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Former
Unlike his wife, his family, and his friends, Billy Dodge is alive. Profine, an international pharmaceutical and defense conglomerate, has cured him of an infection that has ravaged the Earth for over a decade. Life isn't easy for former infected, however, and despite Profine's help Billy is struggling to cope in a less than welcoming world. When Billy and a friend are blamed for an unfortunate death, things only become more difficult, and Billy finds himself at the center of a global crisis. As Billy wrestles with his inner demons and the strife around him, society struggles with an important question: are formers human, and should they be allowed to live?
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 12, 2016
A. E. Stueve has created an interesting world here, one out of the norm for zombie-apocalypses. And that, my friends, is a good thing. The entire world is one to be believed--and feared. But the book isn't all horror and blood and guts; it has heart, too. There are moments of genuine beauty here, which are a welcome break to the horror and violence at hand. Stueve never gets carried away in that department; it's not gratuitous, and in this day and age, restraint isn't such a bad thing.
April 24, 2016
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. My opinion is just that...mine...and completely unbiased.
With the insurgence of fetid zombies over the past several years, this was a welcome breath of fresh air! These "formers" have heart and compassion, feel anger and hurt, get frustrated and confused; but most of all, they just want to live a normal life! Mr. Stueve is a force to be reckoned with, and I can't wait for his next spinning tale!
With the insurgence of fetid zombies over the past several years, this was a welcome breath of fresh air! These "formers" have heart and compassion, feel anger and hurt, get frustrated and confused; but most of all, they just want to live a normal life! Mr. Stueve is a force to be reckoned with, and I can't wait for his next spinning tale!
March 4, 2016
This is the deepest zombie book I've read in a long time. I found it tense and captivating, I was pulled right in and had to find out what was going to happen. Thoroughly engaging, it's dark while still somehow being uplifting. Despite the twistedness of the world that it so vividly creates, it made me think reflect heavily on the modern world. Very cool book.
February 10, 2016
I'm definitely not a horror fan, so I was a little hesitant going in, but this is more literary fiction with an apocalyptic twist. Very much a character-driven novel with a strong thread of social satire.
March 8, 2016
Excellent book! An exciting, affecting, driving novel whose protagonist fights to be alive, in every sense. A.E. Stueve is a master world-builder.
Read
April 21, 2016oh my godddddd that is such a great book
September 21, 2020
Stueve’s skill in creating an immersive world is undeniable. His characters are rich and perfectly flawed.
April 19, 2016
Old fashioned and modern zombie thriller where you want the zombies to win. 5 stars.
"Former" by A.E. Stueve is a fantastic book in the best tradition of speculative fiction, it's overall style reminds me of 1940's and 50's authors like Isaac Asimov or Harlan Ellison.
Stueve masterfully creates a world where zombies have been cured and placed in segregated camps where they can be rehabilitated. None know, or perhaps believe, that they will ever be released. Some don't think they should. Billy imagines eating people he doesn't like, his special hatred saved for the smug doctor trying to save him. Unless she isn't trying to save him, in which case he thinks she may be right. The story moves quickly past the AA style former-zombie therapy session to a minor rebellion which results in the violent death of an angry human. From there things deteriorate rapidly, explosively, and often confusingly. The author cleverly uses his writing style to convey Billy's mood, at several points I nearly threw my Kindle but each time coincided with places where Billy was growing increasingly agitated so it felt intentional.
I don't want to spoil anyone by going into more detail, suffice to say there is conspiracy galore, lies upon lies and double crosses so often you end up not actually knowing if you've got even 50% of the truth of this world. That, in itself is surprisingly satisfying. This book is definitely worth a read if you like thought experiments that explore the human condition. If you like the zombie genre then this is as essential as "The Caves of Steel" is to robot lovers.
In the interest of full disclosure I'm a big fan of 'Shaun of the dead' and 'The Walking Dead' so I'm definitely predisposed to like a zombie book but I can certainly say this one felt fresh and original (in it's way, I have actually read a few short stories with a similar 'cured zombie' trope). And by the way, the author writes smug doctor types so well, I suspect he knows a few scientists who drive him to distraction.
By the time I put this book down I had many questions; 'what makes us human?', 'Is one life worth more than another?', 'Is survival such a primal instinct that even when we desperately want to die the threat of murder makes us fight?', 'Is it OK to lie through your teeth for the greater good?', 'Is cold blooded revenge ever worth the cost?'. Ultimately though I had one over-ridding thought that will stay with me, best expressed by the author himself; "I make my own meaning. I make my own life."
Lucy
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
"Former" by A.E. Stueve is a fantastic book in the best tradition of speculative fiction, it's overall style reminds me of 1940's and 50's authors like Isaac Asimov or Harlan Ellison.
Stueve masterfully creates a world where zombies have been cured and placed in segregated camps where they can be rehabilitated. None know, or perhaps believe, that they will ever be released. Some don't think they should. Billy imagines eating people he doesn't like, his special hatred saved for the smug doctor trying to save him. Unless she isn't trying to save him, in which case he thinks she may be right. The story moves quickly past the AA style former-zombie therapy session to a minor rebellion which results in the violent death of an angry human. From there things deteriorate rapidly, explosively, and often confusingly. The author cleverly uses his writing style to convey Billy's mood, at several points I nearly threw my Kindle but each time coincided with places where Billy was growing increasingly agitated so it felt intentional.
I don't want to spoil anyone by going into more detail, suffice to say there is conspiracy galore, lies upon lies and double crosses so often you end up not actually knowing if you've got even 50% of the truth of this world. That, in itself is surprisingly satisfying. This book is definitely worth a read if you like thought experiments that explore the human condition. If you like the zombie genre then this is as essential as "The Caves of Steel" is to robot lovers.
In the interest of full disclosure I'm a big fan of 'Shaun of the dead' and 'The Walking Dead' so I'm definitely predisposed to like a zombie book but I can certainly say this one felt fresh and original (in it's way, I have actually read a few short stories with a similar 'cured zombie' trope). And by the way, the author writes smug doctor types so well, I suspect he knows a few scientists who drive him to distraction.
By the time I put this book down I had many questions; 'what makes us human?', 'Is one life worth more than another?', 'Is survival such a primal instinct that even when we desperately want to die the threat of murder makes us fight?', 'Is it OK to lie through your teeth for the greater good?', 'Is cold blooded revenge ever worth the cost?'. Ultimately though I had one over-ridding thought that will stay with me, best expressed by the author himself; "I make my own meaning. I make my own life."
Lucy
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
February 3, 2016
Right from the start, Billy Dodge is treated as an important person. I kept wondering when there would be a reveal that would explain this, but it never came. In particular the beginning of the book concentrates on a group therapy session for formers, run by someone important from Profine. The focus of the therapy the formers receive seems to concentrate on recalling memories–apparently formers have difficulty remembering their previous lives. Because of this, it seemed obvious that eventually Billy would recover a memory that would explain why he was important. Instead, it’s like having Chekov’s gun hanging on the wall but loading it with blanks.
It’s annoying that people keep not telling Billy exactly what’s going on. As far as I could tell, nothing was being accomplished by this other than artificially extending the reveal for the reader. The book repeatedly gave weight to things that didn’t seem to pan out as important.
I’m not entirely sure why the compound the formers live in was handled the way it was. It’s run by Profine, the company behind the cure. Supposedly the idea is to give the formers five years of therapy and adjustment help and then return them to society, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a pipe dream. It’s hard to imagine Profine putting so many resources and important people, and so much money into this project.
The basic premise of Former is fantastic–it’s past time we got to see what happens when the zombies get cured. Unfortunately, I found the actual novel left me confused as to why things were done in certain ways. It felt… disjointed, maybe? A little underwhelming? It wasn’t bad; it just didn’t wow me. I had difficulty empathizing with the characters. For the first book I’ve read about the post-zombie apocalypse, I expected something more.
NOTE: Book provided free for review by publisher.
Longer review posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/02/r...
It’s annoying that people keep not telling Billy exactly what’s going on. As far as I could tell, nothing was being accomplished by this other than artificially extending the reveal for the reader. The book repeatedly gave weight to things that didn’t seem to pan out as important.
I’m not entirely sure why the compound the formers live in was handled the way it was. It’s run by Profine, the company behind the cure. Supposedly the idea is to give the formers five years of therapy and adjustment help and then return them to society, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a pipe dream. It’s hard to imagine Profine putting so many resources and important people, and so much money into this project.
The basic premise of Former is fantastic–it’s past time we got to see what happens when the zombies get cured. Unfortunately, I found the actual novel left me confused as to why things were done in certain ways. It felt… disjointed, maybe? A little underwhelming? It wasn’t bad; it just didn’t wow me. I had difficulty empathizing with the characters. For the first book I’ve read about the post-zombie apocalypse, I expected something more.
NOTE: Book provided free for review by publisher.
Longer review posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/02/r...
April 9, 2016
I do not like horror or zombies or anything like unto it. But I had read an early draft of "Former" and knew it had gone through several changes; I wanted to see what those changes were.
I was not disappointed. While there are a few graphic descriptions of zombie attacks (which, admittedly, I skimmed), I was drawn in by a two elements of this book.
First, the development of the main character, Billy. His journey to relearn what it means to be alive would be easily dismissible as a function of a zombie-infested world except for this: I see shades of our current approach to living in Billy. I may not be scrambling to escape or recover from a zombie infection, but there is plenty around me to keep me numb, to keep me from knowing what it means to be alive. And sometimes I, like Billy, have to actively force myself to be alive.
Second, the world Stueve built: the public's hatred of a marginalized group of people; Big Pharma in cahoots with the government; rampant war and corruption...the novel has a Bradbury quality to it. Stueve's novel serves as a warning, not of a possible zombie apocalypse, but of an apocalypse much more harrowing: when the human race actively decides to give up on itself.
Engaging, thought-provoking read--even for someone like me who avoids this genre like, well, a zombie plague.
I was not disappointed. While there are a few graphic descriptions of zombie attacks (which, admittedly, I skimmed), I was drawn in by a two elements of this book.
First, the development of the main character, Billy. His journey to relearn what it means to be alive would be easily dismissible as a function of a zombie-infested world except for this: I see shades of our current approach to living in Billy. I may not be scrambling to escape or recover from a zombie infection, but there is plenty around me to keep me numb, to keep me from knowing what it means to be alive. And sometimes I, like Billy, have to actively force myself to be alive.
Second, the world Stueve built: the public's hatred of a marginalized group of people; Big Pharma in cahoots with the government; rampant war and corruption...the novel has a Bradbury quality to it. Stueve's novel serves as a warning, not of a possible zombie apocalypse, but of an apocalypse much more harrowing: when the human race actively decides to give up on itself.
Engaging, thought-provoking read--even for someone like me who avoids this genre like, well, a zombie plague.
May 5, 2016
There were things I enjoyed about this read and a few things I wasn't as pleased about. The overall writing is done quite well with no glaring mistakes or typos. I like the plot idea very much. I enjoy my zombie culture settings in books and shows. I like aspects of how this was handled, although certain questions kept resurfacing during the read. There were a lot of why's and single eyebrow raises but nothing was ever explained in great depth. This may have been an oversight but I have a feeling it was cut during the editing process to help with the flow of the read and to prevent an overwhelming amount of information feeding taking away from the core plot. I don't think this will be a huge issue for the majority of readers. It's a good start to a much ignored aspect of the zombie genre. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
April 3, 2017
Former, by A.E. Stueve, is a novel about a biochemical weapon gone horribly wrong. The infection spreads and zombie like creatures are created from Humans. The company responsible, Profine, dispenses a cure, but keeps the Formers, inside security areas. This is an easy to read tale of Billy, one man's experiences before, during, and after infection. In the end Billy escapes to Corpus Chrisiti, Profine is destroyed, and the world waits to recover or devolve further. Dr. Yvonne, Gerald, & Nancy are among his friends that are part of his life as a Former. The writing is detailed and clear. The story reminds me of many of the Zombie movies and games. The experience of seeing the Former's thoughts pre, during-zombie-like, and post state is a unique interpretation of a popular story-line.
March 30, 2016
This book was fucking phenomenal. I picked it up after work and couldn't put it down. It is the right mixture of dark and uplifting. It gives a different type of zombie story. Former is great. Former is, like I said before, fucking phenomenal.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews