I bought this after reading the excellent World War Z. Unfortunately, this book is a pale shadow of World War Z.

While I feel that the author was earnestly interested in writing a good, interesting book about a zombie apocalypse, the plot was very derivative of other zombie works without bringing anything innovative to the table. Additionally, the characters, though complex, were not believable- and the same can be said of the plot (even with normal horror-book-suspension-of-disbelief).

I read the book while on vacation- and then abandoned it once finished in a hotel in Rome.

This was a really good book! There was a lot to keep me interested the entire way through and I really honestly did not put it down. Great action and great story!

One of THE BEST zombie books I've read! This really takes it to a whole new place. I love the original ideas mixed in here without breaking from canon. There were scenes that made me cringe, and I don't do that often, so brilliant for that! I really loved this and found myself wanting more at the end. It came too soon. Highly recommended to any zombie or horror lover!

reviewed by Cellblock

07.10.07



Once again the age of apocalypse is upon us and the fate of humanity's last hope rests in the hands of a few. In this book Kim Paffenroth takes us to a new level of Zombie mythos and human survival instincts.

Set in modern time suburbia, readers are immediately attacked by moaning nightmares and vivid fight scenes. The human population is near extinct and the zombie plague is overwhelming. That is where the usual stops- and the fun begins. Resisting the urge to cash in on the commercial vision of what a zombie is, the author introduces vivid imagery and ideas into the story that create depth in depravity. You know there is a zombie in that room, hell, you want one to be there, but why is it a bloody baby? There are certain things in horror that for some reason appear to be sacrosanct, they are not, as this novella will exemplify.

Mr. Paffenroth really did his homework on military tactics and weapons creating a believable "what-if?" environment. Moral and social issues that would hinder a fledgling community shadow each and every character throughout their trials. How to survive isn't just fighting zombies anymore. Uncomfortable truths are exposed about humanity and it's predisposition to do evil to others.

This story reads well from front to back and the reader can readily associate with the characters and their flaws. The plot is relatively centralized; the rest of the world is an unknown. Insular settings like this are perfect for the scope and size of this incredible novella. This book is a great read.

I LOVED this Novel. It's the first Kim Paffenroth novel I have encountered and I got to say I am coming back for more!
The characters in this book are so real and you really get a sense of their inner turmoils, especially for the main character, Jonah. I also fell in love with Frank's character, even though he was introduced mid way through the novel, you get to build compassion for what the poor guy whent through. For those of you who love Gore, it had it's shocking gory moments to. Especially in the scene where Frank had to do something horriffic in order to save te life of his baby girl. I use the word "scene" because It was like watching a movie.

This is an entertaining book. There are not very many good authors out there for this genre, however Dying to Live managed to impress me. The book begins about a year after the zombie outbreak began, which is unusual, as the beginning of the outbreak seems to have more potential for horror and mayhem. Of course there are a few flashbacks that help catch you up on what has happened since the outbreak, but it is a big departure from other zombie tales that start from the beginning.

Character development outside of the protagonist seems to fall a little flat, but the environment and the character of the zombie horde is painted quite well. The climax, the enclaves final challenge, was unexpected and suitably horrific and shocking. I won't spoil that for you- although it has been done before, it is done well enough here to stand on it's own.

Altogether I think this is a quick read that should be picked up by all fans of the genre. I would plant this novel second (in the genre) only to Day by Day, Armageddon.

Dying to Live was an absolutely great read. I love zombie novels and this was no doubt a treat to read. Paffenroth's ending to this story is so unique and although some might call it cheesy, I think it is pure brilliance. It gets slow once you start getting to know people, but then again you have to know who these people are. No matter how much suspense a guy can want, you have to know who people are first. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This book is hands-down (in my opinion) the BEST zombie book I have read yet. I've been on a bit of a zombie kick for a while. I've read Brian Keene, and all of the Zombie Anthologies from Permuted Press. In fact, Permuted Press should be absolutely commended for the incredible talent they are bringing to us lucky readers. I really enjoyed the hell out of the anthologies, but this book, is the best by far.

I will spare you the usual detailed plot-spoiling review. In short, this book centers on the protagonist Jonah Caine, and is told from his perspective. From page one I was hooked (a rarity for me), and the cast of characters grows after Jonah meets up with a small clan of survivors holed up in a heavily fortified museum. Each of the characters is interesting, and the story reminds me quite a bit of "The Walking Dead" comic series by Robert Kirkman...that's a good thing in my opinion.

The zombies in this book are the classic "Romero" zombies...the slow-moving, and stupid ones. Honestly, they are the ones that I find the creepiest.
From the beginning to the end, I felt myself interested in the characters and on edge with every page. That is what I'm looking for in a book, especially a zombie book.
In fact, the only problem I had with the book at all was that it ended. I don't know if the end left room for a sequel, but I hope there is one in the cards. If not, I'd really be interested to see what else Mr. Paffenroth can do with this great zombie universe he created.

Well done. Blows away Brian Keene's books in my opinion. I liked Keene's books, but I LOVE this one.

If you like zombies, don't think about it, just BUY IT.

Liked Day by Day Armageddon better, but this was a pretty decent book in itself.

In another of my zombie-fic feeding frenzies, I picked up "Dying to Live" by Kim Paffenroth. Another independently-published Permuted Press offerins, I had moderate hopes for the book. Being able to read the first chapter in Amazon had me convinced to buy it.

Overall, Kim puts together a good story. There's enough gore and splatter to keep zombie fans engaged, and he does a good job with plot development and dialog. Character names are simple, and are limited to first names only, so there aren't a bunch of cheesy names in the book (well, almost).

Kim Paffenroth does try to spin a bit of a morality play here as well, particularly around the Christian ethos, and his use of character names in some cases are a bit of a heavy handed allusion to characters in other books. The lead character is Jonah Cain (two characters from the bible), and the leader of the compound is named "Milton" (who created "Paradise Lost"). Add to this the death of one of the minor characters in a very Christ-like manner (spear to the side), and you'll quickly see the Christian influences of the nove.

The book is not preachy, however, and the not-so-subtle subtest doesn't detract from the overall story.

Finally, the book scores a 4.5 out of 5 on my grammar-o-meter. I gave it a quick read, and I'm sure there are a few misplaced commas, sentence fragments, and run-ons in there-- however, they aren't glaring, and none of them scream "amateur!" Well, except for the one that keeps this book from getting a 5 out of 5 on the grammar-tron (or was it the grammar-o-meter?).

Kim, if you're reading this: it should have been "cut the cord" not "cut the chord." My guess is that it was a simple typo missed by the Word spelling checker, and uncaughted by your faithful editors.

Overall, if you are a fan of the genre, I definitely recommend this book for the story, dialog, character development, and unique approaches to survival in a post-zombie-apocolypse world.

When I was a child, I used to beg my parents to stay the night up in my tree house because when I was inside it I was in a different world. I could imagine any scenario, and it was protected by scrap lumber and being 10 feet off of the ground (well that and I was obsessed with Swiss Family Robinson). I loved that Dying to Live started in such a tree house because to me it was a nod to those days of childhood when you climbed down on the ladder and had to face reality again.

I don't make it any secret that I am in love with all things undead, zombies, vampire's .George Romero is as much a part of my growing up as Kraft Mac and Cheese was. I think I watched Dawn of The Dead so many times on VHS that my TV started to decay. I eat up every book on the subject I can get my hands on, but I never set my expectations up to high because I will get knocked back down into disappointment. I really liked this book, not quite in love, but a good first date and it was a quick one. With the undead there is always the proverbial depiction, and Kim didn't stray from that at all thank goodness. I actually like when authors put a religious aspect in the story, when humans are put in this kind of horrific situation there are inevitably going to be thoughts of some higher power, I know that if it were me I would want answers and guidance and really you're going to have A LOT of time on your hands, if religion doesn't come up its unrealistic.

There is a great protagonist, a shuffling stinking pod of antagonists and a couple of prisoners gone Lord of the Flies on prune wine. I loved the character of Milton, I found myself reading his name and thinking of John Milton the poet who wrote Paradise Lost, and how in it Satan observes Adam and Eve discussing the Tree of Knowledge and he tries to tempt eve into eating from it. After expelling Satan from heaven, God creates another world and the angel Raphael again warns Adam to not eat from the tree for "in the day thou eat'st, thou diest;/ Death is the penalty imposed, beware,/ And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin/ Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death" Science is the pursuit of knowledge, and science created the zombies, and man was expelled out of the garden of Eden.

I cannot wait for the sequel, I am sure it will be a marvelous second date.

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.

To my knowledge modern civilization has never been overrun by hordes of the flesh eating undead. However, after reading Kim Paffenroth's Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead, I'm beginning to wonder if there might indeed have been a period where just such a horrendous thing happened. Paffenroth's ability to transport the reader deep into the dark, desiccated remains of a world where humanity clings to a perilous thread of existence and zombies, spawned of a mutated virus, wander the streets in search of fresh flesh upon which to feast, is disturbingly brilliant in its realism. Each scene is lovingly crafted with a rich, gruesome detail and sharp emotional resonance that makes one swear that Paffenroth himself once fought for his life in just such an apocalyptic world. Yet, as horrific and gut wrenching as some of those scenes may be, his masterful grip on the English language creates poetry from what others might only be able to pull mindless blood and gore. With distinct well-sculpted characters one instantly identifies with, witty intelligent dialogue and a quicksilver pace that keeps you turning the pages, Dying to Live is by far the best zombie novel [...]

Dying to Live is the story of a lone survivor who has managed to stay alive while the rest of world collapsed due to a lightning-fast spread of zombie-generating curse. This survivor finds shelter among a group of city survivors, gets into their spirit and community, and moves on to new challenges as a member of it when faced with a good old human threat, far worse than the shambling dead around.

Compared to other zombie books, there was a few things that distinguished it, for good or bad.

Didn't Like:
- Not enough focus on the grief of the main hero about having lost the whole of his family. Although he has managed to somewhat accept the idea as inevitable, it still seems of very little effect on him. In the real world, even in such dire circumstances, any normal human being would, sooner or later, feel the weight of finding him/herself left alone in a world of strangers.
- This sectarian approach of the survivors' group. True, to bond together, a community needs a leader and established rules. But damn, it's so reminiscent of a sect that I could not abide by it.
- Milton's personality. Put in the role of a guru, although he defends himself about it -see my earlier comments on the sectarian aspect- but without the aura. Unlike the hero, there was nothing in Milton's words or attitude that had me contemplate him in awe. He appeared weak, out of place, not exactly thorough. His only merit was to remain humble and... to use his physical particularity to good effects.
- The prisoners were bordering on sheer stupidity. I can't imagine that such a low level of collective intelligence would exist in reality among a group of dozens of men. Here, the author is describing people whose cleverness equals a single-cell organism's! Not realistic.

Liked:
- The City. Quite small, human-sized. Good description of Grand Rapids, MI. A place which would offer a real survival chance in the real world for the quality of its environment (forests, lakes, wild life etc.).
- Milton's capability to scare off the zombies. Quite original, and never heard of before.
- The utter optimism of the story. In spite all odds, there is constantly some blue sky awaiting the characters beyond the rain.
- The realism of the father's course of actions when faced with his own death. His daughter sheltered, in good hands, with some brighter future, the guy finally lets down his guard voluntarily and meets his own death with will and determination. That's realistic, and quite in contradiction with the hero's attitude who, unlike the father, has no-one left to hang onto and that should feel way worse than the father...

With that said, it was an enjoyable read, pleasantly supported by a fluid style and very few spelling mistakes. I could definitely buy any other book from Mr. Paffenroth on the subject.

This was a decent one. Gave few new ideas on living in the zombie world, but I think the author tried to dive too deep into the "psychological" aspects of the characters, but then got lost trying to make it a typical zombie book. But interesting nonetheless. Not a very long book, it only took me a couple of days to read it.

I have to say that I did enjoy this story, in fact, I couldn't put the book down. The bad side is that the book is to short. Who ever edited this, keep a closer eye out for typo's because I hate finding them. Don't get me wrong, I'm known to make a few here and there, just don't want to find them in books.

A very good zombie tale with likeable characters. My only advice to all of you zombie lovers out there. If the world ends and the zombies rise. Don't go out actively searching for others who are still amongst the living. They weren't all peaches in real life, what makes you think they'll be any better with zombies thrown into the mix.

Write another that is 3 times longer and I'll buy it in a second.

I had high hopes for this book based on other customer reviews. I read the book in 1 week and I was not overly impressed. The characters were not well developed and the situations and occurances were highly predicitable. I do not like it when characters are stereotypical, and the end climax was so...well, stereotypical. If you want an incredible zombie book, read World War Z.

Like the real world the fictional world in Dying to Live is brutally unfair. One would expect no less from a book set a year after the world succumbed to zombies. This isn't a story of the uprising, the slow rot of the human beast. This is a tale part in retrospect, told by characters who are in a brave new world, but still remember and mourn their old world.

Jonah is a man living a grim existence, spared from the initial zombie take over, but finally persuaded to leave his seaborne safe haven to search out his loved ones. After finding his former home empty, with no signs of violence his life took a turn toward simple goals-- namely surviving. He wandered the countryside, with no purpose or goal outside of the drive to find food and not become food, until, by a million little coincidences, he finds a compound of survivors.

Hidden in what was once a museum the motley crew of living humans each have their own tales of how they came to safety, their own haunting losses and their own emotional battles to face just to maintain the will to survive in a dangerous world. Jonah and the war refugees wrestle not just with the undead, but with questions of how to, and even if they should, restart society in the face of the horrific future before them.

Flavored with a combination of Biblical end times and a touch of Richard Matheson's classic I Am Legend, Dying to Live is a novel that transcends the shuffling dead image of classic zombie fiction from the beginning, nearly taming the creatures by giving them an odd sort of humanity and exposing humans as the root of the evil.

This was a quite good zombie novel and I managed to devour it in about 4 hours. It was a quick read that kept my attention. I enjoyed almost all of the characters, especially Milton and his unique backstory. Copperhead was a bit cliche, but not really unbelievable. The ending seemed a bit rushed, but it was still satisfying.

I'm something of a fan of the zombie genre (I love George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, for example), so I was excited to hear that Kim Paffenroth had penned a zombie novel. Kim and I went to college together and have some friends in common, we are also in the same line of work (religion/theology). So, I ordered Dying to Live with great expectations. I was not disappointed.

I'll confess that this is my first zombie novel. The plot and characterizations are well done. The story starts off at high speed and really drew me in. It also was able to slow down in places and reflect upon itself. I enjoy first-person writing; it was good to get inside the main character's head as he confronted a world-gone-mad.

What I liked best about this book was that it takes it's premise seriously. Many movies I've seen are content just to scratch the surface of the premise (The dead rise! Kill them!!). This book dares to ask the hard questions that lie beneath the surface, such as: Are the living dead still in some way human? How does this situation affect our own humanity? Is there something worse than becoming a zombie?

Few treatments seem to tackle The Undead Problem seriously, grappling with the moral and ethical underpinnings of bare human survival. This book isn't afraid to stare those questions in the face. A great read, I can't wait for a sequel!

I thought this was a good book. It definately gets you sucked in in the beginning. Dying to live has a weird twist in it that makes it different from the usual zombie book, but I thought it was pretty imaginative and interesting. Gives you a little something new to read, and keeps you interested.

This won't be a long, drawn out review. But, I can tell you that if you like apocalyptic/end of the world fiction with a good dose zombie thrown in for good measure, this book will be right up your alley! Just enough action and just enough gore to make you want more! I tend to compare all over zombie fiction to "Dying to Live", i.e.: was it just as good? This is the book that got me started on Permuted Press. Everything I have read from them so far has been excellent.

I read the excerpt and reviews for this book and felt it was decent enough, at that point, to go ahead and buy it. But, if I had known that every other character that was introduced in this undeveloped story were also going to have their own "thousand yard stare," as the main character did in the first few pages, I would have decided otherwise. Seems that concept was so new and exciting to the author that he had to use it over and over throughout the entire book.

I felt the character and scene development was very lacking and the portrayal of the zombies inconsistent and unrealistic (as far as fictional beings go). Though many of the characters seemed stereotypical throughout, 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.

Not too long... maybe a little too short. But I loved it.
I hope they make this into a movie. I could totally see this as a Rob Zombie flick... especially for the prison part.

I'd definitely recommend this one. I read The Road before this one (also a great book). This one had a lot more human interaction and the writing style is a little less difficult to read.

Mr. Paffenroth's book, Dying to Live is apart from other zombie literature a new "taste" for the wicked. The philosophy behind zombies is done really well here. The writing is clean, neat yet whimsical in parts and the story itself deals with ideology of our nation...racism and war, yet leaves you by the last page in wonder. An intelligent reader always will love an intelligent book. This zombie piece goes up one level beyond the cliche' b-movie brisk. The air here has something wretched in it and it's not just zombies...it's society as well.

Eric Enck-

Yeah, a zombie story with pretentious to teaching us the evils of racism. Yawn.

The hero finds a group of survivors and shacks us with a tough, dour black woman. They fight zombies, but their real enemy is the other group of people, led by a "redneck" Southerner with a Confederate flag tattoo. These people are very bad, of course, and blah, blah....

It sounds like a bad TV script written by a liberal white with a guilty conscience.

When I buy a zombie novel, I want a zombie story, not some boring lecture on the evils of racism.

Mr. Paffenroth's book, Dying to Live is apart from other zombie literature a new "taste" for the wicked. The philosophy behind zombies is done really well here. The writing is clean, neat yet whimsical in parts and the story itself deals with ideology of our nation...racism and war, yet leaves you by the last page in wonder. An intelligent reader always will love an intelligent book. This zombie piece goes up one level beyond the cliche' b-movie brisk. The air here has something wretched in it and it's not just zombies...it's society as well.

Eric Enck-

Having read zombie tales by Lebbon, Keene, Adkins, Clark, and more, I think this rings the most truthful. Deeply involved character development and realistic situations kept me turning the pages late into the night. My only gripe was -- without giving anything away -- the discovery of the "other" people in town. Their situation and characters felt a little cliched and not as organic as the rest of the book. However, if you were ever considering reading a zombie book, this is the one. Action, suspense, gore, surprises, and more. It has a little of everything. Highly recommended.

Having read zombie tales by Lebbon, Keene, Adkins, Clark, and more, I think this rings the most truthful. Deeply involved character development and realistic situations kept me turning the pages late into the night. My only gripe was -- without giving anything away -- the discovery of the "other" people in town. Their situation and characters felt a little cliched and not as organic as the rest of the book. However, if you were ever considering reading a zombie book, this is the one. Action, suspense, gore, surprises, and more. It has a little of everything. Highly recommended.

This book was actually a present for an associate whose opinion on these matters I trust implicitly, so I shall repeat his words here. He stated that the novel was of average fare when considering most aspects of literary worth (plot, characterization, action, etc.) and that it added little novelty to the genre.

The one original idea the author had, says my friend, was not of great magnitude, and any positive effect it might've had on the book was negated by its overuse and repeated application. So, if you're looking for another zombie apocalypse book, by all means purchase this one; but if you're looking for a new twist on the genre, look elsewhere.

I have a strong preference for slow zombies (i.e., original Romero movies) versus fast zombies (i.e., Dawn of the Dead remake and 28 Cups of Coffee Later), so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. On the whole, I would have to say the book is fair at best, partly because the writing is a bit amateurish and clunky in many spots, and partly because the author goes off on a "no matter what happens, mankind will always be its own worst enemy" tangent that is a bit overworked, I think. Also, apparently the author believes that anyone who goes to prison is a completely depraved monster, which I think is reaching.

First things first I know a lot of jaded horror readers have long ago written off the Vampire genre as overdone and lame. Not me, as a genre I think vampires are wide open for thousands of paths but the novels do require a fresh spin. The only genre I was afraid to read before was the zombie novel. Don't get me wrong I love Romero Zombie movies, hell I loved Land of the Dead a movie that many zombie fans were let down by.

The most interesting looking zombie fictions to me in the past were the books that subverted the genre. The Rising by Brian Keene and Cell by the King are not exactly Romero rules, this statement coming from a guy who hated idea of running zombies when I heard about it. So obviously I have mixed feeling about zombie novels. I finally swallowed my pride and watched the Dawn of the Dead and found running zombies were pretty scary looking. So could I be wrong again? Are zombie novels a good thing?

After my first read I'd have to say hell yeah!

Permuted press who put out this very nice looking trade paperback has in the last few years built up a reputation for putting out so many zombie books in the last few years it reminds me of the scene in Day of the Dead when the front gate is opened to the bunker. They have done a similar thing to the independent horror fiction market.

A novel true to the Romero style could do no less and perhaps the best thing I can say about Paffenroth's first novel is that I could see it fitting in nicely with the original dead films.

The novel is a first person narrative seen through the eyes of Jonah a college professor turned zombie apocalypse survivor who finds a small community living in a museum. While I didn't really connect with the narrator I enjoyed side characters like Popcorn and Milton a lot for reasons that should not be spoiled.

Pafferoth is a professor himself in religious studies and uses his knowledge to weave deep themes without a heavy hand. Dying To Live is an intense work peppered with chilling moments - one that impressed me was Jonah stopping after braining a zombie to look through his wallet. That was perhaps my favorite moment.

While I don't think huge amounts of new ground were broken this book is a must for zombie fans. It also was good enough I intend keep checking out permuted's releases.

First things first I know a lot of jaded horror readers have long ago written off the Vampire genre as overdone and lame. Not me, as a genre I think vampires are wide open for thousands of paths but the novels do require a fresh spin. The only genre I was afraid to read before was the zombie novel. Don't get me wrong I love Romero Zombie movies, hell I loved Land of the Dead a movie that many zombie fans were let down by.

The most interesting looking zombie fictions to me in the past were the books that subverted the genre. The Rising by Brian Keene and Cell by the King are not exactly Romero rules, this statement coming from a guy who hated idea of running zombies when I heard about it. So obviously I have mixed feeling about zombie novels. I finally swallowed my pride and watched the Dawn of the Dead and found running zombies were pretty scary looking. So could I be wrong again? Are zombie novels a good thing?

After my first read I'd have to say hell yeah!

Permuted press who put out this very nice looking trade paperback has in the last few years built up a reputation for putting out so many zombie books in the last few years it reminds me of the scene in Day of the Dead when the front gate is opened to the bunker. They have done a similar thing to the independent horror fiction market.

A novel true to the Romero style could do no less and perhaps the best thing I can say about Paffenroth's first novel is that I could see it fitting in nicely with the original dead films.

The novel is a first person narrative seen through the eyes of Jonah a college professor turned zombie apocalypse survivor who finds a small community living in a museum. While I didn't really connect with the narrator I enjoyed side characters like Popcorn and Milton a lot for reasons that should not be spoiled.

Pafferoth is a professor himself in religious studies and uses his knowledge to weave deep themes without a heavy hand. Dying To Live is an intense work peppered with chilling moments - one that impressed me was Jonah stopping after braining a zombie to look through his wallet. That was perhaps my favorite moment.

While I don't think huge amounts of new ground were broken this book is a must for zombie fans. It also was good enough I intend keep checking out permuted's releases.

The world has been taken over by the walking dead, some people call them flesh eating monsters, while the word, Zombie is more commonly used. Only a few living humans are left and they must ban together to repopulate and rebuild what is left of this Hell on Earth.

Jonah Caine knows his wife and child have crossed over to the side of the undead, he just prays he does not run across them only to slay their rotting corpses. Living in tree houses for nearly a year and foraging what he can from homes and stores seems to be working. When Jonah finds himself surrounded by the Zombies he fears the worst. Thank heavens someone was looking out for him and was prepared to risk the lives of others in order to save him.

Inside the Museum of Science and History was a community of the few survivors, they all opened their arms to Jonah and sooner than expected Jonah became comfortable with them as well. He made a few good friends like Jack, Sarah, Tanya, and the very strange but useful Milton. Milton possessed a gift, a gift that would possibly give everyone a chance at life....once again.

When Jonah joins a few of his friends on the search for more living people, they are captured and held hostage by the inmates of the prison. Jonah knows they may not escape, especially when he smells the putrid smell of death walking. Can Jonah escaped with the help of his new friends, or will he die only to be reborn to something so sinister and dark, the devil himself will shy away?

Kim Paffenroth entwines the want to live with blood and gore. This book is violent, bloody, and somewhat sickening. A true horror novel at its best. The few main characters could have a little more detail, I easily pictured the grotesque Zombies but I could not conjure up in my mind Jonah's image or Jack's for that matter. There was always excitement happening and not one moment in this novel did the characters let their guards down.

Dying To Live is a novel any horror reader would enjoy, and possibly read many times over. So if you're looking for a good novel to read in a haunted house this Halloween or anytime for that matter, then I suggest you get to the nearest bookstore and pick up your copy today...you never know when Zombies will invade the world and time will run out. 4 Hearts

This is not a Christian Zombie book. There are references to Christianity and other religions, philosophies, etc. America has a rich Judeo-Christian background, it makes sense that some of the characters would interpret things in light of religious experience.

This is not a supernatural Zombie book. The "powers" in connection with one character are naturally explained as a different or mutated strain of the Zombie virus which repels regular Zeds. The man with the power constantly denies any spiritual power though quite naturally some other charaters don't see it that way. (I would like to see a sequel with the other man with the mutated strand of virus appearing as a character.)

Personally this is one of the best Zombie novels I have read. I put it up there with World War Z and Day by Day Armageddon. Though I enjoyed Wellington's trilogy as a once read I will never read them again. Brooks, Bourne, and Paffenroth I could read again and again.

There's a secret part of Earth that's hidden to most people, and that place is called Hell. The only problem is that Hell has come to Earth, but in the form of mindless killers that were once human.

Dying To live is not only an intricate novel, but it also makes the reader think. Paffenroth is very intelligent in the way he tells a story, especially how he uses the way people think and react to a situation to make the characters seem more real. He does this by creating Jonah Caine, and by telling his story in first-person.

First-person novels are usually more dramatic, but not a lot of people read them because they get confused with the way the writer is trying to interpret the way the character is acting. There's a hidden part in the first-person genre that's hard to crack open and spill open its contents, but Paffenroth does it well. He makes sure to keep the reader entertained while telling his version of the end of the world, and this way, he makes the read excellent.

So, are you Dying To Live?

I loved the character development and the ending. Very different from the norm and a genuine treat.

Title mostly sums this review up. I've read a lot of zombie novels and this by far one of the best I've ever read. It's ranked up there with World War Z in my opinion. I find it really explores human nature in times of crisis. You got your good and your evil, with some being truly kind and others doing some of the most despicable things ever. But lets not forget the zombies, they're ever present and the author truly paints some gore filled scenes with his shambling masses of undead.

I have read alot of zombie books and this one uses the more common ideas for them. BUT it has a neat twist with one of the people involved. I really enjoyed this book and think all zombie book lovers will like it too!!

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.

Permuted Press has been making quite a name for themselves in the genre of zombie fiction and their latest release is Kim Paffenroth's "Dying to Live." The problem I have had with some zombie novels in the past is that the authors tend to set their sights a bit too high. While trying to tell a world-spanning tale of a zombie outbreak they often try to do too much and forget the smaller, personal stories. The best zombie stories/films were those that concentrated on the smaller picture, such as "Night of the Living Dead." Thankfully Paffenroth does not fall into this trap. He gives us one small, yet very appetizing piece of the zombie pie.

Paffenroth doesn't waste a lot of time explaining the zombie outbreak, preferring to jump right into the introduction of the main character, Jonah Caine, who has been surviving on his own since the catastrophe took place. Jonah is a plain, everyman...a former English professor at a community college, who has been resourceful enough to stay alive but grown weary by the stress of being on the run. A risky foray into a city to find food leads to Jonah meeting a small settlement of survivors who have turned a museum into their own fortress. The settlement's leader is Jack Lawson, your typical former military man but the most interesting character is the settlement's spiritual leader, Milton. In Paffenroth's zombie world, animals can also become zombies. When one of these undead animals bites Milton, he becomes essentially a human/zombie hybrid, carrying the stink and rot of death, yet not actually dying. Further, other zombies seem to fear Milton and are repelled when he walks among them, a useful ability indeed.

These survivors live in relative safety in their stronghold, leaving only for quick raids for food and supplies in the city. Jonah has to prove himself with a dangerous initiation rite by going on one of these raids. It is during one of these raids that they encounter another survivor, living alone with his newborn son in what turns into a harrowing rescue. With no real threat to them, they decide to go to the threat, by investigating smoke seen at the far end of the city. It's here where the survivors face the real horrors...a state correctional facility whose inmates have secured their own fortress.

"Dying to Live" is a solid, and often terrifying novel. The confrontations with the zombies keep are slam-bang thrill rides with something lurking behind each dark corner. The only real problem with the story is the last quarter of the book when Jonah and a few others encounter the prison inmates. Paffenroth ultimately made his characters too safe and secure in their museum home. The zombies were completely unable to mount any kind of a threat to them in their makeshift museum fortress. Paffenroth had to concoct a more serious threat than the legions of zombies themselves. A bit contrived, but not enough to spoil an otherwise brisk moving story with sufficient scares for any zombie fan. While I would have liked to have seen the characters developed a bit more, this is still an entertaining zombie fiction read.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

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.

I could not put this down. Just an amazing story. The ending seemed a little rushed, but overall a fantastic book. Bring on the feature film!!!!

It only took me two days to read this one because I didn't want to put it down. A very intelligent and gripping story that has a lot of the main elements of other zombie stories, but keeps them simple, realistic, and straightforward so they actually keep making sense. Good stuff here!

Dear readers .... do you want a wonderfully written novel? Did you notice I said "novel", not "zombie novel"? Welllll, Kim's "Dying to Live" is the novel for you. It would be a shame to pidgeon hole this one in just the "zombie genre" in particular, or even the "horror genre" in general. It's just an incredibily well written novel and you will be blown away at the talent that bleeds through the pages of "Dying to Live". Kim's character development is complete and extremely well done. The dialogue is as if you are speaking directly to the characters.
Paffenroth's "descriptive" chops are second to none. The book has one of those stories that you just want to read in one setting. It's that good.

Mr. Paffenroth is one very talented writer and it shows in every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence in this most excellent novel "Dying To Live". As for the characters, I now have a new favorite character in literature. That's right, not just zombie literature .... LITERATURE! His name is Milton, and you'll love him too.

The story is not just a zombie story ... it's a story of survival ... love lost and love found ... it's a story of adventure ... it's a story of the human condition ... and it's a story that will give you paper cuts as you quickly turn the pages to find out what's going to happen next. Yes dear reader .... YOU need to purchase and read this book. In my review on the "Library of the Living Dead" podcast I gave Kim's "Dying to Live" .... eleven severed thumb up out of ten. I've read an enormous amount of "zombie" novels and have never given any novel over 10 severed thumbs up, but this one just trashed my grading system .... BUY YOURS TODAY!!

Mike (Dr. Pus)

As a fan of the zombie genre, I was interested to read a woman's perspective on the subject. While I have read many good stories set in a world overrun by the flesh-eating undead, they have all been written by men, and therefore have each contained a certain...machismo: The tough but lonely hero wanders through the world getting into gory, descriptive battles with zombies at a steady pace, until he stumbles upon either a woman who needs saving or a small community that needs leadership. "Dying To Live" by Kim Paffenroth is much the same.
This is the story of Jonah Caine, a former English teacher. After discovering his family is dead, Jonah wanders post-zombocalypse America with no real destination. When he is forced to kill a few zombies we learn that Jonah is deep-thinker. One who equates the senseless brutality of the zombies and his own equally brutal response to their attacks as the final, horrible remnants of the human condition.
Jonah comes to live with a group of survivors in a museum which, for some reason, has giant walls around it. These survivors are lead by a soldier named Jack, and a strange bibliophile named Milton with a foot-fetish. Milton has become, to this community, a sort of messiah. After being bitten by zombie bunnies in a mountaintop laboratory, Milton discovors he has a form of zombie rabies that the regular undead fear and cower from.
Encouraged by Jonah's survival, Jack organizes a search party that ventures out into the city looking for others. Jonah, Jack, and the others in their group quickly discovers the dark side of human nature at the hands of the surviving inmates of a nearby penitentiary.

All in all, I enjoyed "Dying to Live." The story breaks off from the traditional zombie novel: Paffenroth's zombies show emotion such as fear or rage at times, and they seem slightly more intelligent than average. However, the story is creative and there is enough blood and gore and severed heads to satisfy those of us who like that sort of thing. I would recommend this story to fans of the genre.
The zombie bunnies, however, were just plain silly.

Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (7/07)

In "Dying to Live," zombies have overtaken the cities and are infecting and killing much of the population. Jonah Caine has been on his own for months trying to avoid becoming their victim and therefore adopts a "kill or be killed" attitude. While he struggles with the situations of killing a child or elderly person who has done nothing to deserve the fate of having been infected, he realizes he must literally fight for his own survival. Eventually, Jonah is rescued from the streets by a group of uninfected humans and tries to integrate himself into their society. As he listens to their stories of survival, he learns that he truly is not alone in the world.

Science fiction enthusiasts will enjoy this book, as will readers who like action and gore. (I found the descriptions a little too graphic at times.) Author Kim Paffenroth utilizes an odd mix of characters to address several social and ethical issues. He explores how long-term isolation from other humans mentally affects people and the difficulties they encounter upon being reintegrated into society. He also questions whether the zombies should be considered bad because they have no conscious control over their actions. Indeed, there are worse-behaved humans in this book who can control their actions but choose to do evil.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of this book. I really liked how it ended because it shows that peaceful coexistence is possible if people are willing to put in the effort to find a solution instead of just wanting to harm others. The one part that did not make much sense to me was having the people undergo the initiation rite of entering the city to obtain luxury items for their fellow residents. The danger was too great and the risk was unnecessary.

"Dying to Live" emphasizes the importance of rising up and working together to overcome a problem. People from different backgrounds (an English professor, a street kid, and a dance instructor among others) can find common ground to achieve short-term survival and long-term prosperity as long as everyone participates and accepts his role in the new society. Necessity inspires creativity which leads to growth and change.

I bought this book because it sounded like a good zombie novel and had approximately 4.5 stars from 22 customers reviews.

The zombies are put in a somewhat sympathetic light, with the protagonist essentially praying for the dead (when possible) after each kill and anguishing over it as well. There's a reference to one character being like the shepherd Jesus while herding the undead.

The entire story is interspersed with moments of cloying goodness, and in one small segment, malevolent human evil. The zombies are only a distraction to explain the world of goodness that is presented to us.

Not what I expected.

I read the reviews for Dying to Live and couldn't wait to read it! Unfortunately I was very disappointed. Reviewers repeatedly identified the book as a "thinking mans" zombie book. I, however, didn't find too much to think about. My complaints? 1. We enter the story while zombie invasion is already in gear...the author attempts to have the reader gain compassion for what the characters have been through by their sharing of histories (usually during drunken story hour). But it just didn't work for me. It continually felt like artificially constructed backdrops. 2. The story was told in first person. Therefore, in order for us to gain any insight into other characters the author creates conversations between characters that felt forced and didn't flow. These conversations were clearly created to give the reader insights that could have been gained more naturally if the story wasn't in first person. 3. Cheap ending...I won't ruin it for future readers, but I hate when authors resort to creating mystical powers to contrive an ending.

In my opinion if you want to read a better zombie thriller, check out Plague Of The Dead by Z A Recht.

Written by Kim Paffenroth, Bram Stoker award-nominated author of "Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romer's Visions of Hell on Earth", Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead is a post-apocalyptic novel about the few human refugees struggling to survive in a zombie-infested world. Living in a museum-turned-compound, they are led by Jack, a practical and efficient military man, and Milton, an odd prophet with an inexplicable power over the dead. Yet their island community suffers a deadly clash with another group of survivors, underscoring that the living dead are far from their only threats to survival. At times shockingly and gruesomely violent, Dying to Live springs off the page as starkly vivid as any zombie movie ever made, with a decisive twist to its ending. Highly recommended especially for zombie and horror film buffs.