Interesting…I actually haven’t read this story myself in a while. I remember how determined I was not to refer to the creatures in this story as skeletons, zombies, revenants, undead — all the normal names for such things . Which they clearly are.

I remember the special glow when I came up with the term once-men. I almost wrenched my arm out of its socket patting myself on the back — just a warm little glow of writerly cocksurety.