With a little luck, Isaac Marion's zombie love story could become the next big thing. In the wake of his novel becoming a big screen production, Isaac took to Reddit to answer questions from fans and skeptics alike. You can read the whole chain of questions here, but below the break we've posted some of the choice bits.
Also, since Isaac seems to be in a good mood, The New Hunger (his prequel to Warm Bodies) is on sale now for 20% off it's normal price. I believe it's just the e-book version, but it's still a nice gesture. If you're interested, you better grab it soon. The sale ends tomorrow at 6pm EST.
MuteVentriloquist: Do Zombies poop?
Isaac: You know, I actually had a scene in the original draft where R discussed this. I can't seem to find it anywhere, but basically, they eat the meat to absorb its "life energy", but they aren't actually digesting anything for nutrients. Their stomachs are inert. So as they eat, their stomachs just fill up with meat until it eventually squeezes its way through the intestines and they shit it out whole.
This was the only scene I ever wrote that I agreed to cut simply for being too gross.
TheLastGunslinger: I once heard Warm Bodies refered to as "Twilight with zombies" which immediately turned me off of the concept. Later I saw the first trailer for the film and it looked like a pretty funny comedy. Do you think the novel and film are tonally the same or did Hollywood take the concept of your novel and go off and do their own thing?
Isaac: The film is a bit lighter in tone, not as heavy on the philosophy and introspection as the book. (Yes, there is philosophy and introspection in my zombie book.) They're definitely not "the same" but the movie preserves most of the spirit and some of the ideas of the book, and is pretty damn entertaining on its own merits.
Neither the book nor the movie are "Twilight with zombies" by any stretch of the imagination. That's a comparison that can only be made on the on the most superficial level.
Avid_Reader_1: I loved WARM BODIES - why a prequel and not a sequel? Why a novella? Why the title THE NEW HUNGER? Curious to know more.
Isaac: There will be a sequel. The prequel is a bridge between Warm Bodies and the sequel, shedding some light on the characters' backgrounds, expanding the world a little, and setting up some of the concepts that will be important in the sequel. Also, I think it's just a beautiful story about how these people became who they are, and I wanted to tell it.
A novella because that's how long the story was. The title because everyone in the story is starving in some way: for food, for human connection, and for human flesh. Sometimes all three.
Kodak_Attack: Why should I read the book and what sets it apart from the Twilight series aside from the obvious factor?.
Isaac: It's completely different in tone, style, content, and themes. Warm Bodies is dark and satirical, has a nasty sense of humor, is full of blood, sex, drugs and foul language, and is not about romance so much as the meaning of being human. A love story is the engine for all of this, but the destination is not "Aw, they're going to fall in love!" it's, "Aw, they're going to crack the code of humanity's spiritual entropy and try to revive civilization!"
Amon_Eqaulist: Did you have a part in the production of the movie?
Isaac: I was asked for feedback on various stages of the production. I had meetings with Levine to discuss his plans and answer story questions. I gave notes on two drafts of the script. It was definitely a consultant role, though; I wouldn't say we were collaborating. I knew he would need to find his own way to make this weird story work on screen and I wanted to stand back and let him do his thing.
As a bonus, here's Isaac Marion talking about his RV. Try not to be charmed.
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