Max Brooks's Blog, page 3
July 8, 2015
Tambora
Two weeks ago I took part in a forum at the Atlantic Council (Video: Envisioning the Future of Urban Warfare) and during our conversation I mentioned the book “Tambora: The Eruption that Changed the World”, but completely blanked on the author’s name. He is Gillen D’Arcy Wood and his book explores the effects of one remote island volcanic eruption and the entire course of human civilization. I could not recommend it more.
Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World – by Gillen D’Arcy Wood
May 18, 2015
Harlem Hellfighter (finally) gets his Medal of Honor
After almost 100 years, war hero Henry Johnson is about to receive the Medal of Honor.
During World War I he saved a buddy from being captured while single-handedly fighting off an entire German raiding party! The French pinned a medal on him immediately while the Americans wouldn’t even recognize his heroism until 2002. If he’d been white, he’d be as famous as Sergeant York or Audie Murphy. Now, finally, Henry Johnson gets the respect and gratitude he deserves.
November 21, 2014
November 19, 2014
A Night in “Shawshank”
It’s the 20th anniversary of “The Shawshank Redemption” and last night I was asked to moderate a panel discussion with Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman and writer-director Frank Darabont. We spoke for 40 minutes and then got to watch the movie on the big screen. The article below has a clip of the evening.
Max Brooks, Frank Darabont, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins © A.M.P.A.S.
November 13, 2014
Harlem Hellfighters on WPIX
This piece just ran on New York’s WPIX. Hopefully it brings Henry Johnson closer to the medal of honor.
October 31, 2014
Interview with The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
I gave an interview for the Successful Dyslexics series at The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. Read the full post here.
October 16, 2014
Is Ebola the real ‘World War Z?’ (Spoiler alert: It’s not)
In 2006, I released a novel about a global zombie plague that drives humanity to the brink of extinction. While the zombies may have been fake, I tried to anchor the human response (political-military-economic-cultural) in reality. I studied the history of pandemics, natural disasters and industrialized warfare. I interviewed doctors, soldiers, journalists and someone who “has never gotten a check from the CIA” in an attempt to illustrate the fragile global systems that shield our species from the abyss. As a result, I’ve been repeatedly asked if the current outbreak of Ebola is the real-life incarnation of my novel. As much as any author would love to crow about how “I predicted this!”, this time, I’m happy to say, my fictional plague could not be more different from the truth.
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July 2, 2014
THE EXTINCTION PARADE: VOLUME 1 in stores now
The combined volume of “The Extinction Parade”, issues 1-5 is now available.
This first volume traces the rise of the zombie plague and how the vampires transition from indifference, to excitement, to anxiety and finally into fear driven war. This is what happens when an arrogant, insulated, comfort obsessed species has to be dragged kicking and screaming into defending themselves, and their one food source (humans) from an invasive blight that could be the end of them all.
April 2, 2014
March 11, 2014
Will Smith Options “The Harlem Hellfighters”
So thrilled to announce that Will Smith and Sony Pictures optioned the movie rights to my upcoming graphic novel “The Harlem Hellfighters”.
