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Dying to Live #3
Last Rites
In a world overrun by the living dead, one band of survivors built a community with a strange sort of peace with the undead. The dead were contained, but not exterminated. Now they've exiled four people--two undead, two alive--into the wilderness outside the city walls. Lucy, a beautiful zombie overwhelmed by her desire to kill and feed, keeps herself just barely under control around her living companions. Truman, a gentler and more reasonable zombie, looks at the living with something close to disinterest. Rachel and Will have trouble understanding and trusting one another--let alone their undead companions. When disease threatens one of the outcasts, the four unwisely seek help in a city filled with things they had forgotten in their simple existence together: safety, good food, comfortable lives, cruelty, apathy, and greed. One of them will not survive the encounter, and the rest will be sorely tested in this strange new world of physical depravity and spiritual death. When innocence and corruption meet, the outcome is never what anyone expects.
247 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2011
2 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Kim Paffenroth
63 books139 followersI am a professor of religious studies, and the author of several books on the Bible and theology. I grew up in New York, Virginia, and New Mexico. I attended St. John's College, Annapolis, MD (BA, 1988), Harvard Divinity School (MTS, 1990), and the University of Notre Dame (PhD, 1995). I live in upstate New York with my wife and two wonderful kids. In the horror genre, I have written Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006) - WINNER, 2006 Bram Stoker Award; Dying to Live: A Novel of Life among the Undead (Permuted Press, 2007); Orpheus and the Pearl(Magus Press, 2008); and Dying to Live: Life Sentence(Permuted Press, 2008).
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 16, 2022
Запалих се по зомби жанра преди около 6-7 години, да, беше още преди да филмират Z-тата война и комикса Живите мъртви, но четящите обикновено така правим, изпреварваме тенденциите на зомбираните. Както и да е, тогава надувах главите на всеки съгласен, или не особено, да ме слуша с ходещи трупове. С няколко приятели от клуба по фантастика на майтап направихме харта за права на зомбитата, защото либераслото ни общество е напълно способно да приеме бездушни плътоядни изроди, особено ако по някакъв начин успеят да ги вкарат в определени изборни списъци. Ха-ха голям смях. Смял съм се явно малко рано, защото това тук…
Да речем, че съм пропуснал нещо, защото това е трета част от трилогия, незнайно как озовала се на киндъла ми, без предните две, но едва ли.
Значи тук зомбитата са доста умни, могат да говорят, боли ги и са неоправдани. Това, че похапват хора е бял кахър, явно. А хората, те са садистични изроди, гаврещи се с нещастните мърши и незачитащи правата им.
Няма да изпадам в подробности защо това е толкова, толкова неправилно. Няма да говоря за заклеймяване на консуматорска култура и крах на цивилизации. Няма да се заяждам с образованието на автора и последиците от него. Няма да чета предните две книги.
Една звезда нагоре, защото се чете бързо и има напрегнато действие, все пак. И успява да те накара да ти пука за героите, дори за зомбитата. Пък и все пак не е някаква некрофилска онанайка като „Топли тела.“
Да речем, че съм пропуснал нещо, защото това е трета част от трилогия, незнайно как озовала се на киндъла ми, без предните две, но едва ли.
Значи тук зомбитата са доста умни, могат да говорят, боли ги и са неоправдани. Това, че похапват хора е бял кахър, явно. А хората, те са садистични изроди, гаврещи се с нещастните мърши и незачитащи правата им.
Няма да изпадам в подробности защо това е толкова, толкова неправилно. Няма да говоря за заклеймяване на консуматорска култура и крах на цивилизации. Няма да се заяждам с образованието на автора и последиците от него. Няма да чета предните две книги.
Една звезда нагоре, защото се чете бързо и има напрегнато действие, все пак. И успява да те накара да ти пука за героите, дори за зомбитата. Пък и все пак не е някаква некрофилска онанайка като „Топли тела.“
June 23, 2015
CONTAINS SMALL SPOILERS
When i first started reading book one of the Dying to Live series, i was excited because i love zombie books. I was expecting to be greeted wth gore and bloody deaths. This series was a major disappointment. There weren't any major character deaths in these books, just the deaths of small background characters. I like to get to know a new character in one chapter and then have them die a bloody death by a vicious zombie 3/4 chapters on. I only gave this 1 star extra than the previous because there was more death featured in this one, but i feel it may have been to make up for the lack off in the last two.
The two 'smart' zombies from the last book Truman and Lucy became even smarter in this book, which not going to lie, i didn't like. Zombies are not supposed to be compassionate to those they are about to kill, hell they shouldn't even be talking. They shouldn't be killing humans with guns, like Lucy did in this book, it didn't feel right. The smart zombies in this book, i feel, are more like people with a disease, granted a disease where they are dead, but they didn't feel like zombies.
This series is great if you want a zombie series with a twist, but i have already read a few zombie books with a plot like this and this was nothing in comparison to how great that series was. The covers are however really great..
When i first started reading book one of the Dying to Live series, i was excited because i love zombie books. I was expecting to be greeted wth gore and bloody deaths. This series was a major disappointment. There weren't any major character deaths in these books, just the deaths of small background characters. I like to get to know a new character in one chapter and then have them die a bloody death by a vicious zombie 3/4 chapters on. I only gave this 1 star extra than the previous because there was more death featured in this one, but i feel it may have been to make up for the lack off in the last two.
The two 'smart' zombies from the last book Truman and Lucy became even smarter in this book, which not going to lie, i didn't like. Zombies are not supposed to be compassionate to those they are about to kill, hell they shouldn't even be talking. They shouldn't be killing humans with guns, like Lucy did in this book, it didn't feel right. The smart zombies in this book, i feel, are more like people with a disease, granted a disease where they are dead, but they didn't feel like zombies.
This series is great if you want a zombie series with a twist, but i have already read a few zombie books with a plot like this and this was nothing in comparison to how great that series was. The covers are however really great..
July 13, 2015
First line: Lucy loved killing. It was the only thing she found exhilarating, the only thing that made her feel vital and real, as though she still mattered and wasn’t just a spectator to all the sorry, broken-down things and people—including herself—that surrounded and buffeted her every moment.
3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars.
Paffenroth is an amazing writer, and he does a bang up job in "Last Rites," set a decade or so after the zombie apocalypse. Two humans, Will and Rachel, and two sentient zombies, Truman and Lucy, are outcast and living in the wilderness, until they are forced to seek out others for help when Rachel becomes sick with malaria.
In the seemingly civilized town of New Sparta, the party believes they have found respite, as the town has most of the modern conveniences they hardly remember. The houses are air conditioned, the women wear bras and make up and get their hair done, goods and services are bought on credit which needs to be paid off. (It's nice to see that consumerism and conspicuous consumption survived the apocalypse. Egads.)
But as cheery as things might be for Will and Rachel, the zombie pair are by necessity turned over to the authorities, and they are quickly put to work - Lucy on patrol outside the city walls, and Truman to work for Doctor Jack, who runs a carnival side show where zombie entertainment is the main attraction.
Although Paffenroth continues with his bold themes of the nature of life and death, and life after death, many of the religious elements that were so important in his first two books are missing. However, this is still an excellent read, a must for any series fan of zombie literature. Highly recommended.
3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars.
Paffenroth is an amazing writer, and he does a bang up job in "Last Rites," set a decade or so after the zombie apocalypse. Two humans, Will and Rachel, and two sentient zombies, Truman and Lucy, are outcast and living in the wilderness, until they are forced to seek out others for help when Rachel becomes sick with malaria.
In the seemingly civilized town of New Sparta, the party believes they have found respite, as the town has most of the modern conveniences they hardly remember. The houses are air conditioned, the women wear bras and make up and get their hair done, goods and services are bought on credit which needs to be paid off. (It's nice to see that consumerism and conspicuous consumption survived the apocalypse. Egads.)
But as cheery as things might be for Will and Rachel, the zombie pair are by necessity turned over to the authorities, and they are quickly put to work - Lucy on patrol outside the city walls, and Truman to work for Doctor Jack, who runs a carnival side show where zombie entertainment is the main attraction.
Although Paffenroth continues with his bold themes of the nature of life and death, and life after death, many of the religious elements that were so important in his first two books are missing. However, this is still an excellent read, a must for any series fan of zombie literature. Highly recommended.
July 18, 2011
I’d like to start by saying that I’m a huge lover of zombie stories and what I loved about this book was that it was so unique to the genre along with how much emotion it brought out in me. If you are looking for a book filled with action and gore this book is not for you. Instead you will be treated to a book about love, friendship, selfishness, and sacrifice.
The book is told from four different perspectives Lucy and Truman who are dead, and Will and Rachel who are living. The story begins with the four of them living on a boat together in this new post apocalyptic world. They wind up in a new city and the story revolves around what happens while there. I found myself frequently annoyed and disgusted with the living and concerned for and sympathetic toward the non living characters. All of the characters went through a transformation and it was very interesting to watch the changes happen throughout the book.
I’ve read so many zombie books now that many times it’s the same story so to speak with different characters, and don’t get me wrong I love gore and action but this book takes zombie reading to an entire different level. It’s much deeper of a story asking us to consider things that we’ve never thought of in zombie stories. Could we trust zombies? What if zombies could talk and reason? How should they be treated? Could we live side by side…have them be our friends?
Last Rites was fast paced with outstanding characterization and imagery. I would highly recommend this to anyone especially zombie lovers who are looking for something out of the norm and thought provoking.
The book is told from four different perspectives Lucy and Truman who are dead, and Will and Rachel who are living. The story begins with the four of them living on a boat together in this new post apocalyptic world. They wind up in a new city and the story revolves around what happens while there. I found myself frequently annoyed and disgusted with the living and concerned for and sympathetic toward the non living characters. All of the characters went through a transformation and it was very interesting to watch the changes happen throughout the book.
I’ve read so many zombie books now that many times it’s the same story so to speak with different characters, and don’t get me wrong I love gore and action but this book takes zombie reading to an entire different level. It’s much deeper of a story asking us to consider things that we’ve never thought of in zombie stories. Could we trust zombies? What if zombies could talk and reason? How should they be treated? Could we live side by side…have them be our friends?
Last Rites was fast paced with outstanding characterization and imagery. I would highly recommend this to anyone especially zombie lovers who are looking for something out of the norm and thought provoking.
June 25, 2016
It has been several years since I read the two prior entries in this trilogy of zombie books, so Dying To Live: Last Rites gave me some vague recollections of the four main characters reintroduced here when I started reading this one, but fortunately, this book in many ways is a standalone novel, separate from the other two books with the story it tells.
Two characters, Will and Rachel, are living, while Truman and Lucy are zombies who have worked to retain and regain elements of who they were in life-they can speak and interact with humans. Most importantly, they can refrain from giving in to their base urges to kill and devour the living. Truman more so than Lucy, who still loves to kill and revels in its purity, believing that most humans are selfish, despicable creatures, although she more or less tolerates and even respects Will and Rachel, especially due to the relationship they have with Truman.
The four have been banished from the community they lived in and have been traveling by boat on rivers in the wilderness the world has become. Rachel grows deathly ill and they find another community called New Sparta near the water that can help her, but only under certain conditions. The zombies are to be sold off and Will and Rachel will have to pay for the care she receives and the housing and food they will need. They’ve stumbled into a much more complicated, larger, and more “civilized” society than the one they are used to, with many of the perks of our modern world having returned including electricity, credit, regular jobs, etc. Of course, their objective initially is to get their two undead friends back to safety, but a myriad of distractions and enticements create some challenges for the two of them, while things are far worse for Truman and Lucy.
Once again, the author has created some interesting dilemmas like those that ran through his first two books in this trilogy. Dilemmas based on what it means to be human and also retaining what we call humanity, regardless of who, or what, you actually are-living or undead. It’s clear that the two sentient zombie main characters see humans as selfish and self-destructive beings, even those they care for. Many are far worse than Rachel and Will, but it seems as if this internal focus is ingrained in the living, almost by necessity, to keep the fragile spark of life alight. The undead, including the other zombies the two meet while enslaved in New Sparta, are not subject to this selfishness, or so they believe. But with sentience comes certain needs and desires, even if biological urges have been almost all eliminated. Love, connections to others, and an urge to understand their existence still remains, plus the desire to devour the living still remains…and in most there is no remorse for them either, especially since all memories of what the undead were before they passed on are gone.
Dying To Live: Last Rites may be the third book in Kim Paffenroth’s trilogy, but in many ways it stands on its own as its own examination of life, compassion, and self-sacrifice. The author has expanded the amount of the sentient zombies from beyond the first two books substantially and that may be a turnoff for some readers who are looking for zombies to mostly remain dim cannibal monsters. If this were a pure action/horror type trilogy the author could take things in some interesting, Planet of the Apes-type directions with the undead past this story, but these books have always been much more about the examination of the differences between being human and being humane. Those who have enjoyed the first two novels will likely enjoy this one as well.
Two characters, Will and Rachel, are living, while Truman and Lucy are zombies who have worked to retain and regain elements of who they were in life-they can speak and interact with humans. Most importantly, they can refrain from giving in to their base urges to kill and devour the living. Truman more so than Lucy, who still loves to kill and revels in its purity, believing that most humans are selfish, despicable creatures, although she more or less tolerates and even respects Will and Rachel, especially due to the relationship they have with Truman.
The four have been banished from the community they lived in and have been traveling by boat on rivers in the wilderness the world has become. Rachel grows deathly ill and they find another community called New Sparta near the water that can help her, but only under certain conditions. The zombies are to be sold off and Will and Rachel will have to pay for the care she receives and the housing and food they will need. They’ve stumbled into a much more complicated, larger, and more “civilized” society than the one they are used to, with many of the perks of our modern world having returned including electricity, credit, regular jobs, etc. Of course, their objective initially is to get their two undead friends back to safety, but a myriad of distractions and enticements create some challenges for the two of them, while things are far worse for Truman and Lucy.
Once again, the author has created some interesting dilemmas like those that ran through his first two books in this trilogy. Dilemmas based on what it means to be human and also retaining what we call humanity, regardless of who, or what, you actually are-living or undead. It’s clear that the two sentient zombie main characters see humans as selfish and self-destructive beings, even those they care for. Many are far worse than Rachel and Will, but it seems as if this internal focus is ingrained in the living, almost by necessity, to keep the fragile spark of life alight. The undead, including the other zombies the two meet while enslaved in New Sparta, are not subject to this selfishness, or so they believe. But with sentience comes certain needs and desires, even if biological urges have been almost all eliminated. Love, connections to others, and an urge to understand their existence still remains, plus the desire to devour the living still remains…and in most there is no remorse for them either, especially since all memories of what the undead were before they passed on are gone.
Dying To Live: Last Rites may be the third book in Kim Paffenroth’s trilogy, but in many ways it stands on its own as its own examination of life, compassion, and self-sacrifice. The author has expanded the amount of the sentient zombies from beyond the first two books substantially and that may be a turnoff for some readers who are looking for zombies to mostly remain dim cannibal monsters. If this were a pure action/horror type trilogy the author could take things in some interesting, Planet of the Apes-type directions with the undead past this story, but these books have always been much more about the examination of the differences between being human and being humane. Those who have enjoyed the first two novels will likely enjoy this one as well.
November 27, 2016
In Last Rites, the third volume in his Dying to Live series, Kim Paffenroth continues to offer an original and thought-provoking take on the typical zombie/post-apocalyptic story. When travelers Will and Rachel and their undead companions Truman and Lucy are forced to dock their boat and enter the city of New Sparta, they get an unexpected look at what passes for civilization in a post-apocalyptic United States.
Zombie 411 - The zombies in Dying to Live: Last Rites are not your typical walking dead. While the zombies in the first Dying to Live novel stayed pretty close to the Romero type, this time around they're capable of thought, speech and emotion. Paffenroth uses this development to great effect.
Series Note - While Last Rites is the third installment in the Dying to Live series, it is not necessary to read the first two books to enjoy this one (though I'm sure it helps). It works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel, and as far as I can tell doesn't reference the first Dying to Live novel at all. I haven't read the second one (Dying to Live: Life Sentence) yet, so maybe it ties into Last Rites a bit more.
Paffenroth has never been one to rest comfortably within the confines of the zombie genre, and he continues to push the boundaries with Last Rites. The book is set far enough after the initial outbreak that it avoids that staple entirely, and while there is a good measure of zombie violence and gore, it's not at all what this book is about. Like The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel and Handling the Undead, Last Rites challenges readers, offering them a different look at the undead and making them the main characters of the story. That's not to minimize Will and Rachel as characters, or the ordeals they have to go through as they try to find a place in the new society, but their struggles are nowhere near the sadistic trails the zombie protagonists have to endure. The real monsters in this book end up being the humans running New Sparta and the citizens who are indifferent at best to the horrors that are committed on their behalf.
As much as I enjoy the standard zombie tale, it's good to read a story like this that really shows what can be done with the genre. I was already a fan of Paffenroth's work, but with Dying to Live: Last Rites he has really outdone himself, delivering a novel that more than earns the "instant classic" tag. If you're a fan of zombie/post-apocalyptic stories, this is an absolute must-read story.
Zombie 411 - The zombies in Dying to Live: Last Rites are not your typical walking dead. While the zombies in the first Dying to Live novel stayed pretty close to the Romero type, this time around they're capable of thought, speech and emotion. Paffenroth uses this development to great effect.
Series Note - While Last Rites is the third installment in the Dying to Live series, it is not necessary to read the first two books to enjoy this one (though I'm sure it helps). It works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel, and as far as I can tell doesn't reference the first Dying to Live novel at all. I haven't read the second one (Dying to Live: Life Sentence) yet, so maybe it ties into Last Rites a bit more.
Paffenroth has never been one to rest comfortably within the confines of the zombie genre, and he continues to push the boundaries with Last Rites. The book is set far enough after the initial outbreak that it avoids that staple entirely, and while there is a good measure of zombie violence and gore, it's not at all what this book is about. Like The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel and Handling the Undead, Last Rites challenges readers, offering them a different look at the undead and making them the main characters of the story. That's not to minimize Will and Rachel as characters, or the ordeals they have to go through as they try to find a place in the new society, but their struggles are nowhere near the sadistic trails the zombie protagonists have to endure. The real monsters in this book end up being the humans running New Sparta and the citizens who are indifferent at best to the horrors that are committed on their behalf.
As much as I enjoy the standard zombie tale, it's good to read a story like this that really shows what can be done with the genre. I was already a fan of Paffenroth's work, but with Dying to Live: Last Rites he has really outdone himself, delivering a novel that more than earns the "instant classic" tag. If you're a fan of zombie/post-apocalyptic stories, this is an absolute must-read story.
April 1, 2011
Know that this is the third in a series. You don't HAVE to read the other two first, because this story stands well alone, but you should because it's a great continuation of the story.
In the first book the zombie event happens and people scramble to survive. In the second book, communities are set up and thriving and the world continues, albeit drastically differently.
In this book, time has passed, things are what they are, and the story picks up where the second one ended. Humans Rachel and Will, and zombies Lucy and Truman are living on a boat. Things are not perfect, but they are peaceful. Rachel becomes ill and Will is forced to dock in a city to seek medical treatment for her. Because of the nature and perils of the big bad city, they are stuck there for a time, and the true nature of these characters is revealed.
Anything else goes into spoiler territory, and I won't travel that path, but the story is full and complete and very well done.
I am definitely NOT a fan of books that attempt to humanize zombies. They are DEAD. They are ZOMBIES and I don't want to care about them or what happens to them because they are flesh eating dead former people.
Mr. Paffenroth has gotten it right, and can actually make you care. I do have to say that the Paffenroth Zs are not the usual mindless, shuffling, fleshmongers, but you need to read the first two books to find out why.
A great contination of this series.
In the first book the zombie event happens and people scramble to survive. In the second book, communities are set up and thriving and the world continues, albeit drastically differently.
In this book, time has passed, things are what they are, and the story picks up where the second one ended. Humans Rachel and Will, and zombies Lucy and Truman are living on a boat. Things are not perfect, but they are peaceful. Rachel becomes ill and Will is forced to dock in a city to seek medical treatment for her. Because of the nature and perils of the big bad city, they are stuck there for a time, and the true nature of these characters is revealed.
Anything else goes into spoiler territory, and I won't travel that path, but the story is full and complete and very well done.
I am definitely NOT a fan of books that attempt to humanize zombies. They are DEAD. They are ZOMBIES and I don't want to care about them or what happens to them because they are flesh eating dead former people.
Mr. Paffenroth has gotten it right, and can actually make you care. I do have to say that the Paffenroth Zs are not the usual mindless, shuffling, fleshmongers, but you need to read the first two books to find out why.
A great contination of this series.
April 27, 2017
Dying to Live: Last Rites (Dying to Live, #3) This was a random (count 42 books from the one I went to the library to borrow & take whatever it is) & I was blown away by how good it was. Essentially a zombie story it actually highlights a lot of topical social issues, especially in regards to the differentiation between "us" & "them" whichever us & them you want to choose to discuss. I didn't realise it was the third in a series & now I look forward to finding the other titles.
October 7, 2015
Third in a series of pretty interesting zombie novels written by a philosophy and religion professor (he also wrote a non-fiction piece comparing the Romero films to the circles of hell in Dante's Inferno). Very different from your average zombie gore. I still rate World War Z the best zombie novel ever, but these are an interesting second. I heart Truman, the hero zombie!
September 16, 2013
Finally we are following one of the wilder characters of the first and second book, Will. Some interesting characteristics of the Zombies plus really well formulated written emotion make this a touching book. It could be very philosophical if one wanted, as it puts want and needs into some great perspective. Recommended!
January 18, 2012
Dying to Live: Last Rites is not the most literary book ever, but it is truly a unique story. It is light zombie reading, something safe to read before bed...as long you don't mind staying up all night to finish it. I'd been looking forward to its release and was not disappointed!
June 13, 2012
I wish I could make it 6 stars!! Totally different from anything zombie related I have ever read!!!! I couldnt put these books down!! This is probably my second fav zombie trilogy I have had the pleasure to read!!
March 28, 2012
I don't usually like books with thinking zombies, but this was interesting. MUCH better than the first book in the series--Paffenroth has grown as an author.
July 9, 2013
Unfortunately, I didn't realise this was number 3 in the series when I read it but obviously the rating didn't suffer.
May 19, 2012
love the book hated the death at the end
February 12, 2013
Awesome read!
I loved all the characters and the story was exciting.
I loved all the characters and the story was exciting.
March 16, 2013
Excellent loved all 3 books
February 7, 2023
This entire series by Kim Paffenroth has been such a great reading experience. It was done so well. I love zombie books, especially when they are written with such care. The characters are so real. Pick up this book and the other two of its series and check them out! You will not regret it. Great story.
Spoiler alert: Normally, I despise when a zombie story has intelligent zombies. I find it to be a stupid idea. However, Kim Paffenroth has found a way to take what I hate and make it so intriguing that the zombies became my favorite part of the story. I absolutely love Truman and Lucy. Lucy was my favorite character in this book. Truman was my favorite in the previous book. Great job, Kim. I can no longer truly say I hate all zombie stories with intelligent zombies, thanks to you.
Spoiler alert: Normally, I despise when a zombie story has intelligent zombies. I find it to be a stupid idea. However, Kim Paffenroth has found a way to take what I hate and make it so intriguing that the zombies became my favorite part of the story. I absolutely love Truman and Lucy. Lucy was my favorite character in this book. Truman was my favorite in the previous book. Great job, Kim. I can no longer truly say I hate all zombie stories with intelligent zombies, thanks to you.
April 23, 2022
Not the best of zombie horror, could be because I hadn't read the second book. The idea of talking zombies becoming work animals for the living didn't quite make it. However, in the next to last chapter there is conversation between one of the living characters and one of the dead ones that is really good and puts the idea of the living and the undead existing together into perspective.
March 22, 2018
My least fave of the books. It’s overly romantic and dramatic. The writing style of moving between characters each chapter was annoying. Book shows this series is out of gas
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January 15, 2025Did not finish book.
Again. If I can’t finish book 1, I’m sure book 3 won’t do it for me.
Again. If I can’t finish book 1, I’m sure book 3 won’t do it for me.
August 10, 2012
Kim Paffenroth has done another excellent job with his latest instalment to the Dying to Live series. He has taken an old and increasingly tired genre and turned it on its head with extreme passion and heart felt emotions running through every vein of the story.
This book has more life within its zombie existence than any other that I have read before and I am strictly amazed that he does not receive more recognition.
This is the third in a series and I suggest that you read them in order because in the first book, it starts rather standard and takes a sharp turn towards the end. This is where Paffenroth takes the saga to the next level with the second book. Now, with the third book, he has taken it even further.
This is an exciting page turner which takes place some time after the second book. I will try not to give anything away because if you have not read the series, I do not want to spoil any plot points. The books chapters are written by each of the characters which gives the reader insight into each of the perspectives and the conclusion is a heartfelt brilliant ending that tears almost well up into eyes just thinking about it now. The beauty comes with the unknown the horrors rests with the known which examines the zombie mythography with humour, depth and very intuitive characters that almost live off the page.
This is an exceptional book that should be experienced by all zombie horror fans and horror fans generally. If you are looking for a different type of read, I highly suggest this but please read the first book and continue with the saga.
A pure gem of a book that touched me to no end.
This book has more life within its zombie existence than any other that I have read before and I am strictly amazed that he does not receive more recognition.
This is the third in a series and I suggest that you read them in order because in the first book, it starts rather standard and takes a sharp turn towards the end. This is where Paffenroth takes the saga to the next level with the second book. Now, with the third book, he has taken it even further.
This is an exciting page turner which takes place some time after the second book. I will try not to give anything away because if you have not read the series, I do not want to spoil any plot points. The books chapters are written by each of the characters which gives the reader insight into each of the perspectives and the conclusion is a heartfelt brilliant ending that tears almost well up into eyes just thinking about it now. The beauty comes with the unknown the horrors rests with the known which examines the zombie mythography with humour, depth and very intuitive characters that almost live off the page.
This is an exceptional book that should be experienced by all zombie horror fans and horror fans generally. If you are looking for a different type of read, I highly suggest this but please read the first book and continue with the saga.
A pure gem of a book that touched me to no end.
August 17, 2012
En esta entrega Paffenroth cierra su trilogía "Dying to Live" y en general me ha dejado un buen sabor de boca, no obstante lo recomendable es leer los tres libros, para entender los ejes que forman la proto-filosofía que el autor expone.
En este volumen, los personajes William (Popcorn), Rachel, Truman y Lucy, son obligados a establecer relaciones con una ciudad ('New Sparta') en la cual son segregados acorde a su tipo de 'vida' (vivos y zombies).
Los Zombies, Truman y Lucy son separados de Will y Rach y son puestos en una patrulla de defensa y conquista (Lucy) y en un circo de fenómenos zombies (Truman) donde sufren de todo tipo de humillaciones y abusos mientras que Will y Rachel, son seducidos por los lujos de la vida en la ciudad. Nueva Esparta envenena poco a poco la mente de Rachel quien es víctima del consumismo y de Will que -como en el grupo de Jonah en el desarrollo del segundo volumen- no puede encajar y no entiende los mecanismos de esa sociedad.
Paffenroth retrata los sin-sentidos del mundo moderno (la economía, la política, la moral, etc.) mediante sus arquetipos representantes de la razón (Truman y Lucy) y cómo la humanidad se subyuga ante estos sin-sentidos (Rachel) no obstante el 'gozo' de ellos nos sumerja en depresión y solipsismo (Will).
Con este cierre, Paffenroth ha descrito tres de los ejes fundamentales que componen una filosofía: La relación del hombre con su mundo (En el primer libro de la trilogía), la relación del hombre con él mismo (en el segundo volumen de la trilogía) y finalmente en este volumen la relación del hombre con los otros hombres.
Si existiera un cuarto volumen donde se tocara el punto de la relación del hombre con Dios me parecería sensacional.
En este volumen, los personajes William (Popcorn), Rachel, Truman y Lucy, son obligados a establecer relaciones con una ciudad ('New Sparta') en la cual son segregados acorde a su tipo de 'vida' (vivos y zombies).
Los Zombies, Truman y Lucy son separados de Will y Rach y son puestos en una patrulla de defensa y conquista (Lucy) y en un circo de fenómenos zombies (Truman) donde sufren de todo tipo de humillaciones y abusos mientras que Will y Rachel, son seducidos por los lujos de la vida en la ciudad. Nueva Esparta envenena poco a poco la mente de Rachel quien es víctima del consumismo y de Will que -como en el grupo de Jonah en el desarrollo del segundo volumen- no puede encajar y no entiende los mecanismos de esa sociedad.
Paffenroth retrata los sin-sentidos del mundo moderno (la economía, la política, la moral, etc.) mediante sus arquetipos representantes de la razón (Truman y Lucy) y cómo la humanidad se subyuga ante estos sin-sentidos (Rachel) no obstante el 'gozo' de ellos nos sumerja en depresión y solipsismo (Will).
Con este cierre, Paffenroth ha descrito tres de los ejes fundamentales que componen una filosofía: La relación del hombre con su mundo (En el primer libro de la trilogía), la relación del hombre con él mismo (en el segundo volumen de la trilogía) y finalmente en este volumen la relación del hombre con los otros hombres.
Si existiera un cuarto volumen donde se tocara el punto de la relación del hombre con Dios me parecería sensacional.
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June 16, 2012i love when zombies still have some recollection of being human...makes things interesting
February 21, 2015
a nuanced finish to a different series on zombies.
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