Book Review: World War Z

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 7 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #187 in Books, #13,849 overall

My Review of World War Z by Max Brooks

It is an excellent fictional story of the after-effects of a "zombie apocalypse".

This is a book review of Max Brook's World War Z.

About the Book 

World War Z (WWZ) takes place on or around 2010 as this disease goes from a global pandemic to a full battle for survival.

It is written in an interview-style format with each chapter consisting of first person interviews of individuals who lived through the Zombie War from its initial outbreak to it's final battles and final operations.

The sampling of survivors interviewed range from soldiers who fought the losing battles in the early part of the war to the lowly civilian that barely survived. There are many accounts of how it started, how people survived, and how the war was eventually "won".

My Take on World War Z 

The book starts off immediately with an account of one of the survivors and takes off from there. The thought and detail Max Brooks puts into every page is astounding. He must have spent a lot of time imagining exactly what it would be like, how the disease was passed around the world, the strategies used for survival, the weapons they would use, and the emotions that they would feel.

The thing I did not like were some of the characters, which seemed absurd in the way they acted. One example is the Southern California housewife which was characterized as "typical suburban". Most of the remainder of characters were very good.

Since the book is written in an interview format, it does not allow you to follow the characters from beginning to end. Also, being that the book is a "survivor's account" of the Zombie War, you do know that they survived. However, you just don't know how they survived, nor the sacrifices that were made along the way.

The book is very good overall.

World War Z 

An Oral History of the Zombie War

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

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Reviews of the Book 

The book received very favorable reviews when it first came out. Here are some that were listed in the book.
Resident Evil - Zombie




"Zombies are among us - turn on your television if you don't believe it. But, Brooks reassures us in this all-too-realistic novel, even today human fighters are hunting down the leftovers, and we're winning. Brooks seeds his mockumentary with smart nods to the chains of cause and effect that spring from today's headlines. A literate, ironic,
strangely tasty treat." - (Starred review) Kirkus Reviews


"A horror fan's version of Studs Terkel's The Good War (1984). The interviews and
personal accounts capture the universal fear of the collapse of society. Horror fans
won't be disappointed; like George Romero's Dead trilogy, World War Z is another
milestone in the zombie mythology." - Booklist


"The novel is hard to put down. The subtle, and not so subtle, jabs at various contemporary politicians and policies are an added bonus." - Publishers Weekly


"Provocative and enthralling, World War Z is science fiction at its best. Brooks imbues the story with a deep sense of humanity, a keen appreciation for detail, and a haunting perspective on the ability-or not-of our governments, militaries, and other institutions to deal with worst-case scenarios." - Bradley Graham, Washington Post


"Max Brooks has charted the folly of a disaster response based solely on advanced technologies and brute force in this step-by-step guide to what happened in the Zombie War. Brooks' account of the path to recovery and reconstruction after the war is
fascinating. World War Z provides us with a starting point, at least, a basic blueprint from which to build a popular understanding of how, when, and why such a disaster came to be, and how small groups and individuals survived." - Jeb WeismanPh.D.,
Director of Strategic Technologies, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Your Thoughts on World War Z 

Did you enjoy World War Z?

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Yes

Dragaroth says:

It was a good read, I found it hard to put down, even if some of the characters were a little strange at times. It gave me a feel of what COULD and probably would be the cases if there were to be an undeath pandemic throughout the globe. I suggest the Zombie Survival Guide to be a good follow up read, as it is mentioned in this book.... it really is

RolandTumble says:

It was flawed in a few places, but good overall. I do recommend it.

jack says:

hell yeah!

Boudica says:

This book is an extremely original take on an overly done and used plot idea. It is interesting and is hard to put down once you start reading. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves zombie reads.

triathlontraining says:

Yes, I really enjoyed the book. It captures the frightening "realities" of a catastrophe of this or similar nature. There were some parts in the book where the characterizations of some of the people didn't seem very realistic, but only in a couple instances.

No

Tipi says:

Oh, I haven't read the book, but it sounds very good. I was just thinking the other day about how authors have to visualize and put themselves in dementions of time. Sounds like the author did!

 

Max Brooks on Wikipedia 

Maximillian Michael "Max" Brooks (born May 22, 1972) is an American author and screenwriter.

Max Brooks's Official Site 

Well, sort of...

Max Brooks is the son of director Mel Brooks and the late actress Anne Bancroft.

From 2001 to 2003, Brooks was a member of the writing team at Saturday Night Live.

"Max Brooks lives in New York City but is ready to move to a remote and defensible position at a moments notice"

World War Z
Official website for World War Z, An Oral History Of The Zombie War, by Max Brooks.

Try the "Risk Calculator"! Would you have survived World War Z?

The Book, Then the Movie 

Max Brook's previous book (The Zombie Survival Guide) was so well received that the prospect of a new book (World War Z) was immediately fought over, with respect to the movie rights.

The book wasn't even published yet!

After a heated bidding war with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, Brad Pitt's Plan B walks off with the rights to Max Brooks' tome World War Z.

Resident Evil - Zombie




Plan B won out, picking up the production rights for a reported seven figure price.

World War Z: The Movie 

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Other Books by Max Brooks 

A dry humor book about protecting yourself from zombies. It is very well received and highly popular.

This useful little self-help book-modelled on the countless 'teach yourself' and special forces-style survival handbooks beloved of survivalists and adolescent boys everywhere-covers almost every conceivable detail and eventuality that might occur in the fight against zombies on any scale. In the unlikely occurrence that a deadly virus strikes, the living dead rise in your neighbourhood, and you find yourself in charge of organising a group for defence, escape, or extermination, you would probably find this book genuinely useful, as Brooks has thought of more or less everything.

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

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The Zombie Survival Guide Deck: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

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Zombie Survival Notes Mini Journal

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The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks

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Free Online Zombie Games 

Here's a list of some of the most fun free zombie games that you can play.
The Last Stand
Survive the night fighting off zombies from your barricade. Survive longer than a day by making use of the daylight hours effectively by:
*Repairing your barricade*Searching for weapons
*Looking for other survivors to help repair
*Search and Defend
The Last Stand 2
Make your way to Union City to escape the mainland within 40 days and nights while fighting off the hordes from your make shift barricades once again.

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