A review by enbyglitch
World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-In Edition): An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
3.0
This was my second listen, and it turns out all I really remembered were the two 'battle' descriptions.
World War Z tries far more to be a human story than I remembered or realized when I first listened to this book. I enjoyed the inclusion of characters from a wide variety of ethnicities, though it felt like their were a total of 4-5 women compared to the dozen+ men and zero queer characters.
Early in the book especially, it seems like we only hear wildly conservative perspectives - and I don't think that changes a ton by the end. From an early character spouting some wild transphobia to later ones just *barely* suggesting that PTSD exists and one of our few female characters becoming a baby-maker for a new religious state, it starts to feel more like the author's perspective than one intentionally added.
There's lots of moments to enjoy here and I think it delivers on its promises more than not. The audiobook format offers some great voice actors, and it feels like Brooks' depiction of other cultures was either decently well researched or very well faked. Ultimately though I found myself more unsettled by some of the perspectives on display than any aspect of the zombie threat.
World War Z tries far more to be a human story than I remembered or realized when I first listened to this book. I enjoyed the inclusion of characters from a wide variety of ethnicities, though it felt like their were a total of 4-5 women compared to the dozen+ men and zero queer characters.
Early in the book especially, it seems like we only hear wildly conservative perspectives - and I don't think that changes a ton by the end. From an early character spouting some wild transphobia to later ones just *barely* suggesting that PTSD exists and one of our few female characters becoming a baby-maker for a new religious state, it starts to feel more like the author's perspective than one intentionally added.
There's lots of moments to enjoy here and I think it delivers on its promises more than not. The audiobook format offers some great voice actors, and it feels like Brooks' depiction of other cultures was either decently well researched or very well faked. Ultimately though I found myself more unsettled by some of the perspectives on display than any aspect of the zombie threat.