Naming of Parts

by Tim Lebbon

The first in a series of four linked novellas from PS Publishing. Pete Crowther asked me to try a novella for his PS imprint. I already had a vague story in mind, of a family having to cross a changing and increasingly inimical landscape to reach an estranged family member. That landscape became the British countryside, and the thing threatening everything emerged as the living dead. But I wanted to take this far past the usual zombie-fest. Why can’t grass be living dead, I figured, and trees, and foxes and badgers and anything that was once alive? So, for a while, it was.

The ‘naming of parts’ referred to in the title is the main protagonist’s way of confronting his fears by naming them, analysing them, laying them out to view. After writing the novella I tried this when I visited the dentist. It worked. Sort of. I suppose some fears are beyond naming…

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction

84 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2000

About the author

I love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.

I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.

I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.

I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.

A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.

I'd love to hear from you!

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

zombies attack!

wait, don't roll your eyes. this odd novella by obscure but somewhat aclaimed english author Tim Lebbon is something different.

it is set during a small family's panicky flight away from their rural home and takes place entirely in the mind of its pre-teen narrator. clues to the nature of the threat are dropped here and there in an almost offhand fashion, but the focus is really elsewhere: (1) the state of shock of the family and (2) flashbacks to the narrator's relationship with his sister. the writing is surprisingly beautiful at times. there are sequences of visceral gore where the horror is of the in-your-face variety, but mainly this is all about dread and terror and confusion and a constant, sickening feeling of unease about what may come next. the opening sequence, when our lad hears scrapings at the windows in the deep of night, is perfectly accomplished. the whole novel manages to be both a tightly paced thriller and a digressive extended contemplation on the nature of family. job well-done, Lebbon.

my only complaints (and they are major enough to stop this from being 4 stars) are: (1) at times it is quite overwritten, particularly with the repetitive emphasis on "The Naming of Parts"; (2) the narrator seems way older than his years. that really annoyed me. now i bet the english school system is miles ahead of the american school system, so i tried not to be aggravated by some word choices that felt wrong. but the kid often thinks about things in a way that is clearly coming from an adult mind. i wish the author had shown a bit more consistency in that regard, because it was genuinely off-putting.

still, overall, this is a great novella and a very pleasing surprise.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an emotionally gripping, nail-biting little zombie tale about a family living way out in the country who are suddenly plagued by the living dead. The story is told from the point of view of preteen Jack whose current and past fears haunt the story. Unlike most action-packed, gore filled zombie tales this one concentrates more on the emotions of its characters. And also unlike most zombie stories the zombies aren't the only ones who appear to be affected by whatever has infected them. The grass, the trees, the bugs, everything seems to be decaying on the inside and the animals are eerily quiet. . . All of this sets a haunting mood that never lets up. Not exactly uplifting but great stuff all the same. I'll have to rescue the rest of Lebbon's stuff from my tbr pile.

[Karl]

This hardcover book is copy number 173 of 300 copies printed and is signed by:

Tim Lebbon
Introduction by Steve Rasnic Tem
Cover by Alan M. Clark

[Dreadlocksmile · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published back in 2000, Tim Lebbon’s zombie novella ‘Naming of Parts’ was released by way of special signed editions limited to just 300 numbered paperback copies, or 200 numbered hardback copies.

The book begins with a short three page introduction by the horror author Steve Rasnic Tem (Excavation, The Book of Days), which describes how he first encountered Lebbon’s work in a small London bookshop where he picked up a copy of ‘Mesmer’. Tem procedures to shower Lebbon’s work with unreserved praise, ultimately whetting the reader’s appetite for the delights that are to come with ‘Naming of Parts’.

The tale is set in a reasonably isolated rural area, where the young character of Jack Haines is awoken in the night by the eerie sounds of intruders outside the family cottage. His father, Gray Haines, fires his shotgun out of Jack’s window which appears to end the troubles for the night.

The next morning, Jack and his parents depart from their cottage in their car in somewhat of a hurry after their neighbours are spotted lurching towards their home through the fields that surround the property. Gray and Janey (Jack’s parents) soon disclose to Jack that news reports were coming in last night surrounding this new apocalyptical state of affairs.

Upon arriving at the nearest village of Tall Stennington, their car has its brake cable cut by one of the undead that has been lurching around in the area. The family manage to escape the immediate vicinity and subsequently make their way on foot to the town of Tewton, where Jack’s sister Mandy has managed to inform them that she is safely residing at.

On their arduous trek to Tewton, the Haines family will not only have to come to terms with this now dying world that surrounds them, but also the struggling sanity of the other remaining survivors. The bloodthirsty undead are all around, aimlessly wondering the landscape. They remain cunning in their ambushes towards the living and are still capable of bursts of fast pursuit, as the family are soon to learn.

Jack manages to keep himself going through this horrific new world that he has woken up to, by dissecting his fears until he can name each part that makes up that fear. His ordeal will bring Jack another fear after fear over the ensuing days. His one hope is to see his sister again; but Tewton seems a long way off when danger is lurking around every corner.

Although Lebbon’s ‘Naming of Parts’ is a relatively short tale, he has managed to cram in a complex and emotionally charged story surrounding Jack Haines’ forced coming of age, whilst the world around him collapses.

Lebbon subtly inserts the idea that only certain blood group are immune to the virus that has not only killed off the majority of humanity, but all other life on the planet as well. The landscape gradually loses more of its magnificent colour with each page, as the Haines family struggle to survive the first few hours of this unforgiving new world.

The characterisation of the three family members is second to none, with a real sympathy and love quickly built up for Jack in particular. Lebbon intersperses snippets of emotional flashbacks throughout the tale, showing conversations between Jack and his sister Mandy, that help to firm up the relationship between the two.

Lebbon parts with the gory nature that is often associated with zombie novels; only a couple of times throwing in some brief scenes of cannibalistic gore. Instead the reader is treated to a carefully constructed and beautifully written tale of the upward battle against a constant barrage of fear for one young boy to cope with.

The tale draws to a quietly calculated conclusion that leaves the reader with a strong heart for the character of Jack. Lebbon maintains a constant cloud of tension throughout the storyline, with no real let up from the notion of attack or demise. This keeps the reader in a state of unease from the beginning which only goes to compliment Jack’s desperate predicament.

All in all, Lebbon’s novella ‘Naming of Parts’ is a beautiful yet slightly unsettling read that throws open a new angle to the already heavily saturated world of the zombie novel. An enjoyable read throughout, this quick and well paced tale is a true breath of fresh area.

The tale runs for a total of 80 pages and was first published by PS Publishing.

[Emmalyn Renato · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella won the British Fantasy award in 2001.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a zombie novella that tells of a family on the run. They live in the country and have to flee their home, and they try to find their daughter in the closest town. The perspective is told by the young boy, and the story goes back and forth from the present to the past, where the relationship between the boy and his older sister takes form. They eventually get to the town and it ends in the usual horror fashion. In other words there was no unexpected ending. The one thing of note is the zombies are everything, like beetles, ants, etcetera, just as Keene's world of zombies, and they also move fast like Keene's. Other than this interesting similarity, this is only an average novella by Lebbon. White, The Unfortunate and Meat are examples of better Lebbon writing. But this is still a fun and easy read. Even though it's not his best work, its still Lebbon which means it's worth the read.

[Jeff French · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very refreshing. Rather than focusing on blood and gore(although there are some gruesome parts), Lebbon is interested in the emotions of the characters and how they deal with their situation. It is a short work, but the author is able to create a sense of dread and urgency very quickly. It is interesting to see how the characters change, as they realize they are ill-equipped to deal with what is happening around them. I enjoyed how the environment and animals were affected. Lebbon has a way with words, using great description and some memorable, thought-provoking lines.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim's view of the zombie apocalypse is very disturbing. Leaving me as a reader with the feeling of no hope and despair for the characters. It's an emotional roller coaster through the land of the dead. Highly recommended.

[Ladiibbug]

Horror - Rec. BarkLess