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World War Z - Book Review - Spoiler Free

I know that this site doesn't include many books reviews that do not include gaming stats or superheroes in spandex. However, when a book about Zombies garners this much buzz, I would be remiss in my Geek duties if I didn't drop my own 2 cents... Written by Max Brooks (son of Hollywood legend, Mel Brooks), World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, is a less than humorous take on how the world survived a global assault by the walking dead. I say less than humorous because some readers might be shocked to learn that this is the same man who penned the definitely tongue-in-cheek book, The Zombie Survival Guide.

(Interestingly, this first book is mentioned within the back page bio as a bestselling "serious" book printed at the height of the Zombie War). This back page write-up also helps the reader enter the fictional, yet all too real, world of a planet recovering from a terrible conflict. Make no mistake, World War Z is not played for laughs, but, nor is it played for horror and shock. Indeed, World War Z just might be one of the more "human" tales I've read in a good long time...

Sometime in the near future...

Max Brooks places himself as a U.N. correspondent who is tasked with writing an oral history of the global Zombie War. Very little is given as to what caused the dead to rise up, indeed it is hinted that the top remaining scientists are still working on finding the cause. (As everyone believes that the dead will likely rise again and people want to be ready). Readers will find many items and scenarios within World War Z to be eerily familiar. Although no proper names are ever provided, it is clear that the events of the Zombie War take place in the not to distant future and America's (indeed much of the world's) slow reaction is a direct result of the never-ending "war on terror" conflicts across the globe. Most armed forces are stretched too thin. Rulers refuse to listen to scientists. The public are kept in the dark by the mass media until it is far too late.

So often I found myself shaking my head as I saw the foolishness within our own current leaders (foreign and domestic) playing out with the fictional leaders in World War Z. Max Brooks clearly did some very strong research on geo-political trends between both enemies and allies on planet Earth. Everything you read within World War Z feels completely real and utterly terrifying. The rise of the dead notwithstanding, I could see absolutely everything within this novel happening. The way governments respond. The way the military leaders are in no way prepared to handle the threat. How the global economy reacts. How the environment is slaughtered along with hundreds of millions of people.

What a reader feels and sees within the book very much depends on the mindset when they open World War Z. First off, those looking for hardcore Zombie horror might be slightly disappointed. The gore and slaughter that many a Zombie fans loves (your friendly neighborhood Geek included) will not find that within World War Z. However, as so many well told Zombie movies have shown, you don’t need mass amounts of entrails to tell a compelling Zombie tale. World War Z does this in spades. World War Z is a very human warning to those who have never needed to carry a "Lobotomizer" on the way home from work or never needed to take courses on carefully killing your loved ones should they be a victim of a Zombie bite. World War Z is a wonderfully entertaining read that makes you think about your own world. But even more frightening... World War Z will make you believe that the dead could indeed rise up and take their place as the highest member of the food chain...

Remember, walk in groups... Carry a weapon, and keep you ears open... The Zombies can be anywhere and anyone...

I give World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War 5 out of 5 Critical Hits!