ambern’s #CBR4 Review #9 World War Z by Max Brooks

The book that has been reviewed a million times, I just had to know what all the fuss was about.  I’m not a huge zombie person, unless there is mockery involved like in Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, but I enjoyed this book quite a lot.  Probably because I could see us reacting to zombies this way.

The book is complied of interviews with survivors of the zombie war from all over the globe.  It describes the start of the outbreak in China and how it spread throughout the world.  It goes into detail about the various cover-ups, profiteering, politics, doomed battles, survival strategies, victorious battles, and the cleanup after the war was won.

As I said, I enjoyed this book, though I will probably never read it again.  I especially liked the non-military/political interviews—those sections seemed to drag.  Even the most despicable characters were fascinating, such as the man who claimed to create a vaccine for the outbreak.  Maybe I don’t have a high regard for human nature but I could see us doing everything in the book.  I guess this book just highlights how unprepared we are for anything like that.

taralovesbooks’ #CBR4 Review #20: World War Z by Max Brooks

Cannonball Read IV: Book #20/52
Published: 2006
Pages: 352
Genre: Post Apocalyptic/Zombie

I really had high hopes for this book. I loved Robopocalypse, which has a similar concept, and I read so many good reviews of World War Z that I was really let down when it didn’t meet my expectations.

Read the rest of my review in my blog.

HelloKatieO’s #CBR4 Review #28: World War Z by Max Brooks

So, I’m  really behind on the zombies thing.  I promise it’s near the top of my to-watch list (after The Shield)….but I haven’t seen The Walking Dead yet.  Never read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. Even the horror movies I watch don’t feature zombies – I’m strictly a ghosts, monsters and vampires kind of girl.  But I’ve finally gotten around to reading World War Z, even if it is five years after the rest of the world.

This book was awesome. You know those incredibly long, weirdly specific and just plain hilarious conversations you have with your friends about the actual logistics of the zombie apocalypse (or about vampires or ghosts existing, or if there were X-Men living among us….etc.)?  This is that conversation, perfectly transcribed, in book form. Except the narrator asks far more probing questions of his subjects than I could ever come up with, and he covers every possible scenario that might occur during a zombie apocalypse.

You want to know how you would fare in the zombie apocalypse?

I’ll tell you.

CommanderStrikeher’s #CBR 4 Review #9: World War Z by Max Brooks

I loved this book. I didn’t think that I would. I am sick to death of zombie-mania. This isn’t a zombie book. Well, it isn’t just a zombie book, and there are certainly a few, “Run, Bitch, Run!” moments, but it is so much more. From a sociological standpoint, I felt that this book realistically captured what would happen if a world-wide epidemic broke out. This book was smart. Seriously.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is the story of how the Zombie epidemic began in rural China and how it spread across the world. Different governments denied or covered up the existence of the epidemic until it was too late. Instead of just telling the story from one perspective, the author uses several dozen different points of view, so it’s almost like reading a short story anthology. There are narrators from every viewpoint one can think of: government officials, scummy businessmen, army soldiers, and chubby internet nerds. My only complaint is that some of the stories were just too short. As soon as I got attached to a character, their segment was over.

Brooks seriously considered all of the possible differences in fighting an army of re-animated corpses. For one thing, they don’t feel fear, so fear-based weapons are useless. As are smoke bombs, and to an extent, nuclear weapons. The most fascinating aspect, however, was the different governmental reactions to events. North Korea disappeared. They pulled all of their citizens into underground bunkers, including many who were probably infected. One narrator stated that there are probably millions of North Korean zombies just waiting to come out and re-infect the world. Creepy.

5/5 Stars.

llp’s #CBR IV Review 3: World War Z by Max Brooks

I have been reluctant to read this book, despite all the recommendations that I have had, because zombies are my weakness. I know they are kind of ridiculous (notwithstanding the inevitable invasion), but nothing gives me nightmares like zombies. I love and own Shaun of the Dead, but have not been able to rewatch it, and the 2004 Dawn of the Dead movie still gives me night terrors. That little girl in Sarah Polley’s bedroom on the first morning, and then the escape through bathroom window, gah. ANYWAYS – it was kind of great.

leuce7’s #CBR4 Review #2: World War Z by Max Brooks

I’m just now getting around to reading it, but I finally got through World War Z and enjoyed it immensely.  I think its strength is as a human interest story, and Brooks has a great grasp on human nature that gives all the tales a sense of realism that really sell the stories.  Whether or not you’re a zombie lover, you’ll probably get something satisfying and entertaining out of at least one of the many tales spun in this book.

Here’s the review: World War Z by Max Brooks