World War Z

After the Zombie Apocalypse, a series of interviews take place with people from all over the world about what happened. The interviews encapsulate a number of different voices from the doctor who was brought in to treat the first infected patient, American soldiers who fought against the zombies, a blind monk who fought off zombies in the wilds of Asia, and many more hopeful, heartbreaking, and disturbing stories.  Max Brooks brings a sense of reality to an unthinkable event. What was once an urban legend suddenly starts rising from the grave and attacking the human race, bringing humanity to the edge of extinction. What is achieved is a sense of anxiety, reality, morals (or lack thereof), and duty that leave the reader wondering what they would do if World War Z were actually to occur.

Brooks sweeps from continent to continent and subject to subject with ease. The writing is engaging with easy to read language. Fair warning, dear reader, this is not for the faint hearted. Though I did not find it disgusting or the descriptions overly grotesque, if you don’t like violence, this is not for you.

Personally, I did not expect to enjoy this novel. Zombies are not my thing, but I couldn't put this down. It was creepy, but not written as an over the top, slasher book. Brooks explored the nuances and catastrophes of such a devastating event. It was more about the people involved and less about the brain eating ghouls.

Here are a few more books you may enjoy if you like World War Z.

• The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. For all the know how you’ll need for getting through your own Zombie Apocalypse.

• The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. Kirkman prides himself on his look at what happened to people after the zombies invaded.

• Dying to Live (#1) by Kim Paffenroth. A group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse band together to survive and try and make sense of the horrors that are occurring. They’re not the only ones out there though and there are some things worse than zombies…