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Elegy for the Undead
Jude and Lyle's newlywed life is shattered when a vicious attack leaves Lyle infected with a disease that transforms him into a violent and often incomprehensible person. With no cure for the "zombie" virus in sight, the young husbands begin to face the last months they have together before Lyle loses himself completely.
Fond remembrances of young love meet the challenges of navigating a partner's terminal illness in this bittersweet tale that explores both how we fall in love and how we say goodbye when the time comes far too soon.
Fond remembrances of young love meet the challenges of navigating a partner's terminal illness in this bittersweet tale that explores both how we fall in love and how we say goodbye when the time comes far too soon.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2020
About the author
Matthew Vesely
1 book58 followersMatthew Vesely (he/him) writes genre-bent, queer, contemporary fiction. He is the author of Elegy for the Undead: A Novella, a 2020 Foreword INDIES finalist. His work has also appeared in Adelaide Literary Magazine. A 2019 graduate of Rowan University, he currently resides outside of Philadelphia. Visit www.MatthewVesely.com to keep up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
August 5, 2025
4.25 stars
May 4, 2026
☆☆☆☆
I’d give Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely a solid four stars. What stood out most to me was how effectively it captures the cultural and emotional Zeitgeist of its setting, it feels very attuned to the anxieties and undercurrents of that particular moment in time without ever becoming heavy-handed.
I was genuinely invested in both of the main characters and appreciated the care put into their development. A small but memorable detail for me was one character’s love of goats, I share that fondness, so it was a charming and unexpected point of connection that made the character feel even more real.
That said, readers expecting a traditional horror experience might be surprised. This leans much more toward literary horror, focusing on atmosphere, relationships, and existential unease rather than outright scares. I enjoy that style from time to time, and it worked well here, though I’ll admit I wasn’t as emotionally affected as I know some other readers have been.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, well-crafted novel that lingers more in its mood than its shocks. If you liked Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, I think you’ll find a lot to appreciate here as well.
I’d give Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely a solid four stars. What stood out most to me was how effectively it captures the cultural and emotional Zeitgeist of its setting, it feels very attuned to the anxieties and undercurrents of that particular moment in time without ever becoming heavy-handed.
I was genuinely invested in both of the main characters and appreciated the care put into their development. A small but memorable detail for me was one character’s love of goats, I share that fondness, so it was a charming and unexpected point of connection that made the character feel even more real.
That said, readers expecting a traditional horror experience might be surprised. This leans much more toward literary horror, focusing on atmosphere, relationships, and existential unease rather than outright scares. I enjoy that style from time to time, and it worked well here, though I’ll admit I wasn’t as emotionally affected as I know some other readers have been.
Overall, this is a thoughtful, well-crafted novel that lingers more in its mood than its shocks. If you liked Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, I think you’ll find a lot to appreciate here as well.
March 19, 2025
An allegorical zombie apocalypse relationship drama- It was definitely sad and emotional, but little things kept annoying me with the POV’s. I think it would have been a more impactful story (or at least better for me lol) if it was single perspective, or possibly even dual 3rd person POV.
March 11, 2026
While horrific, this was less a zombie horror story and more a love story. This novella made me cry several times. I thought it was beautiful. 4.5⭐
February 2, 2026
4.5
my heart 😭 this is my perfect zombie book [from a former zombie book hater]
my heart 😭 this is my perfect zombie book [from a former zombie book hater]
June 10, 2020
3.5 Stars
This is the kind of zombie fiction that really is not about the zombies. In fact, it might even appeal most to readers who don't normally read the subgenres. I personally love zombie stories, so I really enjoyed the more action driven scenes in this novella. However, the majority of the narrative was much slower paced.
Given current events, the pandemic in this book felt scarily realistic with discussion of quarantine and infection control. This made for a fascinating backdrop for queer romance at the heart of this story. At its core, this book was really the relationship between these two gay men. Particularly, it explored how terminal illness affects a relationship. While I enjoy queer horror, I personally don't love when fictionc focuses on romance. Readers who enjoy those emotional elements will likely love this book a bit more than I did.
I would recommend this one to anyone looking for slow burning ownvoices queer horror with a heavy focus on the relationship.
Disclaimer I received a digital copy for review.
This is the kind of zombie fiction that really is not about the zombies. In fact, it might even appeal most to readers who don't normally read the subgenres. I personally love zombie stories, so I really enjoyed the more action driven scenes in this novella. However, the majority of the narrative was much slower paced.
Given current events, the pandemic in this book felt scarily realistic with discussion of quarantine and infection control. This made for a fascinating backdrop for queer romance at the heart of this story. At its core, this book was really the relationship between these two gay men. Particularly, it explored how terminal illness affects a relationship. While I enjoy queer horror, I personally don't love when fictionc focuses on romance. Readers who enjoy those emotional elements will likely love this book a bit more than I did.
I would recommend this one to anyone looking for slow burning ownvoices queer horror with a heavy focus on the relationship.
Disclaimer I received a digital copy for review.
April 15, 2025
I don't know what it is about titles that should have been right up my proverbial alley not landing lately but this book had it all, the queerness, the zombie plague, the slow decay of sickness that renders one alien from oneself, you know my favorite things to read about. Yet, I didn't really vibe with it. There were a couple of scenes I liked but overall I was rather indifferent to what these guys were doing, their relationship was complicated in a boring way, which is to say they were adult about it but the way it was described wasn't particularly interesting.
December 8, 2020
I'm not really a fan of zombie stories, yet this is a zombie story and I am a fan. It's also a story about love and about two people learning how to love one another and then how to let each other go. Maybe it's just the isolation making me more maudlin than normal, but Jude and Lyle's story hit me hard. It was painful but it gave me hope. It is a simple story elegantly told. I can't wait to read more of Vesely's work.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was a unique pleasure. I felt both narrators added a level of intimacy that you don't often find in books. Lyle's narrator especially captured the voice and earnestness and yearning of the character.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was a unique pleasure. I felt both narrators added a level of intimacy that you don't often find in books. Lyle's narrator especially captured the voice and earnestness and yearning of the character.
March 15, 2024
Heartbreaking. Extremely accurate portrayal of a Philadelphian zombie, Wawa is life and death
November 21, 2022
3.75
An allegorical story about loving someone with a terminal illness in the context of, weirdly enough, a zombie apocalypse. Also its gay.
It was 3 stars until those last pages made me ugly tear up on the bus.
An allegorical story about loving someone with a terminal illness in the context of, weirdly enough, a zombie apocalypse. Also its gay.
It was 3 stars until those last pages made me ugly tear up on the bus.
August 13, 2024
A quiet zombie apocalypse novella that focuses on love, illness, and loss. The shift from developing their love story to exploring how we say goodbye and move on was devastating.
January 26, 2026
Elegy for the Undead has been sitting on my TBR for far too long, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. This story is deeply emotional, and while I wasn’t quite prepared for it, I loved every moment. Set against the backdrop of a pandemic/zombie apocalypse, the true heart of the book is the romance between Jude and Lyle.
Told in a nonlinear, dual POV structure that works beautifully, their relationship feels raw and authentic. Their love isn’t perfect, and the struggles they face are relatable, which made it all the more powerful. Despite its novella length, this story packs an incredible emotional punch, and I wasn’t ready for it to end.
It’s rare that a book makes me cry. It’s even rarer to finish a book and immediately want to start it all over again. Elegy for the Undead has officially ended my five-star drought. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“That’s the thing about love: it’s messy. It builds you and breaks you and makes you question everything about yourself, but you never hold any of that against your partner. You don’t push it onto them as a problem; you ask yourself how you’re going to change —if you want to change—to be a better you, to have a better relationship, to love and be loved in the way you want. “
Told in a nonlinear, dual POV structure that works beautifully, their relationship feels raw and authentic. Their love isn’t perfect, and the struggles they face are relatable, which made it all the more powerful. Despite its novella length, this story packs an incredible emotional punch, and I wasn’t ready for it to end.
It’s rare that a book makes me cry. It’s even rarer to finish a book and immediately want to start it all over again. Elegy for the Undead has officially ended my five-star drought. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“That’s the thing about love: it’s messy. It builds you and breaks you and makes you question everything about yourself, but you never hold any of that against your partner. You don’t push it onto them as a problem; you ask yourself how you’re going to change —if you want to change—to be a better you, to have a better relationship, to love and be loved in the way you want. “
February 27, 2025
3.25/5
Elegy For the Undead is a novella that takes place while an apocalyptic zombie-like pandemic sweeps across the country. The pandemic theme is secondary to the love story between the two main characters, Jude and Lyle. It read more like a coming of age story than the horror story I was anticipating.
Elegy For the Undead is a novella that takes place while an apocalyptic zombie-like pandemic sweeps across the country. The pandemic theme is secondary to the love story between the two main characters, Jude and Lyle. It read more like a coming of age story than the horror story I was anticipating.
March 4, 2026
I’m dumb and didn’t read the preview and had no idea this was about a fucking zombie apocalypse which is so off brand but it was actually so cute and sweet. 3.5 stars
February 22, 2026
Cuốn sách này làm mình nhớ tới câu hỏi trước đây mình từng bàn luận với một người bạn, sẽ ra sao nếu người thân yêu bên cạnh mình trở thành một xác sống? Đó là câu hỏi mà cặp đôi đồng tính Jude và Lyle gặp phải. Khi đại dịch kỳ lạ xuất hiện khiến cho những người mắc phải trở nên mất trí và điên cuồng không ngừng tàn sát đồng loại, thì không may khi Lyle đã bị cắn và nhiễm bệnh.
Elegy for the Undead gợi nhớ cho mình tác phẩm cùng chủ đề là Our Wives Under the Sea, cả hai tác phẩm đều sử dụng một điểm tựa cho sự kinh dị mà không cần phải máu me và hù dọa, đó là sự mất mát. Điều mình đánh giá cao Elegy for the Undead vì nó tạo nên được sự kết nối thật sự với cặp đôi Jude và Lyle. Tác giả Matthew Vesely biết cách sử dụng trải nghiệm thực tế mà thổi hồn vào tác phẩm - mình cảm nhận được những cảm xúc và chi tiết thật sự rất LGBT :))) Sự ham muốn và đam mê mãnh liệt của Lyle về tình dục là một ví dụ điển hình mà mình thích.
Mình đánh giá cao cách tác giả xây dựng được mối quan hệ của hai nhân vật, văn phong của tác phẩm thực sự đẹp và nên thơ, nhưng thi thoảng lại vụng về và đôi phần dài dòng, nhưng cái sự vụng về của tác phẩm lại hợp lý giữa những hỗn mang của ký ức và bối cảnh của cuốn sách đến không tưởng
Không khai thác nguồn cơn của dịch bệnh, mà nó được sử dụng để khai thác mối quan hệ giữa hai nhân vật chính, khai thác cách một mối quan hệ vận hành. Lyle từ lâu đã là một "xác sống" anh chẳng cảm thấy bất cứ điều gì và luôn vô định trong mọi sinh hoạt, sự mộng mơ của một nhà văn và cả người bạn đời Jude là liều thuốc tạm thời để Lyle bám víu mà "sống". Trái ngược với Lyle mộng mơ thì Jude thuộc về thực tại, nếu tình yêu của Lyle phải cháy rực và tàn lụi thì tình yêu của Jude lại êm đềm và nhẫn nại; tình yêu và thử thách của hai nhân vật là cách để ta phải chấp nhận tình yẻu là như thế, tình yêu đòi hỏi sự cân bằng và trao đổi. Dịch bệnh trở thành một hình ảnh hoàn hảo cho tâm hồn của một nhà văn như Lyle, và nó cũng trở thành một cái cớ để cặp đôi nhìn lại những ký ức - thứ trở thành một khúc bi ca cho câu chuyện đẫm tình này.
I’m sorry if these details make you uncomfortable. But this story isn’t for those who’d shy away when it comes to the more intimate details of a relationship. This is for those who want to see how a physical connection, as well as an emotional connection, grew and matured out of a youthful passion; for those who want to see an unbashful love from its earliest stages.
Elegy for the Undead gợi nhớ cho mình tác phẩm cùng chủ đề là Our Wives Under the Sea, cả hai tác phẩm đều sử dụng một điểm tựa cho sự kinh dị mà không cần phải máu me và hù dọa, đó là sự mất mát. Điều mình đánh giá cao Elegy for the Undead vì nó tạo nên được sự kết nối thật sự với cặp đôi Jude và Lyle. Tác giả Matthew Vesely biết cách sử dụng trải nghiệm thực tế mà thổi hồn vào tác phẩm - mình cảm nhận được những cảm xúc và chi tiết thật sự rất LGBT :))) Sự ham muốn và đam mê mãnh liệt của Lyle về tình dục là một ví dụ điển hình mà mình thích.
Mình đánh giá cao cách tác giả xây dựng được mối quan hệ của hai nhân vật, văn phong của tác phẩm thực sự đẹp và nên thơ, nhưng thi thoảng lại vụng về và đôi phần dài dòng, nhưng cái sự vụng về của tác phẩm lại hợp lý giữa những hỗn mang của ký ức và bối cảnh của cuốn sách đến không tưởng
Không khai thác nguồn cơn của dịch bệnh, mà nó được sử dụng để khai thác mối quan hệ giữa hai nhân vật chính, khai thác cách một mối quan hệ vận hành. Lyle từ lâu đã là một "xác sống" anh chẳng cảm thấy bất cứ điều gì và luôn vô định trong mọi sinh hoạt, sự mộng mơ của một nhà văn và cả người bạn đời Jude là liều thuốc tạm thời để Lyle bám víu mà "sống". Trái ngược với Lyle mộng mơ thì Jude thuộc về thực tại, nếu tình yêu của Lyle phải cháy rực và tàn lụi thì tình yêu của Jude lại êm đềm và nhẫn nại; tình yêu và thử thách của hai nhân vật là cách để ta phải chấp nhận tình yẻu là như thế, tình yêu đòi hỏi sự cân bằng và trao đổi. Dịch bệnh trở thành một hình ảnh hoàn hảo cho tâm hồn của một nhà văn như Lyle, và nó cũng trở thành một cái cớ để cặp đôi nhìn lại những ký ức - thứ trở thành một khúc bi ca cho câu chuyện đẫm tình này.
October 31, 2025
Reread thoughts: Still love it lol
This time around, I was able to consider Lyle and Jude as individual characters a little more. One thing about this book is that a lot of the character growth is unsaid or brushed over. So we have Lyle in college considering his own physical needs and not communicating leading to indiscretion. As the couple grew and learned to communicate, he found that physicality is much more than sex and the cowardice in his youth turned into the man that tried to fight a zombie to protect the man he loves. He was afraid to lose Jude and wanted to hurt him but then turned around and chose to let Jude go as his illness was overtaking him. It was a beautiful but subtle transformation.
Jude is a saint. That's all :)
__________________________________
Yes, this is a book with zombie like creatures, although more of the Crazies type of zombies. But this was way more than zombies. The zombie aspect was more of an allegory for a long, fatal illness, like AIDs or cancer and how you can get sick and try to live your life still, but it's always there, waiting to take you. It's a love story and a moving on story and a growing up story all in one. This was beautifully written, and I was honestly sad when it ended.
This time around, I was able to consider Lyle and Jude as individual characters a little more. One thing about this book is that a lot of the character growth is unsaid or brushed over. So we have Lyle in college considering his own physical needs and not communicating leading to indiscretion. As the couple grew and learned to communicate, he found that physicality is much more than sex and the cowardice in his youth turned into the man that tried to fight a zombie to protect the man he loves. He was afraid to lose Jude and wanted to hurt him but then turned around and chose to let Jude go as his illness was overtaking him. It was a beautiful but subtle transformation.
Jude is a saint. That's all :)
__________________________________
Yes, this is a book with zombie like creatures, although more of the Crazies type of zombies. But this was way more than zombies. The zombie aspect was more of an allegory for a long, fatal illness, like AIDs or cancer and how you can get sick and try to live your life still, but it's always there, waiting to take you. It's a love story and a moving on story and a growing up story all in one. This was beautifully written, and I was honestly sad when it ended.
May 8, 2023
I can't tell if the disconnect I felt came from the writing or the fact that one of the narrators sounded like he was being sarcastic all the time, especially when doing voices.
I'm not sure we needed the zombie apocalypse drama for the tragedy of having a loved one loose themselves to an illness over time (I feel like this was a bit more of an Alzheimers allegory than other mortal illnesses but maybe that's just me), especially because it was over quite quickly and easily afterwards. It was... engaging, sure, but I feel like there could have been another setting.
Still, it's a moving book about different moments that defined the relationship between our two protagonists and the eventual and tragic death of one them that they both see coming.
(I'm glad the book ended on the wedding vows because I was about to start ugly crying but I truly cannot stand that kind of romantic love confessing atm and so my heartless cringing lessened the blow significantly)
I'm not sure we needed the zombie apocalypse drama for the tragedy of having a loved one loose themselves to an illness over time (I feel like this was a bit more of an Alzheimers allegory than other mortal illnesses but maybe that's just me), especially because it was over quite quickly and easily afterwards. It was... engaging, sure, but I feel like there could have been another setting.
Still, it's a moving book about different moments that defined the relationship between our two protagonists and the eventual and tragic death of one them that they both see coming.
(I'm glad the book ended on the wedding vows because I was about to start ugly crying but I truly cannot stand that kind of romantic love confessing atm and so my heartless cringing lessened the blow significantly)
May 15, 2026
i wanted to like this so bad. the idea of using a zombie-like infection to talk about how illness changes a person and a relationship, especially a queer relationship that has historically already had to navigate fear, stigma, caregiving, and loss, is genuinely amazing. there’s so much potential there. but this book completely misses because the truth is nothing actually changes once lyle gets bitten. emotionally and relationship-wise the story feels exactly the same before and after the infection. for a book built around change, it’s extremely static.
before getting more into that i need to get some things out of the way. first of all, the writing in this is some of the most ??? writing i’ve read in a very long time. you can clearly tell the author is trying very hard to sound profound and emotionally devastating, but it never lands. it reads like someone whose entire frame of reference is fanfiction trying to imitate literary fiction. the humor constantly misses, and the emotional lines just sound like recycled things you’d read on a bathroom stall or reposted on tumblr in 2014. every time the book tried to sound deep or heartbreaking i became more aware i was reading words on a page. it took me out of the story constantly.
the whole thing feels so forcefully melodramatic. every emotional beat is pushed so hard that instead of feeling sad it just feels ridiculous. the book desperately wants you to cry, desperately wants you to think it’s profound and tragic, but the emotional groundwork is so weak that all the dramatic moments feel hollow. i’m gonna quote family guy but… it insists upon itself
and hand in hand with the writing are the character voices. these are literally the same man. you gave me dual POVs only for both characters to think the same way, describe things the same way, and express emotion in the exact same voice. there’s no distinction between jude and lyle as narrators whatsoever.
to go back to my main issue: jude is a complete nothingburger and lyle is the most annoying person on planet earth. their relationship is genuinely hair-pulling infuriating. and the crazy part is that this is all before any zombie shit even happens. the first big mistake this book makes is making lyle the one who gets bitten. you created a disease that supposedly makes people crueler, more volatile, more emotionally distant, and then you gave it to the one character who is already mean and emotionally exhausting. booooring. because of that, the infection changes absolutely nothing about their dynamic. oh wow, lyle is being hurtful and difficult? i’m sure jude has never experienced that before.
the zombie aspect doesn’t hit at all. the terminal illness metaphor doesn’t hit. the romance doesn’t hit. the apocalypse elements don’t hit. none of the things this book is trying to do actually land with enough depth to make an impact. the book wants the emotional weight of a devastating illness narrative and the atmosphere of zombie horror without putting in the work for either.
for such a short book this is filled with so much unnecessary stuff that made me roll my eyes. it seems like the main point was supposed to be exploring their relationship, but nothing ever gets properly explored because the author keeps throwing in new topics and ideas without developing any of them. everything feels scattered. the cheating subplot especially felt pointless. what was the reason? to make me dislike lyle even more? to justify jude moving on later? it added absolutely nothing except making an already exhausting relationship even harder to care about.
these two should have broken up years ago, never married, lived separate lives, and if they both died in the zombie apocalypse i genuinely would not have cared because they are both about as interesting as a grain of salt.
i was gonna give this 2.5 stars but writing this review has made me so mad im giving it a 1.
before getting more into that i need to get some things out of the way. first of all, the writing in this is some of the most ??? writing i’ve read in a very long time. you can clearly tell the author is trying very hard to sound profound and emotionally devastating, but it never lands. it reads like someone whose entire frame of reference is fanfiction trying to imitate literary fiction. the humor constantly misses, and the emotional lines just sound like recycled things you’d read on a bathroom stall or reposted on tumblr in 2014. every time the book tried to sound deep or heartbreaking i became more aware i was reading words on a page. it took me out of the story constantly.
the whole thing feels so forcefully melodramatic. every emotional beat is pushed so hard that instead of feeling sad it just feels ridiculous. the book desperately wants you to cry, desperately wants you to think it’s profound and tragic, but the emotional groundwork is so weak that all the dramatic moments feel hollow. i’m gonna quote family guy but… it insists upon itself
and hand in hand with the writing are the character voices. these are literally the same man. you gave me dual POVs only for both characters to think the same way, describe things the same way, and express emotion in the exact same voice. there’s no distinction between jude and lyle as narrators whatsoever.
to go back to my main issue: jude is a complete nothingburger and lyle is the most annoying person on planet earth. their relationship is genuinely hair-pulling infuriating. and the crazy part is that this is all before any zombie shit even happens. the first big mistake this book makes is making lyle the one who gets bitten. you created a disease that supposedly makes people crueler, more volatile, more emotionally distant, and then you gave it to the one character who is already mean and emotionally exhausting. booooring. because of that, the infection changes absolutely nothing about their dynamic. oh wow, lyle is being hurtful and difficult? i’m sure jude has never experienced that before.
the zombie aspect doesn’t hit at all. the terminal illness metaphor doesn’t hit. the romance doesn’t hit. the apocalypse elements don’t hit. none of the things this book is trying to do actually land with enough depth to make an impact. the book wants the emotional weight of a devastating illness narrative and the atmosphere of zombie horror without putting in the work for either.
for such a short book this is filled with so much unnecessary stuff that made me roll my eyes. it seems like the main point was supposed to be exploring their relationship, but nothing ever gets properly explored because the author keeps throwing in new topics and ideas without developing any of them. everything feels scattered. the cheating subplot especially felt pointless. what was the reason? to make me dislike lyle even more? to justify jude moving on later? it added absolutely nothing except making an already exhausting relationship even harder to care about.
these two should have broken up years ago, never married, lived separate lives, and if they both died in the zombie apocalypse i genuinely would not have cared because they are both about as interesting as a grain of salt.
i was gonna give this 2.5 stars but writing this review has made me so mad im giving it a 1.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2026
4.25/5stars
This was a really beautiful little book that explored the idea of grief and grieving someone who is terminally ill through the use of the zombie apocalypse. I think it also had some great metaphors and ideas about mental health and I really liked everything this had to say.
I didn't like how much of this very short little book was about cheating, though... it made me not love the characters as much which didn't help with the emotional side of things. But, that was my only real critique of it.
Overall I'd highly recommend and definitely get tissues ready - I wouldn't recommend this for people who are grieving or are sensitive to things like that because tbh I'm not sensitive at all to it and this book really had me going through an existential crisis and getting upset thinking about wtf I'd do if me and my own husband were in this situation so
This was a really beautiful little book that explored the idea of grief and grieving someone who is terminally ill through the use of the zombie apocalypse. I think it also had some great metaphors and ideas about mental health and I really liked everything this had to say.
I didn't like how much of this very short little book was about cheating, though... it made me not love the characters as much which didn't help with the emotional side of things. But, that was my only real critique of it.
Overall I'd highly recommend and definitely get tissues ready - I wouldn't recommend this for people who are grieving or are sensitive to things like that because tbh I'm not sensitive at all to it and this book really had me going through an existential crisis and getting upset thinking about wtf I'd do if me and my own husband were in this situation so
June 14, 2024
this is very good.
their relationship was painfully relatable and familiar which made me enjoy and also hate reading this lol but as good as the characters are, the plot for this was lacking some and this is a different horror. i figured with a zombie (and big sigh pandemic) story there would be a bit more spooky scary action but it felt more lit fic (not a bad thing, expectations were just in the wrong place) overall this story is heartbreaking and sad and i'm very happy i've read this <3
their relationship was painfully relatable and familiar which made me enjoy and also hate reading this lol but as good as the characters are, the plot for this was lacking some and this is a different horror. i figured with a zombie (and big sigh pandemic) story there would be a bit more spooky scary action but it felt more lit fic (not a bad thing, expectations were just in the wrong place) overall this story is heartbreaking and sad and i'm very happy i've read this <3
March 4, 2024
At its heart, a queer love story told from different time periods around a zombie plague (ahem, apocalypse). Great character development and would make for a suspenseful movie if we could include the flashes forward and backward throughout.
February 6, 2025
So I've been on the hunt for a literary zombie book for a while, because I think one should exist, the way literary vampire, werewolf, and witch (to say nothing of ghost) novels exist. I think the issue is that the zombie apocalypse obsession in the early-mid 2010s gave the idea of zombies a certain... stink, which is a shame because there's so much potential, I think. There's their roots in Black culture, of course, coming from Haitian and Central African folklore, and them being reanimated corpses without soul gives the opportunity for commentary on grief that differs from other dead or undead monsters like vampires and ghosts. I think the closest I've come so far to the type of zombie novel I'd like to see more of is Pet Semetary.
So naturally, I was very excited to hear of the existence of Elegy of the Undead, after it was given a glowing review from a Youtuber I enjoy. A literary zombie novel that's less of a zombie novel and more of a slow exploration of love and grief and the relationship of these two men? Sign me the fuck up.
It is not a good sign when I finish a 127 page novella and my first thought is "woof".
I said in my review of Medusa of the Roses that sometimes, the writing is so pretty I will forgive any and all sins, and that is true. The opposite, however, is also true- the writing can be so bad that I can and will overlook things I liked or at least typically enjoy in books because of that. For me, this was not good writing, not in the slightest, and it sank this novella. A 127 page novella should be a piece of cake, but when I'm drowing in bland, YA-y writing (no surprises here that Shaun David Hutchinson gave this a 5), it took me four whole days to read it and not because I was trying to savor it.
It also didn't help that I kept getting Lyle and Jude's perspectives mixed and I'm still not entirely convinced either of these men aren't the same person. I think the author kept trying to give Lyle especially a very distinct personality, a sort of snarky, oversexed cool boy thing, but it didn't really land because it wasn't reflected at all in his narrative voice, which remained pretty bland and flat.
Like, I actually got a little pissed off during that scene where Lyle cheats on Jude with that guy from his writing class, because the entire time he's making fun of this guy's bad writing and I just wanted to be like "honestly look at yourself first, before you make up a character for us to hate because he writes like a wannabe Hemingway".
I also thought their relationship was so bland. Look, I love a good mundane book, and I'm a romantic so I can pretty easily get swept away by a love story and grief, but there just wasn't anything there for me to latch onto. The writing wasn't pretty enough to make the mundane kind of love portrayed here beautiful, and the character's declarations of eternal love and marriage felt startlingly hollow because of it. The attempts at pretty quotations felt generic and hallmark-movie-y, and at times laughable- Lyle being like "This is going to get graphic and if this is too much information for you, this isn't the book for you, this is a real depiction of our love story" and then following that with the most vanilla sex scene I have ever read made me audibly snort.
If I ever have to read a warning like that again I better be fucking traumatized by the paragraphs that follow.
Let's talk about zombies now (finally!)
This is the first and will be the only zombie apocalypse book I have ever read, and I do appreciate it for confirming that I do, in fact, have no interest in that specific plot. I guess I could see a future where I read a Night-of-the-Living-Dead type book, but I just don't want to read or watch anything that associates zombies and viruses. My taste in medical body horror is very specific, and viruses and virology have always been a bit too "Michael Crighton-y" for me to have any interest in them.
I think the greater problem is that the parts dealing with the zombie outbreak were just straightforward action and not really anything I'd find intriguing about such an outbreak, which is, you know, the idea that you'd have kill your loved ones or someone's loved ones and how you'd be able to compartmentalize the idea that the person who looks a lot like your spouse or child is doing horrible things and you'd have to kill them to protect yourself and others.
I think this book wanted to do that, but was hindered by the poor writing and bland characters and overemphasis on action.
Honestly, the only reason why this is a two and not a one is because I think it's just not memorable enough to be a one? Ones have to be something truly special in their own horrible way, and this was just not it. I think the best comparison is actually Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda because I also found that book just entirely unspecial in every way despite it desperately wanting to be special. If anyone has any suggestions for a zombie book that might be more up my alley, let me know!
So naturally, I was very excited to hear of the existence of Elegy of the Undead, after it was given a glowing review from a Youtuber I enjoy. A literary zombie novel that's less of a zombie novel and more of a slow exploration of love and grief and the relationship of these two men? Sign me the fuck up.
It is not a good sign when I finish a 127 page novella and my first thought is "woof".
I said in my review of Medusa of the Roses that sometimes, the writing is so pretty I will forgive any and all sins, and that is true. The opposite, however, is also true- the writing can be so bad that I can and will overlook things I liked or at least typically enjoy in books because of that. For me, this was not good writing, not in the slightest, and it sank this novella. A 127 page novella should be a piece of cake, but when I'm drowing in bland, YA-y writing (no surprises here that Shaun David Hutchinson gave this a 5), it took me four whole days to read it and not because I was trying to savor it.
It also didn't help that I kept getting Lyle and Jude's perspectives mixed and I'm still not entirely convinced either of these men aren't the same person. I think the author kept trying to give Lyle especially a very distinct personality, a sort of snarky, oversexed cool boy thing, but it didn't really land because it wasn't reflected at all in his narrative voice, which remained pretty bland and flat.
Like, I actually got a little pissed off during that scene where Lyle cheats on Jude with that guy from his writing class, because the entire time he's making fun of this guy's bad writing and I just wanted to be like "honestly look at yourself first, before you make up a character for us to hate because he writes like a wannabe Hemingway".
I also thought their relationship was so bland. Look, I love a good mundane book, and I'm a romantic so I can pretty easily get swept away by a love story and grief, but there just wasn't anything there for me to latch onto. The writing wasn't pretty enough to make the mundane kind of love portrayed here beautiful, and the character's declarations of eternal love and marriage felt startlingly hollow because of it. The attempts at pretty quotations felt generic and hallmark-movie-y, and at times laughable- Lyle being like "This is going to get graphic and if this is too much information for you, this isn't the book for you, this is a real depiction of our love story" and then following that with the most vanilla sex scene I have ever read made me audibly snort.
If I ever have to read a warning like that again I better be fucking traumatized by the paragraphs that follow.
Let's talk about zombies now (finally!)
This is the first and will be the only zombie apocalypse book I have ever read, and I do appreciate it for confirming that I do, in fact, have no interest in that specific plot. I guess I could see a future where I read a Night-of-the-Living-Dead type book, but I just don't want to read or watch anything that associates zombies and viruses. My taste in medical body horror is very specific, and viruses and virology have always been a bit too "Michael Crighton-y" for me to have any interest in them.
I think the greater problem is that the parts dealing with the zombie outbreak were just straightforward action and not really anything I'd find intriguing about such an outbreak, which is, you know, the idea that you'd have kill your loved ones or someone's loved ones and how you'd be able to compartmentalize the idea that the person who looks a lot like your spouse or child is doing horrible things and you'd have to kill them to protect yourself and others.
I think this book wanted to do that, but was hindered by the poor writing and bland characters and overemphasis on action.
Honestly, the only reason why this is a two and not a one is because I think it's just not memorable enough to be a one? Ones have to be something truly special in their own horrible way, and this was just not it. I think the best comparison is actually Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda because I also found that book just entirely unspecial in every way despite it desperately wanting to be special. If anyone has any suggestions for a zombie book that might be more up my alley, let me know!
November 11, 2020
3.5 stars!
A very different type of zombie story, although it wasn't without its heart racing and anxious scenes of running from and killing the undead! It's more that it uses the zombie genre as a lens to take a deep look at a gay relationship between two men who meet in high school, become friends in university, fall in love (not without its bumps, including some infidelity and terrible communication), and get married.
During an outbreak of a virus that causes zombification, one of them gets infected, while the other doesn't. Very sweet and cute, while realistic and also occasionally scary and gory. An odd mix that works most of the time.
A very different type of zombie story, although it wasn't without its heart racing and anxious scenes of running from and killing the undead! It's more that it uses the zombie genre as a lens to take a deep look at a gay relationship between two men who meet in high school, become friends in university, fall in love (not without its bumps, including some infidelity and terrible communication), and get married.
During an outbreak of a virus that causes zombification, one of them gets infected, while the other doesn't. Very sweet and cute, while realistic and also occasionally scary and gory. An odd mix that works most of the time.
January 2, 2025
the kind of love only a zombie apocalypse can bring out in a person😭😭 bill and frank in another universe <3
“I want to relive it like it’s happening all over again. Perhaps living again in this way is the beautiful death we all deserve. […] All these horrible moments feel more controllable now, as if nostalgia gives me greater strength but less truth.”
(tbh i’d rate this higher if not for all the pop culture references but that’s just personal preference)
“I want to relive it like it’s happening all over again. Perhaps living again in this way is the beautiful death we all deserve. […] All these horrible moments feel more controllable now, as if nostalgia gives me greater strength but less truth.”
(tbh i’d rate this higher if not for all the pop culture references but that’s just personal preference)
March 31, 2025
I did write this, so I’m incredibly bias. But hey, if you like gays and the harsh parts of love, might be for you!
May 10, 2026
This strove to be a story exploring the incredibly complex situation of a terminal illness and how it changes the one with it, and how it affects those around the patient. Doing it through the lens of a zombie virus was a novel idea and one that had potential. I liked that take.
However, tell me how, with such a complex concept at its core, this was so surface-level it was borderline painful.
I was supposed to feel bad about Lyle, and instead I couldn't stop thinking about how much of a POS he was, even before the virus started changing his personality. How can I root for someone I hate from the start? I was supposed to feel bad about Jude, but instead things went by so quickly and without lingering on them at all, that I didn't even have time to feel bad. And that action of his at the end of the book felt out of character given the handful of information we had been given about him.
Also tell me what was the point of having a dual POV if both the character voices read exactly the same. If you hid the chapter titles and begun reading, you would genuinely not know whether you were reading Lyle or Jude's POV until you read the other's name in the third person.
I really did try to care, but the book doesn't give you time to do so. If the book had been longer and the writing even slightly better than "meh", I believe this could've been so much better. Not awesome, but nice enough. But it wasn't. Instead, I binged it just so I could be done with it quickly.
I give it 2 stars instead of 1 because it was "meh" instead of "atrocious", and because the premise was interesting and I can imagine the points the story could've touched upon if it had been... well, better.
However, tell me how, with such a complex concept at its core, this was so surface-level it was borderline painful.
I was supposed to feel bad about Lyle, and instead I couldn't stop thinking about how much of a POS he was, even before the virus started changing his personality. How can I root for someone I hate from the start? I was supposed to feel bad about Jude, but instead things went by so quickly and without lingering on them at all, that I didn't even have time to feel bad. And that action of his at the end of the book felt out of character given the handful of information we had been given about him.
Also tell me what was the point of having a dual POV if both the character voices read exactly the same. If you hid the chapter titles and begun reading, you would genuinely not know whether you were reading Lyle or Jude's POV until you read the other's name in the third person.
I really did try to care, but the book doesn't give you time to do so. If the book had been longer and the writing even slightly better than "meh", I believe this could've been so much better. Not awesome, but nice enough. But it wasn't. Instead, I binged it just so I could be done with it quickly.
I give it 2 stars instead of 1 because it was "meh" instead of "atrocious", and because the premise was interesting and I can imagine the points the story could've touched upon if it had been... well, better.
January 21, 2025
3.8 - I listened to the audiobook at work and I literally had to go to the bathroom to finish the last chapter because I was crying.
This is such a sad, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and gut wrenching read. I really loved both of our main characters, flaws and all, because they are so perfectly human. Especially in the face of this awful illness that will take someone away, their love remained perfectly intact and they embraced each other even more. My god, this was a story that made me want to hug my partner and never let them go and I love that.
I think the way this story was told took away from my enjoyment when I was listening to the audiobook because I felt confused at points by where we were in the timeline of the story and I feel had I actually read this, that wouldn't have happened. So that did take away from my enjoyment a little bit but I feel like that's just a format issue not a story issue.
This is such a sad, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and gut wrenching read. I really loved both of our main characters, flaws and all, because they are so perfectly human. Especially in the face of this awful illness that will take someone away, their love remained perfectly intact and they embraced each other even more. My god, this was a story that made me want to hug my partner and never let them go and I love that.
I think the way this story was told took away from my enjoyment when I was listening to the audiobook because I felt confused at points by where we were in the timeline of the story and I feel had I actually read this, that wouldn't have happened. So that did take away from my enjoyment a little bit but I feel like that's just a format issue not a story issue.
July 12, 2024
2.5. Nope. Not what I was looking for- wanted zombies. Was promised zombies. This was dystopian drivel; more about the love story than apocolyptic events. Not a hater but did not meet expectations. Happy so many others enjoyed it.
Glad it was short.
Glad it was short.
May 5, 2024
Thought about my girlfriend when I read this which made me cry a lot. I LOVE GAY PEOPLE 🗣️🗣️🗣️
February 7, 2025
A quiet little book that focuses less on zombie adventure and more on the mundane dynamics in a couple — and how that changes with illness and tragedy.
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