[Z]

World War Z is by far and away my favourite book, I think it's a modern classic. It does follow certain characters, but it switches between them to build up an overall image of what's happening around the world in this fictional timeline - so it follows a timeline rather than characters within a timeline... but each character maybe has 3 sections, so you do get satisfactory resolutions to all of the stories that Max Brooks touches upon.

I think what makes it so fantastic is how easy it is to visualise it, it's also refreshing in the sense that it's actually more of a commentary on geopolitics than it is a horror novel... you could swap out "zombies" for "unexplained illness" and it would still read as largely the same book... That's something I've always thought was incredible. It really ought to have been made into a TV series, I'm so upset that Brad Pitt ruined what is a phenomenal story and turned it into the most basic, Hollywood tripe imaginable (and I haven't even seen it!) - he's someone I thought could have perhaps taken it and brought it to life on the big screen, he can be quite a good actor at times, but the previews looked like an abomination.

I'd read a few others from the genre before tackling WWZ though... purely because it'll make it stand out more if you've read a few zombie horror novels that stick to a formula and then read World War Z which is so unique in its presentation. Cannot give that book higher praise, it was a pleasure to read it and I've re-read it countless times. There's just so much attention to detail; everything is so vividly described and there are so many memorable storylines. Perhaps the most upsetting is the little redhead girl Sharon, her story is so gripping... I wouldn't spoil it for you but I genuinely cried the first time I read it, it was sad because it was upsetting and because you could completely understand why things were happening the way they were in that scene... Ahh... Anyway, I'll stop rambling now !

[Roy Mars III]

Originally Posted by Zee

World War Z is by far and away my favourite book, I think it's a modern classic. It does follow certain characters, but it switches between them to build up an overall image of what's happening around the world in this fictional timeline - so it follows a timeline rather than characters within a timeline... but each character maybe has 3 sections, so you do get satisfactory resolutions to all of the stories that Max Brooks touches upon.

I think what makes it so fantastic is how easy it is to visualise it, it's also refreshing in the sense that it's actually more of a commentary on geopolitics than it is a horror novel... you could swap out "zombies" for "unexplained illness" and it would still read as largely the same book... That's something I've always thought was incredible. It really ought to have been made into a TV series, I'm so upset that Brad Pitt ruined what is a phenomenal story and turned it into the most basic, Hollywood tripe imaginable (and I haven't even seen it!) - he's someone I thought could have perhaps taken it and brought it to life on the big screen, he can be quite a good actor at times, but the previews looked like an abomination.

I'd read a few others from the genre before tackling WWZ though... purely because it'll make it stand out more if you've read a few zombie horror novels that stick to a formula and then read World War Z which is so unique in its presentation. Cannot give that book higher praise, it was a pleasure to read it and I've re-read it countless times. There's just so much attention to detail; everything is so vividly described and there are so many memorable storylines. Perhaps the most upsetting is the little redhead girl Sharon, her story is so gripping... I wouldn't spoil it for you but I genuinely cried the first time I read it, it was sad because it was upsetting and because you could completely understand why things were happening the way they were in that scene... Ahh... Anyway, I'll stop rambling now !

I loved World War Z as well