Dying to Live

by Kim Paffenroth

Book Overview

A lone survivor in a zombie-infested world, Jonah Caine wandered for months, struggling 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. Then Jonah comes across a group of survivors living in a museum-turned-compound. They are led by Jack, an ever-practical and efficient military man; and Milton, a mysterious prophet who holds...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439180717
• ISBN13: 9781439180716
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Not a bad zombie read

This one has a twist!!! Gotta say, it stayed true to that zombie, undead culture..yet brought something new that could change everything!

A great read, Kim Paffenroth did it again

I'm going to keep this very short, as i do not want to write a synopsis, but rather give my opinion on the book itself. With the many things the characters face in this book and the way they happen it keeps the reader stuck into this book, not wanting to put it down. If you're a diehard zombie fan, this book appeals to you because of the traditional zombie feel, and the helplessness you feel because of the situation. If you're a fan of post apocalyptic novels, this will appeal to you because of the way the survivors deal with they're new situation. If you like just plain old action, this may not be for you, but it has its moments of suspense, explosions and fighting of more than just the undead. In conclusion, this book is most definitely worth the price.

Zombie Fiction at its Best!! A Must Read!!

I have read most of the zombie fiction available out there and Dying to Live manages to deliver where most others fail. Here are the reasons: 1. Finally a zombie novel with horror in it. True horror. 2. Tons of action. 3. A storyline that doesn't involve survivors sitting around in a safehouse the entire time waiting for help. 4. A character with a mysterious ability over the undead that doesn't turn the book into the mummy returns. 5. Great bad guys. Characters that we pretend don't really exist just to be able to sleep at night.

An intellectually stimulating zombie novel? Believe it

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 w

A thoughtful journey into the abyss

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.

Hard charging zombie action

Jonah Caine is alone in a world overrun by the living dead. He takes his meals where he can and sleeps with one eye open. The post-apocalyptic world around him seems devoid of meaning, his survival pointless. But then he wanders into the welcoming arms of an organized group of survivors who have turned a museum into a paramilitary compound. While there, he meets Jack, the compound's military manager, for lack of a better word, and Milton, a prophet, of sorts, with a certain influence in the world of the dead. While assimilating to the compound's culture, Jonah Caine falls into a war with another group of survivors, and the struggle defines a new moral landscape for this post-apocalyptic world. Paffenroth, the author of Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Vision of Hell on Earth, does several things very well in Dying to Live, his first novel. First of all, the action is wonderfully maintained. He continually escalates the dangers his characters face, which goes a long ways towards sustaining the reader's interest. Secondly, the details of his post-apocalyptic world are exceptionally well drawn. This is not an easy thing to do. Cormac McCarthy did it quite well in The Road. Stephen King did it equally well in The Gunslinger. Paffenroth's world is drawn on that level. Thirdly, this is one hell of an intelligent book. The writing is superb, and richly loaded with references as varied as the Bible, Paradise Lost, and American pop culture. Dying to Live is wonderful first novel. Check it out! Joe McKinney, author of Dead City