World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is not your typical zombie story. There is little gore or violence. Instead, it chronicles worldwide governmental responses to a world-changing event that comes close to completely eradicating humanity.
The book is presented as if it was written by an agent who is working on chronicling the decade-long Zombie War for the United Nations Postwar Commission. The novel itself is the resulting report, composed of facts, figures and personal interviews that document the fall of civilization as we know it.
The zombie apocalypse begins as any plague does, with a Patient Zero. In this case, the epidemic started with a 12-year-old who lived in the village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China. From there, mass infection and panic begins to spread and rash political decisions are made by many leaders worldwide. Socioeconomic consequences soon begin to follow, and these are what the book focuses on.
Telling these stories through the guide of a fictional war with zombies allows author Max Brooks to explore the ideologies of different countries and to critique their reactions to issues that put their citizens at risk. The book compares and contrasts the reactions of those in different regions, and provides a commentary on the modern worldwide political landscape without addressing it directly.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, published in 2006, is a follow-up to The Zombie Survival Guide which was published in 2003. Brooks is a novelist and screenwriter. While his books have focused on zombies, he's best known for his years as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live.
This audiobook version of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War features an ensemble cast including high-profile names such as Alan Alda, Mark Hamill and John Turturro.
"My first impression was... how did all of this happen and I never heard about it?
The author did such a good job of making all so realalistic and seem as though this was a true world disaster.
In my opinion this is a good read for people of any age and it would be worth reading. :)
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Noah (5 out of 5 stars)