Reviews Literature / World War Z

Make some room at the table, George.

An at times disturbing, at times triumphant look at what could happen if the dead did rise, possibly even on par with the first modern zombie work, Night of the Living Dead. Of course, your mileage may vary, check with your doctor for possible side effects.

Coming on the heels of the Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z takes us from patient 0 to the rebuilding of humanity. The flashback style works well for the book, since many of the events probably wouldn't have worked as fully explained events, instead leaving the reader to wonder what really happened. Other times, you'll thank the author for leaving some details out.

The reactions of people to a zombie plauge just springing up worldwide is quite plausible, and reading about how people my have turned thanks to infected transplants or just having zeds appear from the sea is a frightening thought, and would understandably make people frightened and panicked. However, his portrayl of the media, while nice, is still strawman, and the fact that blogs an e-news go unmentioned that recently is a little confusion. Still, it wouldn't surprise anyone if some people took the news too far to heart and did the wrong things.

Another nice touch is his shown work, having interviewed multiple federal and state employees on what their response would actually be in the case of undead invasion. Truth be told, I have high doubts that even the top brass wouldn't be able to figure out what was happening before losing their men in such numbers. Still, the Battle of Yonkers is a decent image of a media war gone wrong.

If I had any complaints, it's that he gave us so much that we want more. We want to know about other parts of the world, like mainland China or Africa. We want to know more about the Lam O Es, the refugees, everything. Maybe there will be a sequel, but for now, don't hold your breath.

Really, it's a good read for any zombie fan, especially those who got their first bite from Mr. Romero himself. Grab your primary firearm and check yourself for bites when you sit down to read World War Z.