Warm Bodies Sequel Book The Burning World Is Coming Soon, Here's What It's About

warm bodies movie

Fans of Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies have been waiting patiently for the anticipated followup novel to the zombie love story. The release of The Burning World has been set for early 2017, and it's officially available for pre-order. But what can we expect from R and Julie in the story to come?

Isaac Marion's official website states that The Burning World has R in recovery mode. The recovering zombie has to relearn all the basics about being human -- things like breathing, speaking and not being so awkward and clumsy. He and Julie are all about moving forward into the great unknown post-zombie-apocalyptic world. R may not remember where he comes from before he was zombified, but it seems like the past may be coming back to haunt him regardless...

But his old life remembers him. The plague has another host far more dangerous than the Dead. It's coming to return the world to the good old days of stability and control and the strong eating the weak, and stopping it will require a frightening journey into the surreal wastelands of America---and the shadowy basement of R's mind.

The Burning World is lined up for a February 7, 2017. And as you can see, the cover art shows two shadows of figures holding hands, standing in the light let in from whatever awaits them outside.

The Burning World

When Isaac Marion recently talked to Bookish, he elaborated a bit on the plot of the sequel...

R and Julie aren't alone anymore; they have each other, they have their friends, but they're all living in a tiny corner of a mostly unknown world, and they're realizing how much is going on around them that they don't understand. A lot of this story is about them stepping out from safety---the safety of home, the safety of a blank past---and facing the reality of who they are and what they have to do.

Warm Bodies released back in 2010, and introduced us to the zombie mind of R, one of many undead people staggering around and feasting on brains in a post-apocalyptic world. Though he begins as a zombie, a bit of life sparks in R's mind and heart when he sets his sights on Julie, one of the living survivors who crosses his path. Part of the dark twist in this story involves R getting to know her better by feeding off the brain of her deceased boyfriend. The story has some obvious and lovely shades of Romeo & Juliet, mixed with a wittiness and charm that is surprisingly fresh, especially when we consider that the book released amidst what felt like a sea of young adult post-Twilight supernatural love stories.

Warm Bodies went on to be made into a movie starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, around which time Isaac Marion took us a bit back in the timeline for a prequel novela, A New Hunger, which focused on Julie's friend Nora. The Burning World is a full novel, however, and up for preorder at a discounted price. Bonus: The author is offering all sorts of cool incentives for pre-ordering and referrals. (As if we need incentives to anticipate this book!)

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.