Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead

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Product Description
Jonah Caine, a lone survivor in a zombie-infested world, struggles to understand the apocalypse in which he lives. Unable to find a moral or sane reason for the horror that surrounds him, he is overwhelmed by violence and insignificance.

After wandering for months, Jonah's lonely existence dramatically changes when he discovers a group of survivors. Living in a museum-turned-compound, they are led jointly by Jack, an ever-practical and efficient military man, and Milton, a mysterious, quizzical prophet who holds a strange power over the dead. Both leaders share Jonah's anguish over the brutality of their world, as well as his hope for its beauty. Together with others, they build a community that reestablishes an island of order and humanity surrounded by relentless ghouls.

But this newfound peace is short-lived, as Jonah and his band of refugees clash with another group of survivors who remind them that the undead are not the only--nor the most grotesque--horrors they must face.

Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

A thoughtful journey into the abyss March 24, 2007
61 out of 67 found this review helpful

Jonah Caine is stuck in a living hell. The world has collapsed around him. Alone, he travels in the darkness of the world, the living dead his only company. He wanders and hopes for genuine companionship; someone to share in what little is left for humanity.

He stumbles upon a group hiding out in a museum in a medium-small city. The group has staked their claim on their little part of the world and have lived, for a year, in relative safety. The group is led by Jack, who was one of the military personnel that fought against the living dead and helped discover this hideaway, and Milton, who has a special and unique gift, along with a tremendous desire to not only rebuild a better civilization but a passion for learning from humanity's greatest weaknesses and strengths.

This book, much more so than many other works in this genre, really explores the meanings behind both the good and evil embedded in humankind. Much like the novel "Every Sigh, The End" the author here desires to examine the human condition and does not assume that the living dead are the worst beings out there by a long shot. And how much can those who are "good" tolerate? How much do they want to not only to survive, but to live?

Don't let this staid description fool you, Kim does a bang up job keeping the action here moving along at a strong pace, with very few lulls. The story is told from Jonah's perspective, who was formerly a College English Professor, so his thoughts conjure up a great deal of references from a variety of literature sources and western civilizations rather vivid images of hell.

I guess for me, this book was so entertaining because the author seems so intrigued at the meaning behind both the mind numbing destruction wrought by the living dead as well as the much more horrifying and unspeakable terror brought forth by our own human brethren and how God could allow such things to happen.

While I like to read zombie stories to get a jolt of excitement and terror I also love these stories because to me zombies are so incredibly fascinating. Not just for what they are or what they represent, but what they seem to be able to elicit in their human counterparts that are trapped in the same dying and desperate world as they are-what do we become when everything around us is drenched in death and despair?

I feel that Kim Paffenroth did an excellent job of examining the boundaries of humanity, both good and evil, and for that I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars

An intellectually stimulating zombie novel? Believe it June 6, 2007
31 out of 37 found this review helpful

We're witnessing a veritable zombie renaissance in the horror genre, thanks in no small part to the good folks at Permuted Press and promising new authors such as Kim Paffenroth. As I've said elsewhere, this horror fan had never been that interested in zombie fiction in the past. In and of themselves, zombies are pretty darn boring creatures, just stumbling and moaning around all the time with no real sense of purpose; they're not even evil per se because they have absolutely no higher cognitive functions. Zombies themselves, with their extremely limited capabilities, really haven't changed much, so what explains my enthusiasm over zombie novels such as Dying to Live? It is the authors' newfound focus on the survivors themselves. There's plenty of kill-or-be-killed action in Dying to Live, but the book's strength is its exploration of the human condition. Questions of morality, good and evil, and theology are woven adeptly into the story, thereby earning this zombie novel the distinction of being named "a thinking man's horror novel" (one critic even called it a zombie novel for philosophers).

You have a lot of time to think when you're, as far as you know, the only living survivor of a zombie apocalypse. For months, Jonah Caine has wandered from place to place, struggling to survive on his own. Zombies are seemingly everywhere, leaving him no choice but to kill or be killed on many an occasion - but each kill rests somewhat on his conscience, for he can't forget the humans who once inhabited the horrible walking corpses. Eventually, though, Jonah discovers a group of survivors and joins their society, finding at least a measure of safety behind their museum-turned-compound's walls. There is much variety in the makeup of his new friends and allies, particularly in terms of their feelings for the zombies. Some of them could care less whether the whole thing is the result of an experiment gone wrong, divine retribution, or dumb luck; they just want to kill zombies. There are more practical warriors such as Jack, the group's de facto leader, who brings a military mind to the organized struggle for survival. There is even a somewhat spiritual figure in the form of Milton, a deep and unusual thinker who holds a unique sway over the undead.

As the next few months pass and Jonah becomes more and more a part of the society, sharing many a stimulating conversation with Milton on the theological and cultural implications of the zombie infestation, a true spirit of optimism over the future of both man and his humanity begins to emerge for the first time. Unfortunately for all concerned, however, a new threat suddenly emerges, one far more horrible and cruel than the even the worst of zombies - a second group of survivors who epitomize evil and the complete breakdown of human society.

Clearly, it is author Kim Paffenroth's background that makes for his unique, somewhat philosophical approach to this zombie-infested world. I would be willing to bet that Paffenroth is the only zombie novelist to hold a position of associate professor of religious studies. While he credits George Romero for basically defining the meaning and cultural importance of zombies in mainstream society, Paffenroth draws perhaps even more influence from the writings of St. Augustine, which explains why questions of good and evil in the human mind and soul serve as the true foundation of this impressive novel.

Just because there are all these intellectual ideas floating around, though, you don't have to worry that there won't be much action or a minimum of blood and gore. Fighting zombies and human monsters is pretty bloody work, and Paffenroth doesn't hold anything back in that department. The inhumanity witnessed in the last few chapters is particularly disturbing, so I don't think horror fans will be disappointed in the least, especially as the action moves ahead at a brisk pace throughout. You really should sit back and reflect on some of the big picture issues Paffenroth raises in the context of everything that happens, though, for that type of intellectual interaction with the story makes for a much richer, absolutely unique zombie reading experience.

5 out of 5 stars

Big Gun, little Gun, Big knife, little Knife; All this and moreTo Get my Twinkies!! May 7, 2007
27 out of 42 found this review helpful

The dead walk and humans hope to survive, but things are not that simple. There are a million stories that could be told in the backdrop of a world infested with the walking dead, and there are points-of-view that are as varied as snowflakes as they are added to a story's woven web. That is the case with Dying to live, where we find ourselves following in the footsteps of a character that is well worth following and thinking about more than just bullets, Twinkies, and how fast a zombie can move. Here we find people, some of them beautiful ballads and some terrible things, also moving and vying for survival. In fact, this is a tale about humanity just as much as it is about the undead and, delightfully, it turned out to be something I am happy to have read.

A lot of things become points-of-interest on the map of thinking in a world littered with undead, and questions about people are oftentimes overlooked even though they are the points that really have relevance here. In fact, if the world were to become a playpen for the undead and breathing a premium, the human condition would play an interesting role in the societies - or distortions thereof - that begin to appear everywhere. Sometimes this would lead to something that could only be described as a simplistic in its functioning madness, like one described in the book that was built by convicts and that worked only because of thick walls and blocked access, and other times they would be more beautifully attuned to the dynamics of living because of the million little coincidences that take paper fortresses and turn them into viable institutions. That was one of the interesting parts of Dying to Live, the million little coincidences, and it was also one of the reasons the book was magnetic enough to make me want to keep reading it. The random contact, the terrible things that happen while propelling people forward, the little strands of good luck in a world that seems so without; these things came together with really good writing and made the tale of one man a bit different in a market saturated by "classic": zombie tales. From his modest beginnings where we found him waking in a treehouse and telling us how he wished he could smoke so zombie battles would seem almost cinematically cool to the explanations of how he took out driver's licenses and other forms of identification so he could apologize to those he had to kill, we see a world at its worst and yet some of our characters at their best. I liked the way that came into play and how other characters also came into the story, to, making my mind's eye teary as I learned more and more about the cost of certain types of survival. Normally I am apathetic toward the people in these situations, figuring they will fall by the wayside and be awash in a world of teeth, and also because I cannot feel their pain and cannot understand their reasoning. When I read Dying to Live, however, I found myself connected with the characters and sympathetic to their plight. In a few cases I even mourned the crossing of a character into their paper graveyard, finding the costs of love in their world high and the writing a beautiful touch. That made the beautiful to me, because I rarely get to find connection in anything involving 2-D living.

If you are looking for something different in the genre of reanimation, you should try Dying to Live out because it really does give you features you rarely find but most certainly seek. There are plenty of zombies here and I don't want to make it seem that way, either, but the tale of the people is much more the issue and that balance is something refreshing. Even people who are not fans of the genre could find something here, albeit a bloody and terrible something that might make you a bit squeamish. I recommend this highly, and thank the author for giving me something that made my sleepless nights better.
Life comes at a high price and remembering that is beautiful when obtained in a vicarious sense.

3 out of 5 stars

Zombies, with a side order of religion. August 29, 2007
13 out of 19 found this review helpful

There are parts of this book that are great - some flat out fantastic zombie fiction. Original, and yet mostly true to the Romero template (though that's not something I live and die by, as it were). I can see why this has earned his book the compliment of being 'the thinking man's zombie novel' - but I think that description is somewhat misleading.
The plot and geography of his world are very nicely done - and the nods and respect for what is horrific about the genre are intact. That aspect is intelligent and fun writing.
There is a lot lacking, however. The dialog is pretty bad, with exposition coming about in unnatural ways. There are some awkward treatments of gender, and race, that read like they are coming from someone a few generations older than the pop culture norm. The narrator and male characters have a kind of 'tin masculinity' - cliches abound. The women are treated nearly as a different species, rather than gender.
Especially odd is the way the narrator lingers on many emotionally difficult things, yet - he doesn't think about his wife and kids at all after trying, unsuccessfully, to find them (not really a spoiler - its covered in exposition). He writes of sexuality as if he is Mr. Rogers. In a prison environment, he refers several times to 'the black man'(previously met)- it would be more apt to point out 'the white man', who is more likely a minority in this setting. Better yet - I'd rather have characters described as something other than their race. In a zombie infested convenience store he comments about how the races are all finally getting along now that they are undead... last time I was in a convenience store many races were represented and they were getting along fine. There is some ugly judgement and generalization of inmates in prison - all lazy stupid sodomites.
All of this can be forgiven for a fast paced romp through a zombie apocalypse.
Harder to avoid, however, is the ever present discussion of God, the Bible, spirits, and souls. Luck and 'all these little miracles' are written of in a way that tauntingly suggests that anyone who doesn't think God is pulling the strings is crazy. The word or name God is on nearly every page - especially in dialog - many characters like to chat about God. An unlikely character points out the difference between the Tribulation and the Apocalypse (having overheard it from elderly relatives!?). The Bible is quoted several times, sometimes in casual conversation. People don't talk like that, in my experience, except perhaps in church lobbies or study groups. For the most part - people avoid discussion of religion and politics in polite company of casual acquaintances.
This would all seem more plausible, and less hard to accept and digest, if the narrating character was a professor of religious studies (like the author of the book) rather than an english professor. That would have been a good solution, I think.
Aside from dialog - there are several biblical references in the action of the story. A man first looses his ear in a scuffle - then has both hands pierced with knives and is finally killed with a spear in his side while his friends talk about how forsaken he was, and how 'like a lamb to the slaughter' (this read as crass and tasteless, not merely out of place and unlikely). There is an outright messiah character who didn't bother me half as much as the frequent references to God and impromptu religious discussions (and untimely internal reflection of the narrator) throughout the rest of book.
How reviewers fail to mention this religious undertone is beyond me. I found it very distracting at times - and feel it detracted from an otherwise fantastic read.
The highs were strongly tempered by the lows - I would have gone to 5 if it hadn't had a subversive religious tone.

1 out of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book... February 4, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful

I've been a long-time fan of the zombie genre, so I was excited to find this book. After reading the excerpt and reviews I felt it was good enough to buy. My excitement, unfortunately, probably fueled my disappointment. I've edited my original review because I think it may have been too harsh and didn't explain the reason's why I was disappointed well enough. Hopefully this version is a little more constructive.

I felt the concept of the "thousand yard stare" was overused and could have been avoided by using other ways to describe new character's feelings of hopelessness and horror. I think the repetition bothered me because it seemed too easy to use that reference rather than give more depth of each individual's character and feelings.

I felt the characters and scene could have been developed better. The dialogue seemed forced, and as another reviewer mentioned, the story telling portions between the characters seemed contrived in order to give background. I also wondered why the main character so easily forgot his own family after having spent so much time and effort looking for them.

The portrayal of the zombies seemed a little inconsistent and unrealistic (as far as fictional beings go). It seemed too easy for a living person to have their limbs pulled from them and the speed and intelligence of the zombies seemed to vary.

One of the things I love about reading good books is the freedom to use my own imagination to supplement the scene and character descriptions. I love getting lost in a story to the point that I forget I'm even reading. But too often in this story, I found myself consciously filling in gaps in the action and scenes to make things work or fit together. It was distracting and removed me from the story.

Many of the characters seemed too stereotypical to me, but the entire prison scene took it to a whole new level. I almost quit reading this book at that point.

I wanted to like this book, and if I seem too critical, it's probably because I was really looking forward to reading it at first and, ultimately, felt let down. As it was, I found myself powering through the end, not because I was enjoying it and wanted to see how it turned out, but because I just wanted to be done with it and not have to think about it any more. Sorry.

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