WWZ: Introduction to World War Z

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

As you'll hear on the podcast this week, our next book is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.

Here's part of the description:

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Start reading, and enjoy!

[Fee]

Awesome! I will enjoy this!

[Ben]

I found the audiobooks to both World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide to be immensely enjoyable. World War Z in particular has a great cast (Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, John Turturro, Jürgen Prochnow, Henry Rollins (!), and loads of others. Since the World War Z audiobook is abridged, I may read the book this time around.

[Mark]

The audio is excellent with many great performances. Like Ben, I might try reading the full version this time.

[Matty Van]

just started perdido street station, and will read this next, am glad my library has it

[Doug]

Got it at the bookstore at lunch. Good so far!

[Luis]

Just bought this last night on the Kindle for iPad app....before I read this. Good timing.

[Paul]

For supplemental material, do a search on YouTube for Max Brooks -- he gives talks at colleges (on how to survive zombie attacks, of course) and they are great fun.

[Johnathan]

I was about to pick this up in the bookstore a week or so ago, but didn't because of the growing stack of books accumulating next to my bed...but then I heard that it was being read for Sword and Laser. So I'm going to pick it up and start on it! This is my first Sword and Laser book, and it's cool to have a place like this to discuss what we come across. I've heard great things, so I can't wait.

[Philip]

The audio version is abridged at my library and also with Audible- not cool! I wish abridgments would be constitutionally outlawed. The hard copy would take me 2-3 months to get through, so I'm stuck with the abridged version. It does have good reviews on Audible, and was winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Multi-Voiced Performance. I'll be wondering what I missed, though...

[Alan]

The audio is very good, but as Philip says, it was abridged ..... I try to never never never read abridged, but ..... anyway, looking forward to the discussion.

[Scott]

I had this on my Amazon wish list and now that Sword and Laser are starting this it will be a great time to start.

[David]

Started this book a little late but really getting into it. Very disturbed by the way that people are treated by others at this point in the book. As Veronica said on the podcast this may not be a recommended read right before going to sleep!

[Matty Van]

I think its the perfect pre bed time reading, nothing calms the soul like zombies and shotguns