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Soulless

by Christopher Golden (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 463 ratings · 82 reviews

Newly reissued, the rollicking, action-packed zombie story from one of the genre’s hottest writers!

Times Square, New York City. The first ever mass séance is broadcasting live on the Sunrise morning show. If it works, the spirits of the departed on the other side will have a brief window—just a few minutes—to send a final message to their grieving loved ones.

Clasping hands...more

Paperback, 310 pages

Published October 21st 2008 by MTV Books (first published October 14th 2008)

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Nov 08, 2008 Courtney added it Recommends it for: zombie lovers, reluctant readers, zombie apocalypse planners

Recommended to Courtney by: Little Willow

Shelves: 2008, ya-fiction

If my schedule permitted, I would've finished this book in a couple of days (which would be fast for this shamefully slow reader). Soulless is fast-paced and full of action. Even the brief moments in which the characters pause to catch their breath as they outrun the dead move quickly. Whenever I put this book down, I wanted to pick it back up again. That is probably not surprising. I mean, it's a zombie novel. Everyone who knows me knows I am eagerly awaiting the zombie apocalypse. And with goo...more If my schedule permitted, I would've finished this book in a couple of days (which would be fast for this shamefully slow reader). Soulless is fast-paced and full of action. Even the brief moments in which the characters pause to catch their breath as they outrun the dead move quickly. Whenever I put this book down, I wanted to pick it back up again. That is probably not surprising. I mean, it's a zombie novel. Everyone who knows me knows I am eagerly awaiting the zombie apocalypse. And with good reason. I have an awesome survival plan, you guys.

I liked the premise of Soulless a lot. A mass seance on an early morning television show designed to reconnect the living with the spirits of their long lost loved ones for a few moments goes horribly wrong and awakens the dead. The dead are HUNGRY! For the FLESH! Of the LIVING! And a bunch of people with nothing in common wind up trying to survive the outbreak of flesh-eating corpses and ultimately end it, together. They do pretty well for people who have to work without my awesome zombie apocalypse survival plan, I must say.

So this was my introduction to Christopher Golden and it was pretty great. All in all, I had fun reading Soulless. When I read the first few pages, I (embarrassingly) thought I was reading first-person, even though Soulless is actually written in third. I do not think this is a reflection on my reading comprehension skills so much as I think it is a testament to Golden's ability to get inside his character's heads, which he does really, really well. Another thing that struck me as I read Soulless was that it would appeal to adults. It's just got the Adults Would Dig This vibe emanating from it.

As I said, the book moves along at a really nice clip. There are a varity of characters and the novel has multiple POVs. Reading in the stop-start way I did, I got a little confused at times and needed to refresh myself, which I'm not convinced is a fault of the book so much as it is the fault of my schedule leaving me unable to sit with it for long periods of time. I enjoyed the zombie apocalypse most through the eyes of Tania, a Disney-type star dealing with a tabloid scandel (the Paps caught her kissing another girl), and Phoenix, whose father is at the heart of the seance. I would've really liked to have seen more of Noah. I felt he got the short end of the stick near the end and I found him very compelling. All characters begin with firmly set personalities, ideas and beliefs and watching all of these things crumble as the pages go by is fantastic and fascinating. Don't let all the fun fool you--Soulless doesn't shy away from the troubling moral conundrums that arise when the dead arise. It's a well-rounded story. And I agree with Little Willow--it'd make a great movie.

NOW. Let's talk zombies because that is what we're all here for. The zombies have a bit of a twist. They're targeting their loved ones, which I found really neat. How creepy to think that if someone you love has died, they'll be seeking you out. You know. As opposed to your every day, non-discriminating zombies. I loved that.

I must admit I come from the Simon Pegg school of zombie sticklerness, though. I really--and I mean REALLY--hate it when zombies talk and I hate it when zombies run. I could write essays on why zombies should NEVER do either. The zombies in Soulless do both. Also the longer they're out and about, the smarter they get, even going so far as to lay traps for the living (kinda like velociraptors!). To his credit, Golden made me get over this quickly, because I don't think he's claiming to write a traditional zombie story nor using the talking/running for gratuitous/shocking purposes (a la the Dawn of the Dead remake). There is this neat, ghostly thread throughout the book about the separation of spirit and soul; your soul is pure and moves on after death and your spirit is the desperate, saddest part of you that stays behind--your ghost. This is the foundation of Golden's dead and the walking and talking really fits it. It's thoughtful, it's not just there to needlessly ramp up the action. As a zombie stickler, I appreciated that. And kudos for making this zombie stickler appreciate that, Mr. Golden! That is no easy feat.

Oh my goodness, this review is long. Check this one out, you guys.(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I have a thing for zombies. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as it sounds. Okay, yes, it probably is kind of gruesome. But anyway, back to the task at hand, which is Christopher Golden's SOULLESS. I can basically sum up this review in four words: This. Book. Is. Awesome.

However, readers have come to expect more from our reviews, so I'll do my best to oblige.

The best thing about SOULLESS, besides it's amazing characters, great dialogue, and superb writing, is...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I have a thing for zombies. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as it sounds. Okay, yes, it probably is kind of gruesome. But anyway, back to the task at hand, which is Christopher Golden's SOULLESS. I can basically sum up this review in four words: This. Book. Is. Awesome.

However, readers have come to expect more from our reviews, so I'll do my best to oblige.

The best thing about SOULLESS, besides it's amazing characters, great dialogue, and superb writing, is the actual premise. I can honestly say that I have NEVER run across this plot line in any other book that I've ever read. That point right there makes picking up a copy of the book imperative. So now you're wanting to know what the premise is, right? We've all read myriads of stories about séances. We've also read tons of books about zombies. But have you ever read a book about a mass séance that produces zombies? I didn't think so.

This is the dilemma that New York City finds itself in after three leading mediums, Professor Joe Cormier, Annelise Hirsch, and Eric Honen, get the brilliant idea to hold a mass séance on live television. I have to admit, it IS a brilliant idea. While mediums, on their own, can contact someone who has recently died, a group of mediums, "pooling" their power and resources, should be able to contact numerous dead, so that they can communicate with the loved ones they left behind. Appearing on the morning show Sunrise, hosted by Amy Tjan and Steve Bell, the three hope to open the lines of communication with all of the recently departed within a few miles of the studio for a few short minutes.

Their plan works. Too well. Well enough that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dead rise from their graves, hungrily searching for the ones they left behind - not to communicate with them, but to eat them. (Yes, I got a little thrill just from typing that. Again, it's that gruesomeness I spoke of earlier.)

And so begins SOULLESS, a book that will take you on a wild ride through New York with an unforgettable cast of characters. From the gang member who decides to go searching for his family, to the two college guys who have to put their political differences aside to make it home, to the young actress/singer who just had her heart broken by her girlfriend, to Joe Cormier's daughter sitting in the audience of Sunrise, this is one story that you won't soon forget.

Needless to say, I loved SOULLESS. Even if you're not a typical zombie lover, you won't be able to resist this story. Although there's a finite ending to SOULLESS, I really, really hope that Mr. Golden will write more, if not about these same characters, then at least about zombies running rampant, hungering for human flesh. (The thrill, again!)

Pick up a copy when it goes on sale on October 21st. You won't regret it - although you might stay up a bit late with the lights on.
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Aug 29, 2008 Karin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads, zombies

For the first time ever, three powerful mediums are going to join hands on a live morning TV show in order to conduct the largest ever seance. The minute they join hands, people in the live studio audience begin to hear voices and feel the bone chilling cold that is so often associated with the spirit world. Panic breaks out and rightly so….the spirits have been given the opportunity to come through an open door into the world of the living and they aren’t wasting any time.

Spirits are returning...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Leanne Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adults, gruesome-violent, kindle-read, read-2010, thrillier-horror, where-s-the-top-of-the-head, zombies, yellow-brown-orange

It's taken me a while to write this because i've been so busy with work and various other things.
It goes to show that it made such an impact on me that i can still make a very clear and precise recollection on which to write my review.

Soulless is at a basic level, a zombie novel but there's a lot more to it than the generic dead creatures feeding off the flesh of the living, and for once there's a reason for it (instead of, oh yeh, i'm a zombie, i should therefore eat people)
In Soulless the dead...more It's taken me a while to write this because i've been so busy with work and various other things.
It goes to show that it made such an impact on me that i can still make a very clear and precise recollection on which to write my review.

Soulless is at a basic level, a zombie novel but there's a lot more to it than the generic dead creatures feeding off the flesh of the living, and for once there's a reason for it (instead of, oh yeh, i'm a zombie, i should therefore eat people)
In Soulless the dead are a result of a seance gone wrong (or so the main characters suspect) and they all start clambering out of their graves and trying to find their loved ones, attacking and feeding on anyone in their path.

There two major things that made this novel stand out among all other zombie novels, and the first was the timeline. The amount of destruction and death that occurs is quite overwhelming, even more so when u realise that all this occurs in a day. Not a week, not a month and no where near a year. To me this made the disaster even more profound because anything that can change humanity and our way of living in less than 24 hours is a truly tragic event.

Secondly, the actual zombies themselves were different, some of which were so intelligent it was heartbreaking to witness them destroyed, and must have been even harder for the characters themselves.
One of the most profound scenes in the novel was the part with Sara and her dad because one of the most frightening aspects was that without souls, all thats left of the dead are memories and thoughts, any warm humanity is gone. As a result, some of the dead characters say some truly hauntingly awful things to people they cared about while alive.

With regards to the characters i found myself truly amazed by there capabilities, and equally horrified in some cases. And i found it fascinating to see how different people responded to the tragedy. Some of the so called weaker people seemed to cope better than the stronger ones. And some just lost it altogether and were all for doing anything (including murder) to stop the end, even without knowing the true cause.

In conclusion, this is a trully horrifying and breathtaking addition to the zombie genre that will have you thiking about it for ages after you finish reading it. The ending is truly amazing and i never saw it ending the way it did. The main issue for me though, when all was said and done, was what does it mean to be human? because after seeing how some people behave in the face of tragedy, i think human is a descriptive word thrown around all to easily.(less)

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Dec 06, 2008 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, horror

Christopher Golden is one of my favorite horror authors, and while I didn't like Soulless as much as some of his other novels (such as Wildwood Road), I still thought it was enjoyable and mostly well-written.

Soulless is a zombie novel with a twist - the zombies are inhabited by the negative side of the dead summoned by mediums on a morning talk show (the positive side having already moved on to the afterlife). These zombies are drawn back to their loved ones in order to taunt and eat them. And...more

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Nov 15, 2008 Clarice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: at-the-library

So, I read a zombie book and am terrified of zombies. I think it's because there's no reasoning with zombies. They just want to eat your brains (or in this case, all of you). And are for the most part unstoppable. Yikes!

Anyway, this was definitely a scary book. I had to go read something else to counteract the scared of zombie vibe I was in the midst of. Also it was really enjoyable. There are a good variety of characters all with their own stuff going on and I found favorites among them. Overal...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Alli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-11

Wow. Just. Wow. This book pretty much blew me away. I am somewhat easy to win over when it comes to apocalypses and especially zombies but this was near perfect zombie literature in my opinion.

The story grips you nearly right away, the pacing is incredible, I literally could not read it fast enough. It is so action packed and intense and yet amazingly thought provoking at the same time. The whole spirit and soul conundrum is obvious but the more subtle of what it takes to survive of what you be...more

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May 10, 2013 Krystle rated it 4 of 5 stars

The beginning started out fairly normal. I was surprised though, that the zombies appeared rather early on in the story. The first description of the zombies made me cringe and my heart thumping.

Christopher has a knack for describing the emotions and expressions of people as they find out about the 'Uprising' endemic. He describes the zombie attacks with great detail and gore, too. I usually HATE anything related to zombies (I have a fear for them), but somehow this book sort of 'drew me in', if...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 06, 2012 Morana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, paranormal, zombies

This is a zombie novel. I am not sure how to rate it.
I liked it. Not everything, though.
(view spoiler)...more

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Apr 21, 2009 BizarreLibrary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Phoenix Cormier’s father is a professor and just so happens to also talk to the dead. Along with two other very well known mediums, her father plans on communicating with the after life so they can pass messages to the living from their dead loved ones all at once. They do this on a morning New York show called Sunrise. While on live TV, they show all of New York what is happening, but something goes terribly wrong. It seems the spirits have another idea, other then sending messages. It doesn’t...more Phoenix Cormier’s father is a professor and just so happens to also talk to the dead. Along with two other very well known mediums, her father plans on communicating with the after life so they can pass messages to the living from their dead loved ones all at once. They do this on a morning New York show called Sunrise. While on live TV, they show all of New York what is happening, but something goes terribly wrong. It seems the spirits have another idea, other then sending messages. It doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose as zombies emerge from the ground. During the novel, the story is told from several people’s points of view of what happens and what they do about it.

Soulless is extremely creepy and fast-paced. Zombies scare me in general, so that probably doesn’t help. I like how Golden doesn’t hold back on the gore, even though it’s geared for the young adult, and believe me there is plenty of it. It’s a massive page-turner and I had to read with the lights on.

His interpretation of zombies is so different from the normal government virus or witch doctors trying to take over the world. They are like the old-fashion zombies, but not. At first, I was a little skeptical when the zombies started coming out of the ground. Rotting corpses would not have the muscle mass to bust out of a coffin and climb through several pounds of dirt to get out, at least that’s what I tell myself. Regardless, Golden explains somewhat how this happens. These zombies have a drive and a need that makes them stronger than just a dead body. They have no souls and they feel empty.

My only issue with this book is with Phoenix. She is so exasperating throughout the novel, but she ends up redeeming herself. I’m fairly certain my issue with Phoenix is a reader to reader thing. I would like to go into more detail with it, but I would give away too many spoilers. I would ask myself though, would you kill one person to save millions?

In the end, survival and zombies pretty much sums up this book. If there were a major zombie uprising what would you do and how would you react? Scary thought and I hope I never have to ask myself that.
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Oct 17, 2009 Michael Y. rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone That Likes a Great Scare!

Recommended to Michael by: Nobody, I saw it and it looked interesting.

This book is no doubt, the best horror novel I've read in my short life. It's mind-blowing, and yet so close to reality that it scares the hell out of you. To those who love to have a great scare I recommend "Soulless" to you. You WONT be dissatisfied.

It's one of those books that suck you into it, and you don't want to put it down. I'm sure you don't mind language use but, the way the people speak and think and react to certain situations makes you belive that what happened in the story could co...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Brittany Hale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, have-to-buy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. OMG!!!! This book was freaking awesome!!! Soulless was the first book of the horror genre I’ve read and it delivered greatly. I was recently talking to an Aunt of mine about movies not being scary to me ever since the chucky and Michael Myers days when I was younger. But I pick up this book and became full blown frightened after reading the first 30 pages! Lol. There was also the concept of life after death that was fascinating to me but hopefully not true because if when we die, our souls move...more OMG!!!! This book was freaking awesome!!! Soulless was the first book of the horror genre I’ve read and it delivered greatly. I was recently talking to an Aunt of mine about movies not being scary to me ever since the chucky and Michael Myers days when I was younger. But I pick up this book and became full blown frightened after reading the first 30 pages! Lol. There was also the concept of life after death that was fascinating to me but hopefully not true because if when we die, our souls move on but leave behind our spirit which consists of our thoughts, feelings and our thoughts during life (the evilness by the looks of it too) then I don’t see the point of developing any kind of relationship here on earth when in the end it will all mean nothing. I didn’t like how each chapter basically meant the story being told by a different character…until they all met up of course. Also, to me there were no real friendship connections which I thrive on besides the tentative friendship between Tania, Matt, Zack and Sara so that pleased me a bit. I found it annoying that at the studio where the mass séance was held no one thought or took way too long to admit they started the whole zombie apocalypse. When they saw that nothing was working to pull the mediums apart that pretty much confirmed everything and that something drastic had to be done, granted I would have had to work my way up to killing someone too…also because I saw no real friendships I ended up choosing favorite characters, I have to have a favorite(s) in whatever I read…one was Tania because of my soft spot for untainted lesbians and Zack and Sara (as a package only) and that’s because I love any guy knows how to treat a young woman. What made this zombie story so scary… I have seen a lot of zombie movies but I guess because I create the images myself the books seem more real to me but anyway the zombies were freaking intelligent, going specifically home just to eat their loved ones killing whoever they chose on the way…that was just crazy. The fact that they also laid traps was just horrifying which they had done just to get their loved ones who couldn’t be cajoled out of their homes. I’m still freaked out about the zombie leaving the dead baby crying in the car to lure Sara’s father out of his home lol. I’m pretty sure whole generations of families were wiped out throughout the whole ordeal. It was pretty nice too to see people coming together to fight against a shared threat, because with Tania being a mega star they never would have even met if the circumstances had been different. Phoenix was ok but I was annoyed that it took so long for her to admit what was happening and that yes her father was a part of the problem. I just think things could have been resolved much sooner if she hadn’t be in denial and then SHE ended up being the one to end it all only to be mad about it, like Please! So she didn’t make the good list, lol. All in all this book was amazing but I’m not sure if I’ll be reading another horror book anytime soon, it was way too stressful and I tried to stop reading it to get a break but I couldn’t, I ended up staying up all night desperate to get to the conclusion still a good read though.(less)

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Jun 20, 2011 Maggiy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was everything a good horror book should be- full of zombies and gore and horror in general! The plot dragged me in right from about the second chapter (I admit it did start a little slow). I didn't want to put it down. I was impressed that, although there were so many different characters that the book switched between, I was able to connect to all of them and follow their personal experiences and stories well. I would have liked to see a little more aftermath, but that's okay, overal...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Dorlana rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading this, my first zombie book, I can’t say that I’m a zombie book fan… However, I am a Christopher Golden fan. He gave a new twist to the old zombie genre. I’ve watched enough zombie and virus movies to know what I was getting into, but I don’t remember ever reading a book with such a high body count or blood or wet gross noises (and I’m an Anne Rice fan from way back). So on that note, I think I would only recommend it to the older teen.

There was only one thing that took me out of t...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Dia Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

I have always been a fan of books that gather suspense, violence, mystery and drama into one pot. Therefore I naturally gravitated towards this book here. After reading the reviews and looking over the summary of the book it seemed to be the perfect read for me. Beside the great use of violence and gore in this zombie novel, many readers also spoke highly of the suspense and mystery, which followed.

Written in third person, Christopher Golden’s Soulless, followed the journey of numerous characte...more I have always been a fan of books that gather suspense, violence, mystery and drama into one pot. Therefore I naturally gravitated towards this book here. After reading the reviews and looking over the summary of the book it seemed to be the perfect read for me. Beside the great use of violence and gore in this zombie novel, many readers also spoke highly of the suspense and mystery, which followed.

Written in third person, Christopher Golden’s Soulless, followed the journey of numerous characters as they faced this wide spread chaos. Their paths inevitably cross at the end but that is not before the tragedy and horror they must all face. The story begins by following the character Phoenix, who is the daughter of a famously known medium who makes an appearance on a morning show to undergo a broadcasted séance with other mediums. Their actions were only suppose to result in the contact between individuals and their dead relatives one last time. This assumption was terribly wrong as their séance opened some type of gate to raise the dead from their graves. This horror began within New York but soon after spread like wild fire all throughout neighboring areas.

What I liked most about this novel is the fact that these zombies were not the typical monsters you’d see in common media. In this story the zombies were not only fueled by their hunger for human flesh but they were also fueled by the desire to once again connect with their living relatives and loved ones. It wasn’t just the characters that faced emotional conflicts in the story but the dead also had conflicts amongst themselves as they continued to feed on those around them but seemed to hate it while doing so. I loved the originality behind the idea of giving the dead their partial characters back to bring forth a new type of zombie. It became difficult for certain characters to survive as the dead who seemed to still have living memories lured them out.

What I also loved about this book is the fact that the words printed on the pages made me really feel as though I was apart of the story. I can recall reading a few pages in class and all of a sudden my heart began to pump faster because I feared for the characters survival, as I was just unaware of the future as them. This way of presenting work is a very good method because the readers will begin to get attached to the characters as they struggled to survive against this incredible zombie outbreak.

I have to say that all in all, I highly recommend this novel to all readers. There is a little something for everyone, a little of horror, drama, mystery, adventure and action. This is also not the average zombie story and with such originality, I believe it really has potential at becoming a motion picture. I just might have to read it again LOL.
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Jul 04, 2010 Sarah (saz101) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: zombie fans, action/thriller fans

Shelves: zombies, apocalypse, young-adult, creepy

I read someone refer to this book as 'the best zombie movie I've ever read,' and I don't think they could be more right.

After the world's first televised séance goes horribly wrong, the dead start digging themselves out from their graves, and returning home. They're not just after sweet, juicy, brains (though they'd like some of them too, thanks very much); they're returning to their homes and the people they loved in life ('Honey, I'm home! BRAINS! OMNOMNOMNOM!'). Two college rivals, a young g...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love Christopher Golden. I think he's one of the most imaginative and prolific writers today, and I'm surprised he doesn't have a bigger following among the "fangirl nation" that helped series like Twilight ride the pop culture wave to super best-seller status.

My own fangirl-ness aside, however, I have to admit -- I was a little underwhelmed by Soulless. I liked the idea -- three powerful mediums merge their talents for the first live, on-air mass seance, after which supernatural chaos ensues...more I love Christopher Golden. I think he's one of the most imaginative and prolific writers today, and I'm surprised he doesn't have a bigger following among the "fangirl nation" that helped series like Twilight ride the pop culture wave to super best-seller status.

My own fangirl-ness aside, however, I have to admit -- I was a little underwhelmed by Soulless. I liked the idea -- three powerful mediums merge their talents for the first live, on-air mass seance, after which supernatural chaos ensues -- and Soulless is certainly well-timed for the recent surge of interest in zombie books, TV and movies.

But at the risk of sounding glib, Soulless just doesn't have much soul.

Soulless tells the story of a modern zombie apocalypse through many different points of view. We're first treated to a first-hand account of the phenomenon through the eyes of the daughter of Professor Joe Cormier, a gifted and ambitious medium who is one of the catalysts of the event. With the help of his spirit guide and the pooled powers of two other well-known mediums, they join hands in a New York City TV studio, "pooling" their power and resources to open the lines of communication to all the spirits in the area and urging them to seek out and communicate with their loved ones.

Instead of just making contact, legions of dead rise from their graves all over New York. Unfortunately, these are not the people that their families knew and loved. They're manipulative and intelligent husks, motivated only by a ravenous hunger and a desire to fill that emptiness -- by devouring their friends and loved ones, piece by bloody piece. The result is a gore-splashed splatterfest worthy of Bentley Little. (shudder) Golden is a gifted wordsmith and artful with his descriptive language, and that talent produces some stomach-turning sequences. Squeamish (or young) readers may want to stay away.

The ensuing race to end the zombie uprising -- and survive -- is predictable, but fun. There is a full cast of stock characters (arrogant college boy and his good-guy class rival, closeted pop star, misguided gang-banger) who unfortunately don't have much time to develop, what with all the dismembering and running-for-their-life going on. Fortunately, the well-paced action and witty dialogue compensate for this weakness.

Honestly, Soulless reads like more like a movie script than a book. And that's not what I've come to expect -- and what I most enjoy -- about Golden's writing. Books like Strangewood, Straight on Til Morning and The Boys are Back In Town are propelled by introspection and the inner monologue of the main character. There's none of that here. Just lots of gore, a predictable, pat ending and the a few mindless hours of guilty pleasure reading.

But then again, if I need character development with my zombies, there's always The Walking Dead on AMC. ;-)
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Jun 07, 2009 GateGypsy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: zombie fans, teen fic readers, horror/suspense readers

Like most of the other reviewers, I have to agree that this book is really great. I'm a huge zombie fan -- as most of the other readers are -- so I, too, was worried about these talking zombies. However, as other reviewers have already voiced, Golden's explanation for why these zombies talk, run, even apparently think and reason, is viable and one that I am willing to accept for the duration of this novel. It's a unique way to create zombies. I did not even once have the urge to slam the book sh...more

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Nov 12, 2012 The Flooze rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Zombie and horror fans. Those who like The Stand.

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, owned, ghastly_innit, vanquished_2012

I've only read a few of Christopher Golden's books, but I can think of one word that applies thus far: engrossing.

Golden is excellent at setting a chilling scene of devastation and survival. His zombie apocalypse focuses on the hungry dead. But this isn't just some contagion turning the living into mindless, ravenous corpses. Instead, Golden brings the supernatural into play and grants his zombies memories, purpose, the ability to reason...these bastards are wily. Having dear departed dad hurl...more

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Dec 01, 2008 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

I’ve always been into the supernatural, and I love the urban fantasy stuff that has been circulating lately. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts – you name it, I’ll read it. But give me something about zombies and I’m more likely to make fun of it . For some reason, zombies and I don’t mesh. They’re the one fictional construct that I just can’t digest. I know it’s irrational (I mean, come on, I like vampires) and honestly, I can’t pinpoint exactly why I feel like this, but its always been this way and...more I’ve always been into the supernatural, and I love the urban fantasy stuff that has been circulating lately. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts – you name it, I’ll read it. But give me something about zombies and I’m more likely to make fun of it . For some reason, zombies and I don’t mesh. They’re the one fictional construct that I just can’t digest. I know it’s irrational (I mean, come on, I like vampires) and honestly, I can’t pinpoint exactly why I feel like this, but its always been this way and I never thought I’d change.

Until now.

Christopher Golden’s Soulless was so much better than I thought it was going to be. Admittedly, when I picked it up I didn’t really know it was a novel about zombies, so I probably didn’t approach it with the same prejudice that I would if I’d had that information. Silly me didn’t read the blurb properly before I bought it, and I walked out of the store thinking it was a novel about ghosts. I’m happy to report, however, that I’m not sorry I made that mistake.

Written in third person, Soulless is one of those novels that follows a whole bunch of different characters through their experiences until they all meet up and cross paths at the end. It starts with Phoenix, the daughter of a renowned Medium who is appearing on the local breakfast news show for a major séance with other known Mediums. No one, not in their wildest dreams, expected that they’d wake the dead for real. Chaos falls upon New York City and quickly spreads to neighbouring communities. Suddenly, America is locked in the biggest stand off of all time: the dead versus the living.

What I liked most about this novel was not the zombie, supernatural elements, but the way the characters changed and adjusted to the circumstances around them. What would you do to survive? If it came down to killing just a few innocent people to save several dozen more, could you do it? What exactly would it take to turn you into a murderer? The majority of the novel follows everyone as they run away from trouble, but when they decide to turn around and face trouble head on, these were the questions I found myself thinking. Not surprisingly, some of the characters deliberately put themselves in situations that offered me some answers. And I can’t say I was happy about all of them, either.

Fast-paced and action-packed, I could see this making a really great movie. Golden does a superb job of creating a very clear picture of the chaos. And while it was closed off nice and clean, I have to ponder whether there will be a sequel.

Soulless wasn’t one of those jaw-dropping, life changing reads, but its definitely worth a go. As long as you’re not too put off by the violence, I reckon everyone will get a little kick out of this one!(less)

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Sep 24, 2008 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: zombie fans

Shelves: adult, horror, supernatural, zombies

Zombies! In New York City!

For the first time ever, three powerful mediums join hands on the set of a live broadcast morning show in Times Square. If the seance goes according to plan, there will be a short window where people around the world will have a chance to say goodbye to the spirits of their departed loved ones.

But things don't go according to plan. Instead, the mediums slump over, comatose. And as they do, the dead start to rise. They are seeking out their loved ones, but they are also...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre__post-apocalyptic-dystopia, zombies, horror-thriller, young-adult

Very interesting theory about the triple nature of humans, and how zombies would be possible as many different types found in lore. There is the physical (the body, the material makeup), the soul (the "positive" part, the person's good and loving self that ascends to heaven upon the moment of death), and the spirit (the "negative" part, the person's bad or bitter, angry self that stays behind and causes the ghost sightings and hauntings in the world). During a séance gone wrong, the spirits are...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya_horror, zombies

This was an enjoyable zombie thriller. Phoenix's relationship with her father was a little over-told, but since her only purpose in the narrative was to protect him until the zombies could wreak more havoc, that made sense. The epilogue was weak: really, would people still be buried when the dead had literally climbed out of their graves? It seems to me cremation would be very popular and possibly mandatory.

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Aug 06, 2011 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the story and concept about the book. It really kept my interest throughout every chapter and I loved how it wasnt the typical zombie story where ppl were freaking out and trapped in one building trying to stay alive. Loved the concept about talking and fast running zombies plus how things just happened to combine together all in the end...it was really great and Id recommend it to anyone.

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Jan 24, 2009 Odette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Books have been described as cinematic before, but this one definitely deserves that description. It paints a picture of how many different types of people deal with the zombie apocalypse. At the same time, it manages not to become incoherent and doesn't confuse the reader with too many characters. Also, the fact that the zombies could talk made everything that much more creepy.

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Mar 13, 2013 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-dystopias

Upon rereading, doesn't hold up quite as well as I'd hoped. A zombie thriller, it's fast paced and exciting, with good diversity, and plausible zombies (though the novel is more what's happening right now than why is it happening etc). The only problem I had was that though there were multiple female protagonists, they were pretty 'weak' and underdeveloped. The dudes did all the zombie killing.

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Aug 11, 2011 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Soulless is the first zombie book I have read, and it was pure gold. I was cautious about it because I read in another review that the zombies talk. Something about human like zombies throws me off sometimes, but this was awesome. The character connections that form from beginning to end really help to move this book along. The book is fast paced and at the same time explains everything in detail. The idea of zombies being undead without a virus is a good change from the books I’ve heard of. Fro...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Chrissy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Rob brought me this book back from Simon and Schuster, because hey "you like vampire books, so I got you a zombie book." What? I like hot attractive vampires and werewolfs. What's attractive about eating someones brains? Anyway the book was okay. But really? you go to a publishing house and this is the book you bring back? So frustrating.

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Sep 05, 2009 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had intended to give this book 3 stars, because I believe its target audience would enjoy it, however because of its technicalities, poor character development and poor ending, I had to take it down to 2. Soulless started well, despite its rather ridiculous premise, however after about the halfway mark began a downhill slide, and never ceased. Its conclusion was particularly disappointing.

I believe zombie stories are a challenge, because they are almost impossible to clear up, there is no real...more

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About Christopher Golden

Christopher Golden is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) Mind the Gap. Golden co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola, which they are currently scripting as a feature film...more

More about Christopher Golden...

Books by Christopher Golden

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide, Volume 1

Out of the Madhouse (The Gatekeeper Trilogy, #1)

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