I found a copy of World War Z by Max Brooks at my local library. I've read some great reviews and decided to read it. Of course, while I was finishing up Paul of Dune, my husband grabbed it from my shelf and proceeded to devour it in a couple of days. He loved it. He's pretty picky too so I thought that was a great sign.I loved it too. It was seriously hard to put down.
The book's author is a survivor of the zombie war which has been over for 10 years. He compiles interviews with various survivors who retell their part in the war. Some interviews are just a couple of pages while other are longer. And it's a global perspective so the author jumps all over the world. He interviews regular people, mothers, military personnel, doctors, etc. which give the tales such a realistic perspective. The book is segmented into time frames of the war, such as: Warnings, Blame, The Great Panic, etc. So the reader really sees how things escalated and how eventually people survived and won the war.
I've read a review or two where this type of writing is a turn-off because it doesn't follow the same people through the whole book. And how there isn't really a "plot" this way. But I loved it. I thought it was much more intense by showing different perspectives globally. And I think Max Brooks really researched all the military side. Very realistic.
My husband liked that he thanked George A. Romero at the end. And on an alternate cover, Simon Pegg gives it a thumbs up. But be warned: this isn't a funny book...even though zombies are the antagonists, they are portrayed realistically and scarily. And it makes you wonder, if some virus outbreak did occur...what would happen?
Here's an alternate cover:
And because I like the movie Shaun of the Dead (with Simon Pegg):
Also Reviewed By:Urban Bachelorette
Oh...and it might be made into a movie!!!
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I've been getting some great comments on this book!
For fun, calculate your survival odds by answering a few questions here (thanks Kim L!)
I personally have a 31% chance of survival. Not too good :(
And thanks to Dennis the Vizsla who mentioned another Max Brooks book I NEED to read, The Zombie Survival Guide:
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I'm so glad you and your husband both enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading Max Brooks other zombie book once I get through the stack of books I already have. I really enjoyed how he sucked you into the story.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so awesome. Must get my hands on it!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to read this, as I love a good zombie sotry or movie. I especially like Shaun of the Dead and how it is simultaneously scary and funny.
ReplyDeleteLOVED this one. My book club read it. We had quite the lively discussion after that book! I think what I loved the most about this book is how realistically everything was envisioned. I mean, aside from the fact that the zombies don't make sense with any current science, still, the portrayal of how the various countries reacted, the personal stories, the terror, it was all definitely realistic.
ReplyDeleteBTW, you can learn what your odds of surviving the zombie war are here
I read this around the same time as I read "The Road" -- that must have been my apocalyptic phase. I enjoyed "WWZ" but liked "The Zombie Survival Guide" better, as it contained more practical advice. ;-)
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