Book Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

I recently finished reading Max Brook’s World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and I must admit I liked it. The gist of the book is that it’s been several years since the Great Panic, a pandemic sized outbreak of zombie-ism (a word?). Essentially, mankind was nearly wiped out with the earth overrun by the undead. Even years after figuring out how to battle the threat, things are still a little shaky. Entire islands are still “white zones” and completely infested by zombies.

The book is well written and interesting. The nitty-gritty details of the Great Panic and mankind’s recovery are told in the manner of one individual interviewing numerous survivors. The “voices” of the interviewees sometimes blend together but that never detracted from the book and I actually really liked the format. The book definitely gives what feels like very personal accounts. It also offers a very wide variety of views ranging from dog trainers specializing in zombie recon to a blind Asian monk living in the wilderness to a family fleeing to the Arctic where zombies would freeze (though the do thaw just fine).

I did like that Brooks kept zombies in their place. There was no dressing them up into intelligent and agile predators to make them more threatening. No, these were the classic slow-moving creatures with poor motor skills and zero intellect. Being as “weak” as they are, you wouldn’t think they be a threat, would you? It’s like being pursued by a knife-wielding tree sloth, right? Wrong. Brooks manages to make the situation dire. For example, one interview involves a downed pilot having to hoof it up an overpass to reach a helicopter rendezvous. She has a leg injury and is pursued by zombies. This is problem enough. But then she encounters zombies reaching out at her from car windows despite being trapped by their own seatbelt. Creepy.

The sheer scale of World War Z is impressive, too. It's global and the event unfold over several years and isn't limited to a small group of people stuck in a farmhouse or holed up in a shopping mall. I also addresses questions that I often ask (and am asked by others). How would the military react to an undead enemy that never tires, has no emotion, and can not be threatened? Where would people go to escape? An island? Underground? What if outbreaks occurred there? Zombies don’t need to breathe, what about those that end up underwater?

A side note about that book involves some of the reviews I read on Amazon. Specifically, there were readers that claimed this book was leftist propaganda. There were other readers that claimed this book was rightist propaganda. There’s no doubt that Brooks makes some pretty heavy-handed insinuations about several groups and a number of unnamed but stereotyped people but I can’t say the book is either left or right. I think it would be more accurate to say he simply takes shots at things like the pride, stupidity, and greed that put mankind at risk.

If you like zombies, read the book. Interesting stuff. In the meantime, check out the risk calculator to see how likely you are to survive a zombie outbreak (I scored a measly 39%). Otherwise, remember to go for their head.