Max Brooks - World War Z (2006)

Root beer?

I must admit that I have a very slim working knowledge of the zombie in any fictional work of length. I realize they are a common component in fantasy and even some science fiction literature, but as a genre unto themselves I am only accustomed to seeing them on the screen. Thus, Max Brooks has written the only zombie novels I've actually been exposed to. His 2003 Zombie Survival Guide is the perfect set-up for this fictional undead holocaust, and provides much of the groundwork and advice you will see many of the characters following throughout.

World War Z is presented as a series of interviews with civilians, military personnel, scientists, economic figures and even a mercenary turned bodyguard. These interviews were conducted throughout and in the wake of the Great Panic, the Zombie War, in which a mass outbreak of the undead infected the world (supposedly starting in China) and destroyed what I'm guessing to be roughly 2/3rds of the world's population. What Max Brooks does really well here is presenting a wide range of perspectives on the social and moral implications of this nightmare. The political commentary which is presented throughout the novel is hardly subtle, many of the points hit home and could apply to our own global situation today.

The spotlight here is on the characters interviewed. The horror of the living dead is revealed rather piecemeal through their tales, but accurately portrayed as an antagonist of juggernaut proportions for the initially unprepared world. These zombies are hardly original, clearly based in the mythology of Romero and other films. But Brooks does add some fascinating touches. The zombies 'moan' to hone in on prey and alert other zombies. There are living humans who suffer a sort of Stockhold Syndrome derivative, in which they become 'quislings', those who have psychologically condemned themselves to exist as their tormentors, the zombies. Pretty cool, no? I also enjoyed the LaMoEs (Last Man on Earth syndrome) survivors who were also mentioned, a witty pop reference with an actual realistic application in the universe of World War Z.

It is clear Brooks put a large amount of research into this. Characters and settings from around the globe are accurately depicted. There are only a few nagging stereotypes which I didn't enjoy, primarily the 'samurai revival' of Japan (i.e. Shield Society). But much of the fiction is hyper realistic, this COULD damn well be a real zombie post-holocaust. From the technology to the very believable progress of the undead and realistic reaction of civilization, to the technology developed and the eventual strategies used to take the planet back. Writing this tale from such a complete world perspective was a wonderful idea and forced it to stand out from its film peers, which generally tend to focus on the isolation of only one region.

The language is adequate, the interviews are organized into solid pseudo-chronological arcs which cover the outbreak, the war and the aftermath. There are many cross-references within, which only add to the realism of the scenarios. I did feel that too many of the characters possessed the same 'voice' as they were being interviewed, but this may have been intentional to relay the grimness of the situation.

At any rate, how many other successful zombie novels have you people read? Do any others of note even exist? If so, I haven't read them, and for that reason I'd say everyone should check this out. It's not quite a masterpiece, and I may never read it again, but all horror, disaster and in particular zombie purists would be remiss in not giving it a read.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (a lot more goes into making root beer than you'd think)

http://maxbrooks.com/