Author: Max Brooks
Quick sketch: The potted history of the zombie apocalypse, in the survivors' words
Quick review: The most disturbingly believable zombie book you'll ever read
It's safe to say that the zombie has had something of a comeback in recent years. Whether it's in gaming (Valve's masterful Left for Dead is a shining example, Plants vs Zombies is a more bizarre example) or films (the remake of Dawn of the Dead or Shaun of the Dead) zombies are very 'in' these days. It's perhaps no surprise that someone would publish Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide. What made it so surprising was the absolute conviction within. There was no 'may' or 'possible' to it, just a simple logical exploration of the zombie's behaviour and how best to deal with it. The real magic, however, was the ending, a historical account of zombie attacks, leading from prehistory to the modern day, chock full of cultural training and experience.
To follow it up, Brooks wrote the fantastic World War Z, a survivors' account of a world-wide zombie apocalypse. It takes the format of the author's interviews with survivors from all around the world, going from a doctor's encounter with the possible patient zero, to the final efforts to reclaim the planet. The result is a fantastic digression into humanity and its ability to cope with adverse situations.
Synopsis: A zombie infection races across the world, decimating the population and resurrecting them as the usual mindless eating machines. The book collects survivors accounts, painting the picture of a world under siege by the living dead.
The survivors come from all over the world, although there is a large focus on America (it should however be pointed out that the book's coolest character is a gloriously insane Japanese gardener). There's tales from Cuba, South Africa, China, The Middle East, France, etc. There's even a character talking about his experiences on the International Space Station. Their experiences run the gamut from the truly tragic (there are several heart-breaking tales from those survivors who really had no clue what they were doing) to the entertaining to the rage inducing (One memorable plot point revolves around the company that marketed an anti-zombification medication, which never worked and was never expected to).
The real trick to World War Z, is in its lack of zombie slaying. While there are several brilliant action sequences (did I mention the gardener? He kills thirty, solo. He's blind! And eighty!), much of the book is really about surviving the horror. Much is made of the efforts to find safety and some semblance of sanity in the insane world of WWZ. There's tales of the efforts of government and survivors to eke out some semblance of civilization. There's one harrowing tale of the efforts of a radio information group, trying to get accurate information out across the world. This isn't a book about kicking ass and taking names, it's about survival and hanging onto civilization when barbarism calls. There's a real sense of human tragedy in the book, with many of characters noting what it is they've lost, beyond merely their family and friends.
WWZ also holds much of our society up to the mirror and its not easy to like what you see. There's a memorable story involving a group of celebrities holed up which they turn into a reality TV show. There's explorations as to why the government didn't do anything (the only country that comes off smelling of roses is Israel). There's brutal moments of sheer horror that are solely propelled by incompetence (the battle of Yonkers may be one of the greatest military fuck-ups in literary history). There's other moments where nationalism and fundamentalism cause unnecessary agony.
It's hard to find any issues with World War Z. There's very little padding and many of the stories are so involving, you can freely imagine them as a stand-alone novellas or films (there is a World War Z film in production). Much of it is inspired, with fabulously original and inventive characters, illuminating corners of the story that you're not really expecting. My only real niggle is the portrayal of China within, but I suspect that that's more a reflex reaction than anything else.
World War Z is a gloriously fun book, with surprising depth and humanity to it. Many of the stories and concepts within will stick with you after reading, giving an occasionally odd perspective. There's a real sense of hope to its finale, rare in such apocalyptic tales and I do love the epitaph one character proposes: 'Generation Z, they cleaned up their own mess'.
