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The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,785 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can’t remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her off on her personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulted remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.
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"I just finished reading this book and it is one of the best books I have read in a very long time - incredibly engaging from start to finish. Only 225 pages long it is a quick but intense read. I would have given this book 5 stars but I am petty and this book made me sad. I wish this book were a little more upbeat despite the Zombie wasteland it took place in (which says more about me then the book I suppose)."
— Mieken (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Bell (a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, author of Hummingbirds) has created an exquisitely bleak tale and an unforgettable heroine whose eye for beauty and aching need for redemption somehow bring wonder into a world full of violence and decay.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Alden Bell has managed something improbable and striking: a disconcertingly beautiful tale of zombie apocalypse. The Reapers Are the Angels is soaked in all the blood that any horror fan could desire, the effluvia rendered in a high Southern Gothic style as redolent of rotting magnolia as anything written by William Faulkner or Cormac McCarthy.”
— Charlie Huston, author of Sleepless -
“Alden Bell provides an astonishing twist on the southern gothic: like Flannery O'Connor with zombies.”
— Michael Gruber, New York Times bestselling author -
“As I listened to the first chapter, I was struck by the unexpected beauty of the writing and themes that many people wouldn’t attempt, especially in a zombie book…Tai Sammons narrates this book with restrained clarity. She has the ability to seamlessly shift into accents from upper class to hardscrabble Southerner while taking on the characters so that the listener tends to forget that there is just one person reading. She does this without altering her voice much either which is a rare skill and one that enhanced the book greatly. In fact, after I found out that the print version does not have quotation marks used for dialogue, I realized that in listening to Sammons’ narration I was enjoying this book in probably the best format for easy understanding…The Reapers Are the Angels looks at the pursuit of beauty, the pursuit of God, the flight from inner demons, and the fact that none of us can ever see the whole truth at any time. We are too small and truth is woven too large…The Reapers Are the Angels is a book about being human with all the questions and struggles that humans have had throughout time. Highest recommendation.”
— SFFaudio.com -
“A knockout, with a heroine you can’t help but root for. Alden Bell will snatch your attention and keep it until long after you close this book.”
— Tom Franklin, author of Hell at the Breech
Awards
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Winner of the 2011 YALSA Alex Award
The Reapers Are the Angels Listener Reviews
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" I really quite enjoyed this read. It's definitely not very typical of the fiction out there now and it also had an atypical ending, which I always love. "
— Sonia, 2/14/2014 -
" Beautifully written, compelling, and something one rarely finds in zombie books - philosophical. This book is lovely and gruesome; Temple is a compelling character, as is Moses Todd. I spent half the book trying to figure out if I hated Moses or loved him and the end made it even harder to choose. "
— Izabela, 1/30/2014 -
" Great writing, very unique for the genre. A bit disappointed by the ending, seemed inconclusive. "
— Dmitri, 1/29/2014 -
" Never read a 'zombie' novel before!! But Wow!! this had me gripped I must of read it within a few days. "
— Loops, 1/15/2014 -
" Really an excellent little book. Starts out like a zombie novel but really becomes much more existential by the end. Very unique characters who struggle with maintaining some kind of moral compass in a zombie-infested world. A hard book to really do justice to in a review. "
— Jp, 1/1/2014 -
" This was a great zombie book! I stayed up late reading, something just drew me in. I liked the main character, I liked the story line, I liked the world they lived in. It is a story of survival in the only world Temple knew. "
— Christine, 11/18/2013 -
" Another post-apocalyptic odyssey with zombies, but I enjoyed the voice of the narrator, 16-year-old Temple. More lyrically written than most, and with some striking images and situations. "
— Angela, 11/10/2013 -
" Fantastic voice. Terrifying landscape. I was riveted! "
— Joanna, 10/23/2013 -
" Read the whole thing in one day. I couldn't put it down! "
— Kylie, 10/31/2012 -
" I would've liked the story better if it hadn't felt so disjointed. Didn't like the style the author chose to write in. This story and I just didn't click, and I was never able to connect to Temple. Too bad. "
— Erynne, 5/8/2012 -
" Loved the book! Did not expect that ending at all....!!!! "
— Patty, 3/31/2012 -
" Unbelievably good. My #1 book of the year, I'm pretty sure. It manages to do that rare thing of being beautifully written at the sentence/word level and also, plotwise, insanely gripping: I read it in one sitting. And what a heroine Temple is! Amazing, amazing. "
— Amanda, 2/16/2012 -
" This book was amazing and so incredibly well written. I could really see the settings in my mind, which is something I seem to have a problem with in a lot of dystopian or post apocalyptic fiction I've been reading. Everything jumps off the page here. Really well done and absolutely devasting. "
— Amanda, 1/18/2012 -
" It's a incredible gripping novel. I loved Temple and how strong she was. It's taken from her point of view. Not too many zombie books or films take it from the point of view of someone who has grown-up in this way of life. The action is on point, well-thought out and paced nicely. "
— Chantay, 6/27/2011 -
" Pretty much what you would expect of a zombie book. I liked the POV, and overall enjoyed the book. "
— Keziah, 6/24/2011 -
" Such a great book and I loved the ending because it was perfect for this book!! "
— Jamie, 6/16/2011 -
" An astonishing, heart-breaking book about...zombies. Can't get over the surprise...and it stuck with me longer than "The Sound and The Fury." "
— Tom, 6/5/2011 -
" I loved this book!! It was an easy read & extremely hard to put down. I loved the heroin & her take on life. Im excited to check out other books by Alden Bell "
— Crystal, 5/30/2011 -
" This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, and exquistely written. Yes, a book about zombies can be beautiful. The best book I've read so far this year. "
— Skye, 5/29/2011
About Alden Bell
Alden Bell is a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, whose first novel, Hummingbirds, was released in 2009. He teaches in a New York City prep school and is an adjunct professor at The New School. He lives in New York City with his wife Megan Abbott, an Edgar Award winner.
About Tai Sammons
Tai Sammons earned her degree in theater from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where she worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This award-winning actress currently resides upstate in Portland, with her beloved black pug, Oscar.