Reviews tagging 'Child death'
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks
7 reviews
katheaton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Usually, most people pick up a cozy Christmas read or romance book during the winter. I am definitely not one of those people.
I have seen the World War Z movie multiple times and while not the best zombie movie out there it was really good and gave a new perspective to the zombie apocalypse. So finally, after many years, I decided to pick up the book. Please be aware the book is nothing like the movie as the book is told in a documentary/interview style and the movie follows one character...who isn't even in the book.
I really enjoyed the style of writing. It brought us closer to the situation and gave us many perspectives on the zombie war and what happened in those beginning days of the spread.
Brooks really touched on the basic human instinct of survival, fear, and what would you do to survive. What many of these characters went through and what they had to do to survive was quite appalling at times. Brooks also touched on how society reacts to a global pandemic and war. While this book was written in 2006 it's like Brooks foreshadowed our own pandemic and how we as a real society would react...it's sad and upsetting to think about.
There were so many times where I underlined a part of the book because it reminded me of our own situation and pandemic. And while I get this was a piece of science-fiction, it really highlighted on humans' basic instinct and survival. In the end we are just like any animal doing what it takes to survive in a vicious world.
I have seen the World War Z movie multiple times and while not the best zombie movie out there it was really good and gave a new perspective to the zombie apocalypse. So finally, after many years, I decided to pick up the book. Please be aware the book is nothing like the movie as the book is told in a documentary/interview style and the movie follows one character...who isn't even in the book.
I really enjoyed the style of writing. It brought us closer to the situation and gave us many perspectives on the zombie war and what happened in those beginning days of the spread.
Brooks really touched on the basic human instinct of survival, fear, and what would you do to survive. What many of these characters went through and what they had to do to survive was quite appalling at times. Brooks also touched on how society reacts to a global pandemic and war. While this book was written in 2006 it's like Brooks foreshadowed our own pandemic and how we as a real society would react...it's sad and upsetting to think about.
There were so many times where I underlined a part of the book because it reminded me of our own situation and pandemic. And while I get this was a piece of science-fiction, it really highlighted on humans' basic instinct and survival. In the end we are just like any animal doing what it takes to survive in a vicious world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Violence, Cannibalism, Child death, War, Animal death, Cursing, Rape, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts
rynstagram's review against another edition
4.5
This book was a pleasant surprise. I didn't think it was gonna be bad by any means, but it really surpassed all expectations. The narrative is so wide-reaching and exhaustive, discussing things about a zombie war/infestation that I never would have thought of--religious repercussions both personal and community-wide, people who take advantage of disaster situations for personal gain, feral children and animals, new mental illnesses, etc. The "interviewer" goes all over the world to interview people who were involved in the war in all sorts of different places--not just different countries and regions, but different climates, under the sea, in isolation in the wilderness, even at the International Space Station. If this were real, I would be impressed by the interviewer's thoroughness.
I think the main thing that was missing was more exploration of more indigenous communities. There's not a dearth of indigenous characters, but the communities' responses to the zombie plague isn't really explored.
I like how self-aware this book is. There's bigotry, but only on the part of the characters. The author seems to include bigotry or fanaticism or general assholery to give a more comprehensive view of humanity dealing with a crisis. Without this, I wouldn't believe the story, even if it's not fun to read that part.
The biggest problem I have with this book is that characters' POVs are rarely repeated. Only a couple have more than one interview section throughout the book until the last chapter called "Good-Byes". I ended up forgetting names easily because of this, and when they showed up in other people's stories or as interviewees, I had to do a lot of flipping back. In order to get the full experience, I think I would need to reread this book at least once more.
All the interviewees sounded like real people, and sounded different from each other, which is hard to do just with a couple POVs, let alone dozens. And I am a big fan of the whole meta-media thing where creators pretend that their fiction is a real thing, hence the "oral history" part of the title and the "Introduction" describing the circumstances of the collection of these interviews. I love a good footnote, and the organization of interviews into related sections made the narrative more cohesive.
Damn, who knew a zombie book could be so cool? (Not me, that's for sure!)
I think the main thing that was missing was more exploration of more indigenous communities. There's not a dearth of indigenous characters, but the communities' responses to the zombie plague isn't really explored.
I like how self-aware this book is. There's bigotry, but only on the part of the characters. The author seems to include bigotry or fanaticism or general assholery to give a more comprehensive view of humanity dealing with a crisis. Without this, I wouldn't believe the story, even if it's not fun to read that part.
The biggest problem I have with this book is that characters' POVs are rarely repeated. Only a couple have more than one interview section throughout the book until the last chapter called "Good-Byes". I ended up forgetting names easily because of this, and when they showed up in other people's stories or as interviewees, I had to do a lot of flipping back. In order to get the full experience, I think I would need to reread this book at least once more.
All the interviewees sounded like real people, and sounded different from each other, which is hard to do just with a couple POVs, let alone dozens. And I am a big fan of the whole meta-media thing where creators pretend that their fiction is a real thing, hence the "oral history" part of the title and the "Introduction" describing the circumstances of the collection of these interviews. I love a good footnote, and the organization of interviews into related sections made the narrative more cohesive.
Damn, who knew a zombie book could be so cool? (Not me, that's for sure!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Death, Abandonment, Suicide, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Medical trauma, War, and Body horror
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Alcohol, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, and Classism
chezler24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a re-read for me, and I can safely say that this is still one of the best pieces of zombie-related media out there. Brooks does an excellent job at creating a global view of the zombie war and even considers what it would be like to be stuck in space during the zombie apocalypse! The idea of constructing a book from a series of collected interviews helps show brief glimpses at how different people, groups, and nations dealt with this massive tragedy. While the zombie war is obviously not a real event, the way the book is makes it feel visceral, real, and undeniably human. (Also, after re-reading, I realized there is something a bit funny about me turning to a piece of media centered around a massive pandemic while also currently living through a massive pandemic.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Murder, Child death, Animal death, Death, War, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Death of parent, Medical content, Body horror, and Blood
Minor: Cannibalism
onemamareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/world-war-z
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Murder, and Gore
sarahholliday's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This brilliantly constructed book has become a horror classic for a reason. The complexity of Brooks' story, the detail with which he illuminates all aspect of life during and after the Zombie War, the wide range of moral codes he explores...it's utterly unique and will leave you in awe of the mind that came up with it all.
Because of that complexity it can occasionally feel like a slog to get through, especially the middle chapters, but it is still an expertly crafted and well-written book. Perfect for anyone looking for a horror novel without the jump scares or high tension.
Because of that complexity it can occasionally feel like a slog to get through, especially the middle chapters, but it is still an expertly crafted and well-written book. Perfect for anyone looking for a horror novel without the jump scares or high tension.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, and War
brennaa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Grief, and Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism
catsy2022's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Rating: B
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Child death
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