Scarlett M. (the-red-dame) reviewed on 6/21/2014 + 31 more book reviews

I very nearly didnt read this book. Why? Because its written in first person; I hate first person. I decided to give it a shot though.

My final reaction? I liked it. I really, really liked it.

In World War Z you see reactions to the zombie epidemic from across the globe: China, Russia, South Africa, Israel, France, etc. It shows you the responses of individuals, militaries, governments, and big businesses. It shows you how these reactions changed over time and how humanity eventually pulled itself together and won the war.

How could a book do all this and actually make sense? Format. This book is not your typical story book. It doesnt follow a single set of characters from the start to the end of the story. Instead, the narrator of this book interviews survivors from across the world. The interviews follow the progression of the zombie war, with each individual interview giving you pieces of the big global picture.

Here I must stop to address some issues, as this is where they are most likely to emerge. The format of this book - which in my opinion is one of the reasons it works so well - is what seems to be putting off other people. This format can make it harder to connect to the characters, since you only see them for two to ten pages. If you need to be able to connect to a character to enjoy a book, and need a hundred pages to do so, then this is not a book for you.

The book is best compared to a TV interview of storm survivors. You already know they survived the storm hence the interview so instead youre watching to find out how they survived the storm, and what impact the storm had on their lives. If you dont like those sort of TV shows, then you wont like this book.

Some people complained about all the characters dialogue sounding too similar. This may very well be the case, but engrossed as I was in the book and as busy as I was gleeing over having my reaction itch scratched, I didnt notice.

Ultimately, this book looks at human psychology, politics, and socioeconomics. Some of the scariest parts of this book - as is the case many dystopia novels - is how plausible parts of it are. I often found the living humans scarier then the undead ones, and really, I think thats an important point in this book. How much of the fault rested with the zombies, and how much rested on us?

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details