Craig's review - 24 february 2008
With 'The Zombie Survival Guide', author Max Brooks attained cult status. With his first novel, ‘World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War' (Duckworth, 2006/07), he is already on the way to cementing such a position. I read the novel to find out why.
Zombies will never die. In literature. Zombie stories are constantly being reanimated, stagnant only when too many similar tales are produced at once. Max Brooks opted for a unique, fresh approach though – and hence the appeal. ‘War World Z' is written as a collection of interviews to record the greatest fictional conflict in human history – between us and a zombie plague – one that almost caused our extinction. The reporter has made sure to add the human element to the accounts, not just the facts and figures the United Nation's Postwar Commission Report had him gather. Thus is the appeal of the novel – we get to see how humans (and other animals) reacted to a zombie invasion. And not just in one area, across the globe.
I usually have a rule for reading – if I make it to fifty or a hundred pages and I'm not satisfied, I will probably stop. I am embarrassed to say I almost caved to this rule while reading ‘World War Z'. The font in my edition was small and tight, making the novel truly feel like a history text. Many of the interview questions asked are closed, and should have received standard Yes/No answers instead of paragraphs of information. And the novel's initial interviews with government agents and soldiers grew a little thin – how many times can one say the authorities weren't to know, or acted too slowly? However, when I stopped being picky and reflected on the content, such inclusions made perfect sense. Brooks' deeply-researched workings of government systems are so accurate you just know that is how everyone will react if the impossible happens and we find ourselves fighting the undead.
For the majority, civilians are portrayed as expendable refugees – which would sadly be the case, too. But when their desperation is recorded, the stories from civilians were, for me, some of the most captivating. Like a young girl who travelled north with her family to escape the zombies, only to find out at a camping ground that humans can be monsters without the virus. Such a story showed the struggle for humans to barter and eat in a world where food was becoming scarce. Then there was the hikikomori (Japanese shut-in) and his struggle to descend his weak, un-athletic body down a nineteen-storey, zombie-infested building, escaping into a world that was already a nightmare to him.
Each account holds a different perspective, a different genre – some purely technical, others heart-stopping rushes of action and bone-crunching gore. Broken into parts, from the warning signs to the ‘victory', it is amazing to note all the little details such as the way the world ends up whilst rebuilding – who would have thought Cuba could become an economic powerhouse? And you have to watch out for mentions of ‘The Zombie Survival Guide', which Brooks cheekily refers to:
‘It was heartbreaking, having to debunk one misguided myth after another. The civilian survival guide helped, but was still severely limited …. You could see it was clearly written by an American, the references to SUVs and personal firearms. There was no taking into account the cultural differences…'
Luckily, Brooks manages to capture many cultures this time without being too stereotypical. But what about more on Australia, Max? Perhaps next time.
Lastly, I must say something about the portrayal of the zombies themselves. Whilst only the topic of conversation for a large portion of the novel, their character shaped by others' experiences, when there are direct confrontational scenes between civilian/soldier and zombie, the descriptions of the zombies' insatiable determination are nerve-shattering. Rotting corpses with broken limbs still try to use every last ounce of energy to grasp onto their prey. They can walk under water and break out of the surf like a pack of sharks. Even a severed head will try to take a bite.
I will never walk through a field of waist-high grass again without picturing a hand reaching for my ankle – Thanks, Mr Brooks.
So perhaps I have shown you why this novel is fast becoming a cult favourite. It will not be for everyone, especially those who would prefer a fast action account of the entire war. But this is one novel I recommend, if only to experience a different way to tell a beloved tale.
Currently, ‘World War Z' has been optioned as a movie, bought by Paramount and Plan B – which is Brad Pitt's company and thus fuels speculation he will have a starring role. And, for readers and writers alike, a website has embraced the ideas of the novel to create ‘Tales of the Zombie War' (http://www.talesofworldwarz.com) where you can submit your own zombie short story.
