World War Z by Max Brooks

Title: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Author: Max Brooks
Published: September 12, 2006 by Crown
(342 pages, paperback)
Summary: 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.
--
My thoughts: I got this book as an early Christmas present, and despite not meeting a lot of my expectations, I actually enjoyed World War Z. More than anything, it was more of a look on government, and how our society would react to zombies. Because of the fact I'm more of an action fan, and wasn't totally looking forward to 342 pages of political opinions, I found myself engaged in this book. It wasn't fantastic, and it certainly didn't contain the proper amount (in my zombie-obsessed opinion) of zombies, but Brooks does a good job of portraying a possibility if the world were to be suddenly overrun with the undead.
--
My favorite parts, and also the most well-written and interesting parts, were the ones about how regular civilians reacted to the onslaught of zombies. The stories (er, interviews) with regular, every day citizens from different countries, were the most intriguing and descriptive. I loved reading about how the survivors managed to become survivors. Brooks is a great writer when it comes to battles too, and I was really engrossed in the stories. Some of the more political parts, with interviews from government officials and presidents, were a little boring to me, but I'm sure it would have been more interesting to someone more involved. It was well-written throughout, if a little slow, and I found myself kind of invested in just how horrible the world had become.
--
World War Z isn't so much a zombie book as a reaction to zombies book, and while it wasn't what I expected, it was still an entertaining, interesting novel. I'd recommend it more to people interested in the government and how they respond to crisis', but if you're a die-hard zombie fan, it was a good novel to read.
--
Overall rating: 3 stars

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

Title: The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead
Author: Max Brooks
Published: September 16, 2003 by Three Rivers Press
Summary: Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack 
o
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on. 

o
Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.

o

My thoughts: Since this book is non-fiction (well, not really non-fiction obviously, but it's a guide not a story) I'm not going to really do a full review. I read this during the summer though and thought I'd share my thoughts on it. Plus I just bought World War Z and I've been thinking about zombies a lot lately. Well, more than usual.

o

The Zombie Survival Guide basically takes some basic facts about zombies, makes them sound complicated and real, and then hands you a book full of random facts about how to survive the zombie apocalypse. I was kind of reluctant to start reading this since I get annoyed when people try to explain how zombies come back from the dead with really long, elaborate explanations that make no sense in the real world. However, Brooks is surprisingly convincing and simultaneously hilarious in how detailed his zombies are. The zombies that Brooks warns are coming back from the dead are scary and scientific, if that makes any sense.

o

The thing I really liked about this book was how serious Brooks remains. My favorite part was the end where there were dozens of recorded zombie attacks from history; they were so thorough and convincing i nearly ran to my friends screaming that we needed to go buy an abandoned island and stockpile canned goods and weapons to survive the zombie invasion. I love how this book covered everything from how to survive after a break-out, to the mechanics of how zombies work, to hundreds of ways to kill (er, re-kill?) a zombie. It was just so thorough and that's what made it such a great book.

o

As expected from the title and subject matter, this book was ridiculously funny and I found myself holding back tears of laughter as I read it. Brooks is a brilliant writer, because while he manages to sound extremely solemn and serious, he also sounds like someone with a really, really dry sense of humor. Definitely recommended to all zombie fans out there. I loved this book because of, of course, the zombies, the humor, and the style of Brooks' writing.

o

Overall Rating: 5 stars