World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (US Ed.) reviews

Do you remember the invasion that nearly destroyed human kind? Brooks does and he has done an amazing job interviewing those who were there from the beginning and on the front lines.

Thsi book is easily one of the best works of zombie (fiction) invasion titles out there documenting the entire history from patient zero to the aftermath and cleanup process of this dark period in mans' history.

The title is well written and draws you in from the beginning. Written in a very serious, documentary style; you will not be able to put it down until the last word.

For anyone wondering this is what would commonly be described as a post-apocalyptic-zombie-horror book, however I'd prefer to describe it as an interesting look into the human psyche, a look into the deep dark pits of humanity both at it's worst, and it's best. Not once did I ever find myself having to suspend my sense of reality, the zombies in this book could as easily have been any dominant world force, or deadly epidemic, sweeping the face of the world.

I'll start by saying that I loved this book, and was thoroughly engrossed from page 1. The book takes the rather peculiar format of a series of interviews with survivors of the war, so not in any way your typical novel, however this format immediately imbues the situation with a strange sense of reality, suddenly this idea of a zombies doesn't feel so far fetched. The characters are a churning cauldron of humanity, people from many different countries, backgrounds, and ages. There are heroes and there are cowards, there are all the numerous casualties (physical and psychological) that you would expect from any war, only here the scale is far larger than any seen before, and all the while you are sucked deeper into something that becomes more and more plausible.

Some of the characters and their stories make your heart ache, others leave you with the bitter taste of betrayal perpetrated against the whole of the human race. One thing the book didn't ever delve into, and in my opinion this was very much to the Authors credit, was the sort of soppy “love found in the midst of disaster” found in so many stories.

This book is an amazing look into the strengths and weaknesses found in each of us, as well as in the Human race as a whole. Like any good science fiction book (which this is not), it extrapolates on certain ideas of human strengths and weaknesses weaving a compelling story of the Human condition, and if you let it, it gets you thinking about what it means to be us.

I obviously recommend this book to anyone, although accept that for some no matter the sense of reality imbued in the stories, the idea of the walking dead may simply be too much of a barrier to break through, while for others the basic format will take away from their ability to become engaged in the story.

10/10 from me though.

This was the first book I had read in a long time and is an absolute must for any zombie fan. Incredibly realistic in its take on a potential Zombie apocalypse, Brooks will have you believing this could one day happen. The movie is out mid 2013 but it will be nigh on impossible to capture the format of the book so make sure you give this a read.

Bought this book for my 15 yo daughter… Ended up reading myself first…so good that she hasn't had a chance to read it yet!

I am going to have to disagree with all the glowing reviews of this novel. It reads more like a collection of short stories tacked together to make one book.

I found myself skimming a lot of the “interviews” because they werent very interesting. If the author wouldnt have tried to cram so many storylines in and elaborated on some of the better ideas it would have been much better.

There were some quite good thought provoking use of social, political, geographical reasons why the war happened (or continued to happen).

Best book I've ever read/listened to Max Brooks knows his way around Zombies

Very interesting way of writing a story. Different accounts from different countries as to what happened and how the surviving population coped with it. Although it is a zombie book the focus is not on zombies but on the survivors. I did watch the movie afterwards and can say that the movie focused on one story and there are many many more. Would recommend, easy to pick up at any stage as each chapter is a complete account of what happened to either an individual, a small group and even very large groups of survivors.

Having watched the movie first, I was curious on how the book differs from the movie but now that I have read the book I was totally caught by surprise. Rather than having a typical book structure in which most of the time we follow a story protagonist or a character, World War Z's structure was unique and it made a very interesting read.

The writing is structured as an interview, we don't really get to know who the interviewer is but rather we get to listen to the stories of the interviewees. That said, it is definitely one of the key aspects of this book. All the interviewees are from different parts of the world telling their own stories during the zombie invasion. Coming from China, India, Russia all the way to South Africa and so much more, it takes you on a global trip. Not only this but the professions of the interviewees ranges from soldiers to doctors to movie stars to a random teenager in his room. Of course all of these little stories, culminates to a one unforgettable sto­ry.

The interviews gives details on the genesis of the zombie war, how people coped with the rising epidemic and how the army reacted to this unusual adversity. Knowing this, it should be a very simple story to follow. There are interviews that just tells a simple yet fascinating tale but there are also interviews that are confusing and might be difficult to follow. Most of these would come from army interviews as they would usually use a lot of acronyms and slang that would be quite difficult to remember at times. Sure they tell you what it means from the start but as you read on. The definitions of said acronyms and slang gets harder and harder to remember and the fact that there were just too many makes it more difficult to follow.

But other than that, the interviews does give you tales that would take you in an emotional roller coaster ride, with twists and reveals that would leave you in shock. It gives you that surge of energy to read on to the next interview.

To conclude, World War Z is an extraordinary book that I recommend to anyone who loves a zombie story. I can easily see why the film was not made to be exactly like this book but I can only hope for an animated version of the interviews. It is an absolutely amazing take on a world wide zombie invasion.

This book was one great read. The writer takes you on a journey through multiple different characters, each one his style of writing allows you to feel as though you become the character and fighting the Zombie war.

I will give this book 5 stars, as I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through the World War Z, and the style of writing was excellent to engage the reader. Great book!

This was a very enjoyable read, and if you are into Zombies at all, this is a must have ‘classic’. It's told in a documentary style first person perspective after the fact. It sounds like a boring way to write a book, and this is what put me off, but in actual fact it is very interesting and well written. New Zealand even gets a short mention, with Maori warriors fighting off hordes of Zombies! You might want to get the Zombie Survival Guide as well, a companion book. The Zombie apocalypse is coming… be prepared!

By the seventh page I felt like these events could have actually taken place! Book is written in first account format which I find draws you in and leaves you almost feeling like you're reading reports from actual events.

I love Zombies. No doubt about that!! These a not short stories but reports of what happened around the world in what was dubbed World War Z. Will be interesting to see how the movie adaptation differs to the book.

Brought this for the hubby, but stole it for myself – just couldn't put it down.

Coming from someone who isn't a Zombie fan this book is a fantastic read. Written with such realism, you could believe this war happened. The characters are colourful & the personal accounts could both break your heart & raise hope yet for humanity.

I hope the movie will be good, however unless you read the book, I fear many will miss out on this master piece!

Would be one of those rare exceptions where a book can be adapted into film and not lose too much in the process.

The level of detail and research makes this book more than your average zombie story with references to the All Blacks and One Tree Hill.

5/5 stars

This book will make you want to stock up on food and water and guns… A lot of guns.

Too much of the zombie genre focusses on military, some kind of kung fu expert, or a guy with a gun and a criminal record. Here Brooks shows us the humanity of those in admist the Z war (even if some are military, kung fu experts or guys with guns!)

Each interview adds a little more information which begins to create a broader understanding of the global ramifications of a zombie apocalypse that man kind hauled its backside out of to survive.

Leaves you appreciating both the survivors and the horrors they had to go through with a little more emotion and a lot more paranoia.

Great read! A little hard to get into but once the ball gets rolling, it's next to impossible to put down!

Easily the best book written about Zombies and a must read for fans of the genre. Max Brooks drew on inspiration for this masterpiece in the form of the Godfather of Zombies, George A Romero and the military wartime classic An Oral History of World War II. It is perhaps this seamless mesh of fact and fiction that draws the reader in and begs the question of is this what would happen if it could happen…

Treated as if WWZ has actually occurred on earth, it is at times frightening to see just how easily an outbreak like this could run rampant across the population and how quickly societies can fall into chaos and carnage.

They're currently filming WWZ in Malta (as of July '11) and I plan on reading WWZ again before release. I hope they include the reference, somehow, to the All Blacks and the Springboks battling in the Tri-Nations tournament.

Very realistic with all the gore that fans will love, 5 stars and I'm jealous of those yet to read it as they have a real treat in store.

From page one this was thoroughly gripping! All the little things that you never thought about falling apart at the end of the world, Brooks has them covered. I was especially touched by the mention of NZ/Maori towards the end of the book – very amusing. Please read this book – even at full price it is worth it!!

This book scared the bejesus out of me and I cannot recommend it enough. Even if you detest horror books, go ahead and give this a go, it is an utterly gripping, grotesque, eerie tale about the strengths and weaknesses of humanity. And of course, zombies! Awesome.