World War Z: An oral history of the zombie war by Max Brooks

The zombie genre has always been a fixture amongst discussions nowadays. People have always wondered how society would fare if a ‘zombie apocalypse’ were to occur. Since the introduction of the zombie genre by George Romero’s ‘Night of the living dead’ film which portrayed zombies to be mindless creatures with the desire to consume flesh, it had turned out to be one of the most influential archetype’s not just in film but in society as well. Throughout the years, the zombie genre has evolved considerably, it has not only made significant advances in film as well but also in literature. Which brings us to this, World War Z by Max Brooks became an instant hit upon it’s release in 2006, although I was unfortunate enough to get to read it 6 years after it’s release (2011) I could say it was a spanking good read. All my experience of the zombie genre came primarily from film, but after reading Brooks’ book, I could say that it is just at par or has even a greater impact entertainment-wise than a zombie film. Now you wonder why I would have such high praise for a book. Well for me, what distinguishes World War Z from other zombie related literature is that it gives you that sense of realism that you would otherwise picture modern day society would do in an actual zombie apocalypse. The perspective of the story is somewhat unique, the main character is an agent of the United Nations post-war commission. And the sequence of the story goes on as he interviews people with first-hand experiences of the zombie apocalypse itself. To me that adds a little bit more individuality to the book as obviously each interviewee has not only a different experience to share but a different take and personality as well. The interviewees vary as the story rolls on, ranging from Todd Waino a former U.S army infantryman who has been in the front lines on the war against the undead, to even the vice-president of the United States himself. Don’t get me wrong, this book doesn’t only cover the firsthand experience of the United States, but the entire world as well. Now I don’t wanna spoil anything but just for the sake of your curiosity the virus that caused the apocalypse is of an unknown origin, it cannot be identified by science and there is no cure. To be honest, I think I have added enough fuel to the fire in this one. Overall the book is an extremely good read and is just a must-have for even the casual reader. A definite 10/10.