Helpful Score: 1
This is a good story. Stony and his family are characters you root for. It does require a suspension of belief, but it is well written. The book is in 4 parts-the 1st being his childhood in Iowa, then the next 3 parts each follow life changing events and the direction Stony's life takes following each event. It is humorous and heartwarming. An enjoyable read.
Part 1
This is the story of a little baby found on the side of a road. He is clearly different. He should not be.
Wanda Mayhall does not care. Stony is a baby. She will protect him from the world, and make sure he is raised to be loved and cherished just like her three other children.
Sadly for Stony, he knows he is not like his sisters. His physical self is not only different, but he feels no pain, and things that should kill him (like an arrow to the heart that is accidently released by his best friend Kwang) only cause concern on how hell hide it from his mom.
Stony also knows that his kind, whatever the right term is for his kind, is feared. See, one bite, and you have his disease. People without his disease do not trust him. Moreover, they might be onto something. After the initial bite, there is a time-period where his kind becomes mindless, and in their state of mindlessness, they want to bite others.
Stony fears for the day when he is discovered. In his fear, he prepares.
Part 2
This is a story of a young man forced to live away from his family because some townsfolk finally figured out his disease. Now he lives with others like him. However, he does not exactly fit in with them either. Stony is different. He wants to make the world a better place, he believes everyone is good until they are proven to be anything else, and most of all, he wants his family to be safe. Stonys disease is different from the others as well. It progresses differently & Stony thinks differently, he is smarter, he is logical and he is compassionate. Because of this, he is treated differently even among his own.
Part 3
This is the story about the government. Using scare tactics to keep the public misinformed. Conducting experiments on diseased patients and voiding these patients of all rights. It is also the story of a man trying to protect his own from the government, playing the governments game until he can set things right. Stony, the forever optimist, believes he can make everything better if he just tries hard enough.
Part 4
This is the story about a middle-aged mans sacrifice for his family. This is a story about discovering who you are and what you truly are made of. It is about finally figuring out the real monsters in the story and about selfless love.
Its the story about Stony the zombie.
Side Note- I originally had this at 4.5 out of 5 stars but everytime I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes. Thus, I moved it up to 5 stars.
This is the story of a little baby found on the side of a road. He is clearly different. He should not be.
Wanda Mayhall does not care. Stony is a baby. She will protect him from the world, and make sure he is raised to be loved and cherished just like her three other children.
Sadly for Stony, he knows he is not like his sisters. His physical self is not only different, but he feels no pain, and things that should kill him (like an arrow to the heart that is accidently released by his best friend Kwang) only cause concern on how hell hide it from his mom.
Stony also knows that his kind, whatever the right term is for his kind, is feared. See, one bite, and you have his disease. People without his disease do not trust him. Moreover, they might be onto something. After the initial bite, there is a time-period where his kind becomes mindless, and in their state of mindlessness, they want to bite others.
Stony fears for the day when he is discovered. In his fear, he prepares.
Part 2
This is a story of a young man forced to live away from his family because some townsfolk finally figured out his disease. Now he lives with others like him. However, he does not exactly fit in with them either. Stony is different. He wants to make the world a better place, he believes everyone is good until they are proven to be anything else, and most of all, he wants his family to be safe. Stonys disease is different from the others as well. It progresses differently & Stony thinks differently, he is smarter, he is logical and he is compassionate. Because of this, he is treated differently even among his own.
Part 3
This is the story about the government. Using scare tactics to keep the public misinformed. Conducting experiments on diseased patients and voiding these patients of all rights. It is also the story of a man trying to protect his own from the government, playing the governments game until he can set things right. Stony, the forever optimist, believes he can make everything better if he just tries hard enough.
Part 4
This is the story about a middle-aged mans sacrifice for his family. This is a story about discovering who you are and what you truly are made of. It is about finally figuring out the real monsters in the story and about selfless love.
Its the story about Stony the zombie.
Side Note- I originally had this at 4.5 out of 5 stars but everytime I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes. Thus, I moved it up to 5 stars.
I really did love this book. Unfortunately, the plot description here is very misleading. It would have you think that the story is about a young man and his adventures.
It is much more than that. It is a book about the undead culture, their history, imprisonment, insanity and about one undead person's impact on that world.
If you are expecting zombie war action, there is very little here. This book is more of a meditation on life and death and what being undead would mean to a person.
It is much more than that. It is a book about the undead culture, their history, imprisonment, insanity and about one undead person's impact on that world.
If you are expecting zombie war action, there is very little here. This book is more of a meditation on life and death and what being undead would mean to a person.
**********SPOILERS AHEAD**********
This is the one and only "twist-on-the-genre" zombie book I've ever read that actually worked. In so many ways this novel got to me; it is far, far beyond its genre. First, make no mistake that there is only zombie action at the very end, so don't go in thinking it's going to be your typical fight the zombies and escape book.
On a broad level, this is the story of what it means to be alive, not even human, but alive. To live is to have relationships with others, to feel emotions, to care. Stony did all of this; Stony was more alive than most humans walking around. He reminded me of Pinocchio with his good and caring nature and his quest to "be real."
On another broad level, this is the story of being an individual standout in a group of people. There are good and bad apples in every bunch; don't let one person's actions color your views of the rest of the people. It almost drove me to tears to read of the way the LD (living undead - "zombie" in this novel is offensive - nice touch, Gregory!) were being treated by humans. They were being shot without cause, imprisoned for decades at a time, having to hide out in basements for 40 or 50 years.
The LD culture amazed me. I loved the idea of a Congress meeting to discuss things relevant to the LD world. I loved the splintered groups and sub-cultures: the Lumpists, the Perpetualists, the Big Biters (oh, these guys).
As for the parts containing the zombie action: so great! Everything about it. You spend 2/3 of the book learning to love the undead and you spend the last 1/3 terrified of them. It's odd that we can't switch our allegiances when it comes down to life and death. (Or what we consider death).
Stony became so real to me that I really and truly fought back tears at the end. I felt myself choke up. This beautiful messiah with a pained life, taking the pain for his people, working for them and their liberation, always trying to remain optimistic. Stony, you are not easily forgotten.
This is the one and only "twist-on-the-genre" zombie book I've ever read that actually worked. In so many ways this novel got to me; it is far, far beyond its genre. First, make no mistake that there is only zombie action at the very end, so don't go in thinking it's going to be your typical fight the zombies and escape book.
On a broad level, this is the story of what it means to be alive, not even human, but alive. To live is to have relationships with others, to feel emotions, to care. Stony did all of this; Stony was more alive than most humans walking around. He reminded me of Pinocchio with his good and caring nature and his quest to "be real."
On another broad level, this is the story of being an individual standout in a group of people. There are good and bad apples in every bunch; don't let one person's actions color your views of the rest of the people. It almost drove me to tears to read of the way the LD (living undead - "zombie" in this novel is offensive - nice touch, Gregory!) were being treated by humans. They were being shot without cause, imprisoned for decades at a time, having to hide out in basements for 40 or 50 years.
The LD culture amazed me. I loved the idea of a Congress meeting to discuss things relevant to the LD world. I loved the splintered groups and sub-cultures: the Lumpists, the Perpetualists, the Big Biters (oh, these guys).
As for the parts containing the zombie action: so great! Everything about it. You spend 2/3 of the book learning to love the undead and you spend the last 1/3 terrified of them. It's odd that we can't switch our allegiances when it comes down to life and death. (Or what we consider death).
Stony became so real to me that I really and truly fought back tears at the end. I felt myself choke up. This beautiful messiah with a pained life, taking the pain for his people, working for them and their liberation, always trying to remain optimistic. Stony, you are not easily forgotten.
