I enjoy books that explore cultures and how they change with different developments. Zombies are definitely a different development to change a culture, and Max Brooks explores those changes on individual, society, and global levels. Brilliant. This book isn’t just about a world war against zombies, but about all the problems and solutions caused by a world war against zombies.
Also, I really like how it explores zombie influences all across the globe. I love high-intensity / world-is-ending conflicts, but why does everything always happen in Manhattan or London? Hollywood must be jealous to keep tearing them apart. Thankfully, this is about a WORLD war with interviews across Asia, Europe, Australia, Polynesia, and America.
I really like the dramatized Audible version of this book, with different readers for different interviews. The author does a good job of creating a “voice” for each character, as each person uses different diction and interview/story-telling modes, but the accented voice actors add a nice touch.
I also appreciate the amount of research put into “World War Z.” From guns and swords, to tanks, airplanes, and submarines, the narrator interviews experts and they talk like experts. Unfortunately this includes the foul language of military soldiers.
One of the pit falls for using memoirs and interviews, however, is you know the narrators survive whatever crazy dangers they face. This steps back the intensity level.
I rate “World War Z” at *****4.7 stars**** because I’d suggest it to anyone remotely interested in zombies. I understand that’s not everyone, but the interview/memoir style and exploration of conflicts (beyond zombies) are definitely points of interest.
C. Rae D'Arc 