World War Z is, plainly put, a fictional report on a worldwide zombie epidemic, which began in China and spread quickly to consume the entire planet. It’s highly-rated, with good reason, and was written by Max Brooks, who also wrote ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’. I watched the Resident Evil films recently, which is one of my reasons for buying World War Z, as I’m going through a phase of being interested in zombies. Or zombie fiction, anyway.
I also (rather shamefully) just admired the cover art, and thought it would be a good read.
I liked the simplicity, which actually works with the content
really well. Very to the point; just bold text, all in
black and red, with blood spatter.
I started reading World War Z on a train, which was a terrible idea for more than one reason...firstly it was quite busy, so if a zombie epidemic struck it would be difficult to get through the possibly-ravenous crowd to safety, it was also travelling quickly and I couldn’t remember how you were supposed to jump from a moving train. Also it meant that every time we stopped and more people got on, I couldn’t help myself staring at them in secret suspicion in case they showed signs of being bitten by zombies.
I am quite an anxious person. I should have taken one of my other books so as not to scare myself stupid while I was travelling around on my own, but I live on the edge! The terrifying, terrifying edge.
The book is laid out in the tone of interviews, with the ‘interviewer’ (the author in first person) travelling across the globe putting people’s experiences of the epidemic together to create a ‘personal history report’ on the incident. The entire book, basically, is a piece of journalism; a collection of transcripts from these interviews. It’s set after the Great Panic (the original spread and influx of the infection) although there are still cases all over the world and the war against them is ongoing, although a little more settled.
At the start it focuses on the vague beginnings of the epidemic; people’s disbelief, doubts and eventually fear, the first known cases of what was happening to them. It then moves on through the increasingly desperate struggle to get the situation under control, people’s escape attempts and the lies of the media and the officials who try to convince the public that everything is okay, to preserve spirit.
Every few pages the interviewer travels to a completely new location, questioning a variety of people; doctors, former Government officials, army officers...and all the while with a calm, sensible manner that puts the interviewees at their ease, despite the subject being difficult to discuss for some. The interview questions themselves are perfectly unemotional; simply getting to the point and acquiring the information needed. The personal accounts...not so much. They’re brutal and very, very detailed.
The author creates each character perfectly (there are many, and none of them are what you’d call ‘main’ characters. Each only gets about three or four pages to themselves before the interviewer travels on), so that even without the short description at the start of each interview, explaining the current location and who is being questioned...due to their mannerisms and behaviour you get a clear picture of what they’re like.
This is the whole point of the novel I suppose; it’s meant to read as though it’s not a novel. It’s meant to be believable and the author does a very good job in doing so.
In fact it reads so much like a non-fiction book I now believe not only that zombies are entirely possible to create but that they will for definite at some point in the future. At any moment. It could be happening right now. Which is cheating really because it means I now want to buy Brook’s survival guide, to make sure I will live when the inevitable strikes. I see what he did there.
Overall, although not usually my kind of book (I’m no good with horror) I really enjoyed it. It gave me a lot to think about and it’s written very well. If you’re into zombie fiction at all, something to petrify you or make you ponder, read World War Z. Personally I’m going to buy the survival guide, and I intend to survive the zombie apocalypse. Or at least visit the Maldives first, before I get eaten. I've always wanted to go there.
Tomorrow’s update will probably be another gallery visit, but until then thank you for reading~ I’m sorry if it’s a little long-winded. <3
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