World War Z

I don't normally read books like this. I know some people enjoy reading scary books, but I am not one of them. However World War Z was something I decided to read after watching the film version. And to be honest I only watched that as I wanted to see Glasgow all done up as Philadelphia.

So even though World War Z turned out to be a terrible movie, the book was brilliant (which made the movie even more disappointing). The book is written as a series of interviews compiled by the narrator which tells the story of the global war against zombies. It begins with the first recorded infection and ends with the clear up of North America and the world's slow return to normality while still dealing with the remaining zombie hordes.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that there was no simple cure for the zombie virus. In fact a large portion of the book focuses on how the US Army adapt to fighting an enemy that don't plan and work entirely on instinct. This means that their normal tactics are totally ineffective and they also have the added problem of every dead soldier means one more zombie to kill.

The book focuses on the short sightedness of humans. It makes you think about what you would do in the same situation. It makes you realise the terrifying nature of humanity. It shows how people will do anything, even kill others, if it means saving their own lives. And it annoys me that the film ignored all this in favour of Brad Pitt travelling the world looking for a cure. In my opinion the only similarity between the book and film is that they share the same name.

In conclusion, the book is very good and I would have quite happily read another 300 pages of zombie apocalypse goodness. However the movie was a giant pile of poop. Avoid if possible.

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com