History Literature / ReturnOfTheLiving

''Return of the Living'' is a mystery horror novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]] (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') released on [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HWP35TY September 11, 2020]], which takes place in a world where everyone's already dead.

* Bookworm: Alma haunts a library and is defined by reading books.

''Return of the Living'' is a post-apocalyptic mystery novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]] (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') released on [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HWP35TY September 11, 2020]], which takes place in a world where everyone's already dead.

''Return of the Living'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction mystery novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everyone's already dead. It was released on [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HWP35TY September 11, 2020]].

More importantly, what will she and her friends do when life as we know it begins to pose a threat to the dead?

''Return of the Living'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction mystery novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everyone's already dead. It was released on [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HWP35TY September 11, 2021]].

''Return of the Living'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction mystery novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everyone's already dead.

''Return of the Living'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction horror novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everyone's already dead.

''Return of the Living'' is a science fiction horror novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everyone's already dead.

Not to be confused with ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDead.''

** [[spoiler: The professors lair is overgrown by meaty vegetation that's part of her body.]]

* PupatingPeril [[spoiler: After swallowing Juniper, the giant caterpillar-like Living seems to die and there is no more trace of the ghost. But near the end of the book, it's revealed that Juniper took over the body of the creature and transformed into a butterfly-like creature.]]

* BodyHorror: the titular Living.

* EarthThatWas

** [[spoiler: The professor counts on Alma's self preservation instinct to keep her captive until her research is advanced enough to merge with her. Alma, having nothing to loose, tries to merge with the professor much sooner than anticipated.]]

* {{Gashadokuro}}: Boris, who looks like a skeleton, can crow to enormous sizes. Also, Gashadokuro are mentioned as a type of ghost.

* GhostAmnesia: Nobody remembers their life bevore death. When Alma is confronted with the memories of her living self, it feels like the memories of another person.

* GhostlyGoals: Every ghost has something that defines them, and not doing it for some time causes them to become less defined and eventually loose consiousness altogether, like a second death.

* GhostStory

* HiddenDepths: At first, Boris comes accross as the mayors brutish enforcer, but he also deeply cares for Edith and Gregory and is pretty intelligent.

* NonHumanUndead / RaisingTheSteaks: It's not clear what exactly he is, but Gregory is definitely a ghost pet.

* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Ghosts are the souls of the living, but lose all of their memories upon manifesting. As such, they need to hyperfocus on whatever occupation defines them or risk "whisping", which would lead them to loos their consciousness for good and essentially die again. They are extremely prone to loop the same behaviour over and over again. Their bodies are not tangible normally, but with great effort, they are able to touch physical things. Also, they cannot cross a line of salt and every grain of salt is like an impassible barrier that goes higher than any ghost has ever managed to float.

However, everything changes the moment Alma witnesses a living organism for the first time in centuries. A question arises; how will she tell the other ghosts of this momentous discovery and convince them that the biosphere is about to bounce back?

More importantly, what will she and her friends do when the living begin to pose a threat to the dead?

!!Return of the Living contains the following:

* TheAfterafterlife: It's speculated about what happens after a ghosts whisps, but they don't know any more about it than we in real life do about a potential afterlife.
* AfterTheEnd: ''All'' life on Earth is gone. But as the title states, that might be changing soon.

* AuthorAppeal: Jonathan Wojcik, who is a biology enthusiast who loves all things Halloween and weird horror, writes a book about a ghost who is a biology enthusiast with a plot full of BodyHorror.

* BigCreepyCrawlies: [[spoiler: Junipers living body is a giant butterfly made out of vertebrate flesh and plant parts.]]

* CreepyDoll: Edith looks like the head of a giant doll.
* CuteBookworm: Alma

* [[spoiler:PupatingPeril: After swallowing Juniper, the giant caterpillar seems to die and there is no more trace of the ghost. But near the end of the book, it's revealed that Juniper took over the body of the creature and pupated into a butterfly-like creature.]]

* YouLookLikeYouveSeenAGhost: [[spoiler:Said word for word by Alma (who is a ghost) to the professor.

To further elaborate, [[AfterTheEnd absolutely all life on Planet Earth - be it animal, plant, or even microorganism - has mysteriously died out hundreds of years ago.]] In their places, an unimaginably vast number of ghosts have haunted the wasteland left behind ever since, spending their free time following a single obsession their entire afterlives - or in other words, their personal "definitions." One ghost, named Alma, haunts a dusty old library, but her main definition is an acute fascination with biology. However, learning all she can from biology books when there's not a single creature left to find from these books, she's left unsatisfied and jaded in a crude simulacrum of a small town governed by a mayor of dubious leadership and competency. However, everything changes the moment Alma witnesses a living organism for the first time in centuries.

A question arises; how will she convince the other ghosts that the biosphere is about to bounce back?

To further elaborate, [[AfterTheEnd absolutely all life on Planet Earth - be it animal, plant, or microorganism - has mysteriously died out.]] In their places, an unimaginably vast number of ghosts have haunted the wasteland left behind ever since, spending their free time following a single obsession their entire afterlives - or in other words, their personal "definitions." One ghost, named Alma, haunts a dusty old library, but her main definition is an acute fascination with biology. However, learning all she can from biology books when there's not a single creature left to find from these books, she's left unsatisfied and jaded.

However, everything changes the moment Alma witnesses a living organism for the first time in hundreds (if not thousands) of years, and a question arises; how will she convince other ghosts that the biosphere is making a comeback?

* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Ghosts are the souls of the living, but without their memories. As such, they need to hyperfocus on whatever occupation defines them or risk "whisping", which would lead them to loos their consciousness for good and essentially die again. They are extremely prone to loop the same behaviour over and over again. Their bodies are not tangible normally, but with great effort, they are able to touch physical things. Also, they cannot cross a line of salt and every grain of salt is like an impassible barrier that goes higher than any ghost has ever managed to float.

* Shapeshifting: [[spoiler: The professor is capable of this, [[Film/TheThing1982 The Thing style]].]]

* Sizeshifter: Boris, who's appointed by the Mayor as the town detective.

* TownWithADarkSecret: [[Underneath the town, the professor is experimenting to bring life back, which would exterminate all of the ghosts personalities.]]

However, everything changes the moment Alma witnesses a living organism for the first time in hundreds (if not thousands) of years, and a question arises; how will she convince other ghosts the living are making a comeback?

''Return of the Living'' is a science fiction horror novel written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everything is already dead.

To further elaborate, [[AfterTheEnd all life on Planet Earth - be it animal, plant, or microorganism - has mysteriously died out.]] In their places, an unimaginably vast number of ghosts have haunted the wasteland left behind ever since, spending their free time following a single obsession their entire afterlives - or in other words, their "definitions." One ghost, named Alma, has a definition in the form of an acute fascination with biology. However learning all she can from biology books when there's not a single creature to find from these books, she's left unsatisfied and jaded.

More importantly, what will she do when the living begin to pose a threat to the dead?

To further elaborate, [[EverybodysDeadDave all life on Planet Earth - be it animal, plant, or microorganism - has mysteriously died out.]] In their places, an unimaginably vast number of ghosts have haunted the wasteland left behind ever since, spending their free time following a single obsession their entire afterlives - or in other words, their "definitions." One ghost, named Alma, has a definition in the form of an acute fascination with biology. However learning all she can from biology books when there's not a single creature to find from these books, she's left unsatisfied and jaded.

* AfterTheEnd

* Shapeshifting:[[spoiler: The professor is capable of this, [[Film/TheThing1982 The Thing style]].]]

* Sizeshifter: Boris
* SpookySilentLibrary: Almas haunt

* HumanitysWake: Humans and every other life on earth is long gone by the beginning of the plot

* AlienKudzu: Juniper has created a city park out of vegetation that's actually made of her ghostly body parts.
** [[spoiler: The professors lair is overgrown by meaty vegetation that's part of her body.]]

* UrbanRuins: The setting of the book is one of the many ruined cities on earth, inhabited only by ghosts.

NeedsWikiMagicLove.

''Return of the Living'' is an unconventional ghost story written by [[{{Website/Bogleech}} Jonathan Wojcik]], (best known for ''{{WebOriginal/Mortasheen}}'', ''VideoGame/DontGetSpooked'', and ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'') set in a world where everything is dead.

To further elaborate, [[EverybodysDeadDave every living thing on Planet Earth - be it animal, plant, or microorganism - has mysteriously died out.]] In their places, an unimaginably vast number of ghosts have haunted the wasteland left behind ever since, spending their free time following a single obsession their entire afterlives - or in other words, their "definitions." One ghost, named Alma, has a definition in the form of an acute fascination with biology. However learning all she can from biology books when there's not a single creature to find from these books, she's left unsatisfied and jaded.

However, everything changes the moment Alma witnesses a living organism for the first time in hundreds of years, and a question arises; how will she convince other ghosts the living are making a comeback?

More importantly, what will she do when the living begin a pose a threat to the dead?