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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780307346605
ISBN: 0307346609
Label: Crown
Manufacturer: Crown
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: September 12, 2006
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: September 12, 2006
Studio: Crown
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Product Description:
“The end was near.” —Voices from the Zombie War
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.
Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”
Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.
Eyewitness reports from the first truly global war
“I found ‘Patient Zero’ behind the locked door of an abandoned apartment across town. . . . His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine. Although he’d rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no blood. There was also no blood on his other wounds. . . . He was writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls. At first the villagers tried to hold me back. They warned me not to touch him, that he was ‘cursed.’ I shrugged them off and reached for my mask and gloves. The boy’s skin was . . . cold and gray . . . I could find neither his heartbeat nor his pulse.” —Dr. Kwang Jingshu, Greater Chongqing, United Federation of China
“‘Shock and Awe’? Perfect name. . . . But what if the enemy can’t be shocked and awed? Not just won’t, but biologically can’t! That’s what happened that day outside New York City, that’s the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn’t shock and awe Zack boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They’re not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid!” —Todd Wainio, former U.S. Army infantryman and veteran of the Battle of Yonkers
“Two hundred million zombies. Who can even visualize that type of number, let alone combat it? . . . For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth.” —General Travis D’Ambrosia, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Max Brooks has to be considered the ultimate modern-day writer when it comes to zombies. Between 'World War Z' and his 'Zombie Survival Guide' a zombie fan like myself is in flesh-eating heaven. 'Z' is a true masterpiece of the form though, and should be required reading for any horror/zombie fan. The research into geography, history, weapons and language are first-rate in this novel. Mr. Brooks has come up with so many new and terrifying scenarios that would undoubtedly play out in a zombie infestation that he leaves the reader feeling as if this were a work of non-fiction. A perfect piece of literature (zombie or otherwise).
Rating:  -
World War Z is an innovative piece of zombie journalism. Consisting of interviews with survivors of the war, it charts its course from the initial outbreak to the aftermath of the eventual human victory.
Like all good zombie fiction, the real focus of the book is on human nature and the human reaction to the plague. The infection itself begins in (to Americans) out of the way parts of the world - South Africa, Brazil, China. It spreads as much due to human greed (the illegal organ trade, human trafficking) and arrogance (coverup by political authorities to preserve their own position and the regime in power) as it is due to the virulence of the infection. Both human strengths and failings come to light as the war progresses.
All in all, a very satisfying read. The retrospective interview format gives you something of a "god's eye view" of the action as they skip from one hotspot to another, where the reader has perspective that the interviewees did not at the time. At times, the inteviews gave the book a detached feeling, at others you felt you were right there with the action.
Highly recommend the novel if you enjoy zombie, survival or post apocalyptic fiction.
Rating: -
One of, if not the best, horror novels I've ever read. The writing style is superb, the anecdotal stories of survivors guiding the reader through "World War Z", from its humble beginnings to the aftermath, in an incredibly well paced and readable fashion. Even if you've never read a zombie book before I would instantly suggest giving this a go.
Although not a novel as such, I would also heartily recommend the Zombie Survival guide by Brooks, and while I was a little disappointed his new book is a graphic novel, I'll certainly be buying it too, such was the impression World War Z made on me!
Rating: -
This was a great read. I enjoy zombie films as well as books. The part that I liked best is that there are many different view points from all around the world. The story of America isn't the only part that we get to see. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted, fast read. It was enjoyable.
Rating: -
This is a wonderful book and I really enjoyed the writing style. I am a real fan of zombie novels and this is by far one of the best out there. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a good book.
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