self-loathing (which is the worst part).

So my recommendation - much like a more professional review of this book I read a while back - is to read it if you don't mind a book with no light at the end of the tunnel. Not even a candle flicker's worth of hope. Cause there ain't none, son.

But if that doesn't matter to you and you want to read a horror story which is imaginative, well written and just kicks you in the gut (much like Stephen King's "Pet Cemetery"), then this is the book for you.

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, the humanity! August 17, 2012

By Ryan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I remember being in first grade. The school I was in had a large paved area with a three or four foot slope down to what seemed like an expansive fenced in field. I very clearly remember one day, standing on the paved area looking out over all my fellow students during recess. I had just recently become aware of my inner monologue, all the thoughts, ideas, fears and insecurities that I would never share with others, constantly rolling around in my head. I was always thinking, no matter what my body was doing, my brain was always active. As I looked over that sea of children, I came to the realization that every one of them had the same inner monologue. Every one of their minds was constantly active as well, and I would only ever hear the smallest fraction of what they actually thought. I could only hope to guess at the rest of what went on in their minds. The enormity of that moment - that realization - has stayed with me my whole life.

This is the true horror of I, Zombie. It's not the gore, the ripping tendons and tearing flesh. It's not the rotting-yet-walking corpses chasing down the living to feed on their flesh. Yes, all these things are present in I, Zombie, but that's not the horror. The real horror of I, Zombie is that inside each of the living dead is a mind, a person imprisoned more securely than any enemy of any state has ever been. Each zombie is still a person, horrified at what they've become, at the shockingly terrifying things that their autonomous bodies do. They feel each stab of pain from a broken limb that they still walk on, each shard of glass that is driven deeper into their feet with every footstep. They taste the gore that they ingest, bearing witness to the shrieking death of the living as they devour them alive. They mentally recoil but are physically unable to do so. This is the horror of I, Zombie, not guts and blood and gore, but the horror of ordinary people like you and me, trapped in rotting bodies as they eat their neighbors.

For the record, I loved it. I give I, Zombie two rotting, maggot covered thumbs up! Not only is it an amazing idea for a story, but Hugh Howey is one of the best authors of our time. If you're a fan of the written word and you haven't read any Hugh Howey, then you owe it to yourself to buy this book and read it. Then buy the rest of his books and read them too. You won't regret it, I certainly have not. Enjoy!