michaelyuen's review against another edition
5.0
WOW!!! What an awesome read!
I could absolutely read books on books more of this subject matter. Max Brooks' telling of the Zombie War was such an adventure from start to finish. The detail wasn't lacking, but I would still want to hear more and lap it up.
As a matter of fact, this is the first zombie themed book I've read. Although I'm a huge fan of zombies and have seen tons of movies and tv shows, somehow I never found myself with a zombie book. I don't know what was the matter with me for waiting so long. This read excites me to dive into the genre and hope that there's more great content just like WWZ.
My favorite part of the story was the world building. I think anyone who is remotely a zombie fan has imagined what it would be like in reality, and how we would act in certain scenarios. There's no ceiling, and so to write a book about zombies, it would need to surpass what stories people already think of themselves and really stand apart. World War Z did just that.
From the beginning, it strikes out different, starting at the end of the zombie war. Then we go back and proceed through the events sequentially as being told through various survivors. In this way, I could tell that this book would certainly stand apart for the story telling style if not for the content. Essentially, it was being told with numerous short stories, in most cases each being told by a different person. That's already a drastic shift from the expectation, which makes sense since when I create personal zombie scenarios they are always in first person. This version of storytelling employed by Brooks became his greatest tool to building an incredible world and experience.
As we proceed, the story takes you everywhere and beyond - literally space! There's a blind, Japanese gardener and his otaku, sword-wielding sidekick. A pilot that crashes in zombie-infested territory. A supreme con-artist holed up on Antarctica. General Raj-Singh, the Tiger of Delhi. Redeker and The Redeker Plan. The Chinese submarine. The Russian priest. Oh yes, and of course the team of stranded astronauts! That's just to name a few.
Clearly, this use of various storytellers allows the reader to be exposed to a huge plethora of characters, cultures, and scenarios. The experience was quite astounding and so much beyond anything I could have imagined. Before reading this, I always imagined scenarios where I'd be a survivor, but the war as described made me feel how hopeless it would be for the vast majority. Yikes!
I could absolutely read books on books more of this subject matter. Max Brooks' telling of the Zombie War was such an adventure from start to finish. The detail wasn't lacking, but I would still want to hear more and lap it up.
As a matter of fact, this is the first zombie themed book I've read. Although I'm a huge fan of zombies and have seen tons of movies and tv shows, somehow I never found myself with a zombie book. I don't know what was the matter with me for waiting so long. This read excites me to dive into the genre and hope that there's more great content just like WWZ.
My favorite part of the story was the world building. I think anyone who is remotely a zombie fan has imagined what it would be like in reality, and how we would act in certain scenarios. There's no ceiling, and so to write a book about zombies, it would need to surpass what stories people already think of themselves and really stand apart. World War Z did just that.
From the beginning, it strikes out different, starting at the end of the zombie war. Then we go back and proceed through the events sequentially as being told through various survivors. In this way, I could tell that this book would certainly stand apart for the story telling style if not for the content. Essentially, it was being told with numerous short stories, in most cases each being told by a different person. That's already a drastic shift from the expectation, which makes sense since when I create personal zombie scenarios they are always in first person. This version of storytelling employed by Brooks became his greatest tool to building an incredible world and experience.
As we proceed, the story takes you everywhere and beyond - literally space! There's a blind, Japanese gardener and his otaku, sword-wielding sidekick. A pilot that crashes in zombie-infested territory. A supreme con-artist holed up on Antarctica. General Raj-Singh, the Tiger of Delhi. Redeker and The Redeker Plan. The Chinese submarine. The Russian priest. Oh yes, and of course the team of stranded astronauts! That's just to name a few.
Clearly, this use of various storytellers allows the reader to be exposed to a huge plethora of characters, cultures, and scenarios. The experience was quite astounding and so much beyond anything I could have imagined. Before reading this, I always imagined scenarios where I'd be a survivor, but the war as described made me feel how hopeless it would be for the vast majority. Yikes!
jjjohnsonauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Me no likey zombies, but holy crap, this was good. I just have a few questions. 1. How is the movie with my boyfriend Brad based on this book? Did they buy the rights, but then they were like, "Dang, this is not a narrative. Also, The Walking Dead. So ... Screw it, let's just write an entirely different screenplay about super fast zombies who **movie spoiler alert** don't like disease?" Because I liked the movie, and then I read the book, and the book was so good, but WTF in terms of overlap. Question 2: what happened to the western US? Was LA overrun with zombies, or did they all just make for the rockies? Question 3: What happened in Tasmania? Only because I love Tasmania. Also. Question 4: The Holy Russian Empire. I get it, kind of, but not convinced just that one dude would cause such a massive cultural shift. Question 5: Why did I read this book, and related question, 6: When can I reasonably expect to be able to fall asleep again?
northernfleabag's review against another edition
4.0
World War Z was just going to be a throwaway read (literally, it almost went into my take-to-Barter-Books pile) as it'd been so long since I last read it, yet, after this rereading, I'm glad I gave it one last hurrah and saved it from the pile.
Told as interviews spanning the beginning (Warnings/Blame charting the initial discovery of the virus) of the Great Panic to the eventual Victory Day celebrations World War Z was a thoroughly thrilling and gripping novel. One of my favourite aspects was just how realistic and devastatingly human the contents of Brooks' interviews were; Jesika Hendricks' tale about her parents attempt to survive their migration to the north of Canada was one that particularly hit hard, her showing Brooks' reporter the electrical, useless items ("hair dryers, GameCubes, laptops by the dozen..." P.123) that panicked civilians had brought with them, juxtaposing with the 'smart' items her family brought with them such as warm clothes, medicines, and "all the canned food we could carry... We finished half of it on the way up." (P.123) so that even their preparations were no match for what was to befall them. One of rougher moments in Hendricks' interview, for me personally, was when she pointed out the child's Sponge-Bob SquarePants sleeping bag "...small and stained brown" (P.126) encased in the ice after our interviewer asks how they had intended to survive the winter. As Hendricks' states the child's sleeping bag was best suited for a sleepover in a warm sitting room, not the frozen north of Canada, escape, not survival skills, were clearly at the forefront of their minds and this all to realistic ignorance was the ultimate downfall of the city-escapees. Being a dog owner myself, another account I found hard to read was that of Darnell Hackworth in Total War, not just for what he, his fellow handlers, and their canine partners went through, but simply for the regret in the closing statement of his interview; "What could I have done? ...Something. I could have done something." (P.292). It was incredibly palpable, the regret of not protecting the innocent, young, and vulnerable, that, despite echoing throughout the novel, I found it to be the most heartbreaking here.
What I did find to be continuously impressive throughout World War Z was the sheer range Max Brooks' imagination. No stone was left unturned in the war against the undead; from the unsettlingly vague report of the first outbreak, to military reports from every continent, the firsthand account from astronauts who witnessed the worldwide decay of humanity from an orbiting space station, how man's best friend truly became humanities best friend, soldiers, civilians, men, women, and children alike from all over the world, each story was crafted with great attention to detail which shows in every story. Clearly a lot of dedication, love, and blood, sweat, and gory guts went into this novel.
Told as interviews spanning the beginning (Warnings/Blame charting the initial discovery of the virus) of the Great Panic to the eventual Victory Day celebrations World War Z was a thoroughly thrilling and gripping novel. One of my favourite aspects was just how realistic and devastatingly human the contents of Brooks' interviews were; Jesika Hendricks' tale about her parents attempt to survive their migration to the north of Canada was one that particularly hit hard, her showing Brooks' reporter the electrical, useless items ("hair dryers, GameCubes, laptops by the dozen..." P.123) that panicked civilians had brought with them, juxtaposing with the 'smart' items her family brought with them such as warm clothes, medicines, and "all the canned food we could carry... We finished half of it on the way up." (P.123) so that even their preparations were no match for what was to befall them. One of rougher moments in Hendricks' interview, for me personally, was when she pointed out the child's Sponge-Bob SquarePants sleeping bag "...small and stained brown" (P.126) encased in the ice after our interviewer asks how they had intended to survive the winter. As Hendricks' states the child's sleeping bag was best suited for a sleepover in a warm sitting room, not the frozen north of Canada, escape, not survival skills, were clearly at the forefront of their minds and this all to realistic ignorance was the ultimate downfall of the city-escapees. Being a dog owner myself, another account I found hard to read was that of Darnell Hackworth in Total War, not just for what he, his fellow handlers, and their canine partners went through, but simply for the regret in the closing statement of his interview; "What could I have done? ...Something. I could have done something." (P.292). It was incredibly palpable, the regret of not protecting the innocent, young, and vulnerable, that, despite echoing throughout the novel, I found it to be the most heartbreaking here.
What I did find to be continuously impressive throughout World War Z was the sheer range Max Brooks' imagination. No stone was left unturned in the war against the undead; from the unsettlingly vague report of the first outbreak, to military reports from every continent, the firsthand account from astronauts who witnessed the worldwide decay of humanity from an orbiting space station, how man's best friend truly became humanities best friend, soldiers, civilians, men, women, and children alike from all over the world, each story was crafted with great attention to detail which shows in every story. Clearly a lot of dedication, love, and blood, sweat, and gory guts went into this novel.
lexthewritr's review against another edition
5.0
Zombies aren't my usual taste but damn, this book was so entertaining. I love how it's formatted as a literal oral history (hence the title). I think this is a unique way to tell a story. While it's been 7+ years since I read this book, I remember being very revolted by the grotesque description of the violence that is recounted in the story. I recommend this to all zombie lovers, people who love gore, and those who want to experience a unique way of storytelling.
melliferareads's review against another edition
4.0
I was nervous about this book because I had seen the movie earlier and I'm happy to say that this is NOTHING like the movie, which most people already know off the bat.
It was a very logical and realistic version of what would happen if a zombie epidemic actually occurred. The book was a series of short stories/faux interviews that the author conducts after the "war" occurs. I liked more stories than others, and felt lost during some parts on it (probably due to a lack of understanding of the way the army works and that branch of government). I felt that the book did transport me during specific stories, and others did not really pique my interest
I was disappointed that out of the several stories, only 2 women were represented. This was very obvious to me because I listened to the book on tape. It didn't bother me that much, but definitely gives a biased viewpoint.
It was a very logical and realistic version of what would happen if a zombie epidemic actually occurred. The book was a series of short stories/faux interviews that the author conducts after the "war" occurs. I liked more stories than others, and felt lost during some parts on it (probably due to a lack of understanding of the way the army works and that branch of government). I felt that the book did transport me during specific stories, and others did not really pique my interest
I was disappointed that out of the several stories, only 2 women were represented. This was very obvious to me because I listened to the book on tape. It didn't bother me that much, but definitely gives a biased viewpoint.
alexthelibrarian's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Reread.
ignescentsky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ggallinot's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
bparker91's review against another edition
5.0
Okay so the "Zombie Apocalypse" has become the butt of many jokes in today's mainstream culture but Brooks' 'World War Z' is surprisingly detail oriented and reaches a whole new depth of perception in our current society. The "story" is told through interviews with survivors. Brooks clearly did his research and took the time to cover the event from all different angles. I'll admit I was inspired to read the novel after seeing the movie (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but don't make the mistake of assuming they are anything alike. Although both describe the same fictional series of events the method in which that information is delivered and the message of each (and ending)are very different. the movie is essentially one man's story that takes place mid-apocalypse, while the story is a chronicle of many peoples experiences told years later. The short snapshots of survivors' memories makes for a gripping and inexplicably human epic, in what would otherwise be merely an unbelievable tale. A must read, for sure!