Boarded Window

Warm Bodies

by Isaac Marion

I wrote a short story for City Arts magazine about R's first winter as a walking corpse. It's significantly less heartwarming than most holiday specials.

Genres: Zombies, Short Stories, Horror, Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Paranormal

3 pages, ebook

First published November 28, 2011

About the author

After 9 years, 4 books, and 1 pretty good movie, R and Julie's story is about to reach its conclusion.

THE LIVING, book 4 of the Warm Bodies Series, is available now.

isaacmarion.com

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A juicy, twisted (very) short look at R's first year after becoming a zombie.

Some of my favorite bits and pieces:

These are the things I think about when I’m opening people’s skulls. When I’m eating what they hide inside.

What I want are the moments I will never have. The warm ones. The living ones. And it’s never until I’ve chewed through those rubbery layers of triviality and years-thick crusts of detachment that I finally get what I came for.

The only time I understand what a family is is when I’m eating one. When I can move from a father’s brain to his son’s, from a brother’s to his sister’s, feel all the resentments mingling with loyalty; the envy and anger with stubborn, tenacious love. It’s a wonderful experience and a rare one, but I get it more often around the holidays, when families foolishly corner themselves all in one room, letting the warm glow of their candles and the scent of roasted turkey creep through their boarded windows, calling out to me as I wander the icy streets.

[✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨ Dead Account; Not Coming Back · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I just realized that a bunch of this was used in The New Hunger later

[Nila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short piece from Isaac Marion about zombies and most particularly about R. R is relentlessly borrowing memories to warm him and give him a self. As often with Marion's work, we're on the edge of "pretty disgusting" sometimes. (I mean he eats brains and gains insight.)

All the books and a short story are now in audio versions.

[karlé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I'm really really really intrigued of R's past life! Isaac Marion why are you doing this to us T.T

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found here: http://cityartsonline.com/issues/seat...

a short little piece but it's great to be back with R. After having read the book, I was ecstatic when I saw movie trailers.

Now, having just gotten back from the wonderful wonderful movie, I enjoy lazily coming back into R's life and enjoying his first Winter/Christmas thoughts as a zombie.

Seriously, "What are you?" He's a little bowl full of awesome-zombie!! :D

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't even know if this counts as a short story, more like a little thought process from the character R, but if you've read Warm Bodies, I say give this a read, it'll take you 5 minutes and it's kind of cute.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wonderful short story. My only complaint is that it's so short, which obviously makes sense considering it was /supposed/ to be short, but fmdsljfsmg Still. I just miss R's voice too much.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.cityartsmagazine.com/issu...

Small, sad little intro to our at this time nameless zombie who still has humanity in him!

[Berke Kılıç · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Especially “family.” The only time I understand what a family is is when I’m eating one. When I can move from a father’s brain to his son’s, from a brother’s to his sister’s, feel all the resentments mingling with loyalty; the envy and anger with stubborn, tenacious love. It’s a wonderful experience and a rare one, but I get it more often around the holidays, when families foolishly corner themselves all in one room, letting the warm glow of their candles and the scent of roasted turkey creep through their boarded windows, calling out to me as I wander the icy streets."

R'nin ilk dönüştüğü zamanlarda, zombi olarak geçirdiği ilk kışı anlatan kısacık bir hikaye. Bu yazarın tarzını o kadar seviyorum ki tadı damağımda kaldı.

[Maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute little snap shot of how R's brain works. Even though he's a zombie, he never really stops thinking about things and trying to understand the way the world used to be.

I like the idea of a zombie with a wiped out brain trying to understand why the living go about celebrating Christmas, even in these terrible times. Even though he's going to go eat them, he still wants to just understand what's going on, with him and with the world.

Cute little beginning to who R is and what kind of a zombie he really is.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me happy, I just wished it were longer.

I recently finished reading Warm Bodies, which I loved. 'Boarded Window' does a really nice job of allowing the reader to understand the conflict that must be inside of Early R, but the horror of what he needs to do in order to survive really stands out and makes its point.

While reading it, I kept thinking, "R did that?! Not the R I know!"

Thanks for sharing this story with us!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

R's first winter as a Zombie -

"The ethics of eating people are blurry at best in the fog of my undead amnesia, but I expect more for such a high price. What I want are the moments I will never have. The warm ones. The living ones. And it’s never until I’ve chewed through those rubbery layers of triviality and years-thick crusts of detachment that I finally get what I came for."

[~☆starlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know this existed until recently and I'm glad i found it, although its short its great and anything that is part of this series is gold for me. Its only two pages long but an awesome two pages leaving u wanting more i love this series ❤

[Ady Weasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como elige el cerebro que recuerdos guardar? Cuales son importantes? Cuales me servirán? De que me servirán?

Una pequeña historia sobre el despertar de R como un no muerto, creo que vemos desde este momento que este zombie es especial, sin embargo me deja intrigada por conocer más del pasado de R quién era antes de que la plaga iniciara?

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflexiones espeluznantes de R sobre la Navidad y sobre los primeros días de ser un zombie y cómo conoció a M,y sí, Una corta pero linda historia

[BellaGBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little story about R's first christmas as a zombie.

You can read it here: http://www.cityartsonline.com/issues/... (Not my site)

[Zaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nice very short short story, dedicated to R's first winter. Nothing new on the zombie side, but the cold atmosphere was well depicted and, as usual, it was pleasant to be in R's head.

[Quiver26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short story that comes with the third installment of The Warm Bodies series. I can tell that it was a character piece. What is interesting is that for a zombie short story there are no actual killings, instead the reader is treated to a very early form of "R." The reader will notice that it is mostly his internal monologue and there are even glimpses of human emotion. Another interesting note is that it is a prequel to the Warm Bodies story. Lastly, if you order the third installment it comes with a personal autograph from Isaac Marion. So, seriously order, The Living, the last installment of this series. It is worth it!

[Lisa Nielsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars solemnly given for the purpose of the short story being brought in a magazine to feature the series.
If this was just a short story in the series, I'd have given it one star. It is way too short to even describe R's first winter as a zombie. The short story, for me, lacks purpose, it's more like a two minute look into his quite curious brain and everything in it could have been (and is) incorporated in R's narration in the actual novels. Skip the short story and stick to the lengthier stories, they are a better fit for R's narration and descriptions of his maculate life.

[Wealie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and interesting short. It gives more of Isaac Marion's compelling zombie insights on feelings and how zombies are different from the humans they once were. It's written from the perspective of R, the lead zombie character from the fantastic Warm Bodies series.

The short is available free from the City Arts website.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously love Isaac Marion's writing. This is short little snippet of R's life, but it's great and has me wishing I had Warm Bodies in my hand right now.

Look in in the book info, under the summary, to find the link to it.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Isaac's style of writing. It is thought provoking and honest. This story was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the release of The Living later on this year! Warm Bodies will forever be one of my favorite series.

[Danyel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and cute. I haven't read Warm Bodies but I did see the movie and this short story gives us more insight into how eating the brains let's the character get just a glimpse of what it means to be alive again.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short short story about R's first winter. Humor definitely still shines through!

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting, philosophical, look at what there is to be had from eating human brains - from the point of view of a zombie....

[Reesa Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a zombie would moan "I want More!"

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something so captivating about Marion's writing style, I simply can't get enough of it.

[Sarah Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short story 👍

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friendly little story about the first winter R spends as a zombie.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the tone of this little short. It lends itself well to display how Isaac Marion writes and why I fell headfirst into their work and haven't looked back.