I read this book after countless people referred it to me, including my boyfriend who even lent me his copy. I didn’t really know what I had gotten myself into nor what to expect prior to reading it, which was good because then I had no expectations for it. On the whole, though, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll be upfront right now and say I’ve never read a single zombie book, and my experience with zombie movies narrows down to Zombieland, I am Legend, 28 Weeks Later and Warm Bodies. I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to scary stuff, which is why I’ve avoided this topic for so long. But after many reassurances that this book isn’t gory or gruesome, I agreed to reading it. And oh boy, am I glad I did. World War Z isn’t like anything I’ve ever read before. It’s entirely an island unto its own. Although some reviews on Goodreads gave the book one or two stars for its style, I couldn’t agree less. As a journalist myself, I really liked seeing this story unfold through a series of interviews. It was a refreshing take from the age-old story structure you see in most books. The story still had a beginning, middle and end, but it was just written differently. I loved seeing the story of the Zombie War (or World War Z, The Crisis, The Dark Years, The Walking Plague, or Z War One as it’s called around the world) through the eyes of people just like us—mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, elderly, doctors, journalists, politicians, soldiers, students and K-9 retirement home managers… It was chilling the way some people described their experiences. Brooks made me feel like this was actually an historic event, that these people all had experienced something of the utmost horror, that the world was rebuilding itself. Many times I had to stop myself and remind myself that this is just a story. Of course, like with every book, there are some issues I had. I found many of the interviews shared the same tone and voice. There wasn’t a whole lot characterization throughout the various interviewees, which disappointed me, but didn’t make me dislike this book altogether. I can sort of see past this, though… I mean, if we had actually gone through what these people had gone through, wouldn’t many of us be almost displaced from human emotion and merely feel like outside ourselves…through mechanical responses, disjointed from reality and nightmare, hollowed out? And while many of the interviews were interesting to read, there were some that were just plain boring or didn’t add to the story at all. I understand, of course, that not every person you meet will have a gripping tale to tell—but as it’s their story, it’s important to still include it. Brooks traveled the world gathering eye-witness accounts of the War, and he felt compelled to share every story he heard. I admit to skimming through the boring interviews though. But there are some stories that will stick with me for a good long while (and yes, I know these stories aren’t true). I’ve heard some critics have complained that this story lacked any real “face” or main character. So what? This is a documentary-styled story. In order to gain an appreciation and understanding of the global experience of this War, you couldn’t really have a main character. Brooks didn’t aim at creating a typical story; instead, he chose to create a history. And by compiling interviews as his content, he made it seem both honest and realistic. Because 10 years after a War like that, no one wants to read a “story” of the war—they’ll want to have unflinching accounts of it for future generations, none of that “fluffy” stuff. What I particularly liked about World War Z was the fact that it didn’t outwardly explain how or why the disease started or spread. As only natural for people, rumours spread throughout the world, but nothing was ever confirmed. I often find sometimes in movies that when they explain why or how something happened, I always find a hole in the reason and can’t see past that. Because nothing is ever fool-proof, especially in stories of zombies, aliens, vampires, and all those other unworldly stuff. So thank you, Max Brooks, for leaving the hows and whys up to the reader’s interpretation! In the end, I really did like this pseudo-historical account book. It was more than I expected it to be, and while there were some issues with it, I would definitely recommend World War Z to others! So thanks, friends, for pushing me to read this. Side note: The movie called World War Z is set to hit theatres in July, but don’t be fooled by the title—Max Brooks has said that the only true similarity between the book and the movie is that they share the same title. I’m quite sad about that, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it but to just enjoy the movie as a separate entitity and try not to compare the book to the movie as much as we normally would. To view more of my book reviews, visit: http://booksteame.com/

Very easy read and so much fun loved everything about it.

You would think a zombie apocalypse actually took place. Told through a series of interviews from the first outbreak to the war on the infestation to the rebuilding of society - first rate detail and vivid account of the courage, strength, tactics and deception required to live through a killer epidemic.

One of the real reasons that this book, to me, is a great read would be the variety of stories that you get. Considering that most zombie novels out there put that " lone wolf survival" aspect in our heads, and you seem to follow one "superhuman" as they kick major zombie ass and manage to save all that is near and dear to them. This novel, on the other hand, brings to life the horror stories, and the fact that if your lucky enough to survive, your loved ones might not be. It really gives you the sense of loss that would come with a situation like a Zombie War, and the true beauty of this novel is that you get to see every single aspect of "World War Z". The stories are told through interviews with vastly different survivors, which gives you a vast image of how this situation effected everyone from a "higher up" to your simple housewife and even children. I also loved how, when you were beginning to believe that all hope is lost......well I don't want to spoil anything lol. But I would truly recommend this novel.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is written by Max Brooks. World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdotes. Brooks plays the role of an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, who published the report a decade after the ten-year Zombie War. The United Nations left much of his research out of the official report, choosing to focus on facts and figures from the war rather than the individual stories that form the bulk of Brooks' novel. The interviews chart a decade-long war against zombies from the view point of many different people of various nationalities. The personal accounts also describe the changing religious, geo-political, and environmental world in the aftermath of the Zombie War. I like this novel but I would have preferred if it had been done as a series of novels to get more out of the characters and there story. Now I have to wait to see what they'll make of the movie.

Loved the book and was disappointed that the audiobook had most of the short and interesting side-themed stories cut out. What they left are the main stories which deal with the rise and fall of the crisis and these are very well read indeed. every character is read by a different voice actor and the quality is pretty darn good and entertaining.

I'm not really into the zombie craze, but I loved the style of this book. It was an easy read for me and I liked the fact that there were no real main characters. I felt more like I was living the experience rather than watching others go through it.

Finished reading this last night. I don't usually buy something like this, something that seems kind of hokey, but picked it up out of curiosity. Let me tell you I was really surprised, much better than I expected it to be. Brooks does a very good job at making the accounts of the survivors of a zombie apocalypse feel real, as long as you can suspend disbelief regarding zombies in the first place. I highly recommend this if you're into zombie flicks, and I'd even suggest non-fans give it a go.

I have owned the print copy of this book forever but have never managed to squeeze it in. Then I heard they're making a film version and I knew I had to read it before the movie came out. I still wasn't sure I'd have time to read it so I decided to give the audio a shot. I am so glad made the decision to fit this book in. I'm still getting used to the whole zombie genre, but it is growing on me more and more when I see the quality of books like World War Z. Though it's title might suggest otherwise, this book isn't actually about the zombie war but instead about it's aftermath. It takes the form of a reporter collecting eye-witness accounts, after the war has ended. People recount their experiences and explain how they survived. In this way everything feels very removed from the action. It's past tense, it was something that had happened, and it was horrible, but it is in no way the focus of the story. And although some may be disappointed that there's not more action what makes this an incredibly interesting read is that human element that comes with survival stories. The stories are raw, heart wrenching and for the most part remarkable. In addition, it gave me hope if there ever was a large scale disaster (maybe not a zombie war per se, but some sort of infectious disease outbreak) humanity would be able to not only survive it, but rebuild afterwards. World War Z is a really interesting look about the strength of humanity and our ability to overcome obstacles. Don't worry if you're not a zombie fan, there are surprisingly few instances where an actual “living” zombie appears. Instead think of this novel as futuristic historical fiction. All the “facts” are here and presented in a unique and interesting way. Making real life events accessible to anyone who is interested. Notes on the Audio This was my first audio book that was done with a full cast and it was amazing. Each narrator brought something unique to the characters and it really gave you the full experience. There are some incredibly talented people involved in this audiobook and their abilities really shine through. It even has Alan Alda! Imagine MASH but instead of Vietnam its Zombies. It doesn't get much more awesome than that. As an added bonus Max Brooks himself, takes on the narration of the reporter throughout the story. I thought this was a nice touch as it ensured you were being set up with the right tone before each character began their story. This and other reviews at Christa's Hooked on Books (http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com)

Read my review of Brooks' work on my blog at:http://8bookcases.blogspot.com/2011/11/world-war-z-by-max-brooks.html