World War Z

I finished reading Max Brooks’ World War Z last night, and I really enjoyed his take on the zombie apocalypse. Instead of writing a straight expository narrative, Brooks’ novel tells the tale of the living undead overrunning the world via a series of first-person accounts. The book is an oral history of the battle between the living and the undead, and it really works well.

This is the second Max Brooks book in a row that I’ve read, and I’m really impressed with his work. Presenting this story as a series of interviews could have been nothing more than a gimmick, but instead Brooks uses it as a way to let the reader figure out all the stuff that the zombie war survivors take for granted.

Brooks does a great job capturing the voices of his characters, from the insane ex-President to the Israeli foot soldier to the civilian survivors to deep sea divers to the profiteers. Each story adds either some tidbit of information about the outbreak or introduces a new strategy that the survivors used to clear out the infested zones. Despite the fact that you know that humans (and the characters being “interviewed”) eventually triumph, the tension is almost unbearable in places.

Like all great post-apocalyptic stories, World War Z is a reflection of today’s society, and like all great zombie stories, the real enemy isn’t the undead, it’s man.

I’ve only got a couple of more post-apocalypse themed books to read–Monster Nation and The Road–then I think I’ll read something upbeat and cheerful.