Poll: World War Z - should I go get it and read it?

[300lb. Samoan]

I want to read World War Z. First of all, is it good? Second, should I read Zombie Survival Guide first or will I enjoy it just as much if I leave it for second? I'm thinking of reading it in reverse order - if the story is interesting enough, I'd have more interest in the Survival Guide which I've already read snippets of.

Spoiler: Third, this barely related content:

My band's song Solanum. About someone who is bitten by a zombie and rushes to find their lover before the virus takes hold.
*NSFW*
ps I'm on the drums!

 

[brucelee13245]

its a really good book, i loved reading it and if u like these kinds of novels find one called, "day by day Armageddon" It's the story of a soldier that decides to survive on his own after the zombies attack instead of going to the base. Its in diary form so its a really good read, i suggest it! but world war z is worth the read.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

I'm reading World War Z right now-- it's a fun read. The story is divided into interviews with survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse, all of which are interesting yet fairly short, so the story moves along at a really nice pace. It also makes it an easy book to pick up, read an interview, and go back to whatever else you ahve to do.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

its a really good book, i loved reading it and if u like these kinds of novels find one called, "day by day Armageddon" It's the story of a soldier that decides to survive on his own after the zombies attack instead of going to the base. Its in diary form so its a really good read, i suggest it! but world war z is worth the read.

Cool! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Nerf Ninja]

I'd recommend you get the audiobook instead. It has a feel of someone travelling around and interviewing people, as all the characters are voiced by different people with Max Brooks himself doing the interviewing. Plus Luke Skywalker is in it so that's a bonus.

 

[jthm]

Get both and read the survival guide first. WWZ is better in my opinion, but it's more complete if you're reading it from the survival guide.

 

[Riobux]

The real defining factor is: Do you find zombies fun enough to read about them? If you do, go for it. If you don't, leave it alone. I actually ended up in a large argument that droned on for about two hours where someone was trying to convince me to buy World War Z.

I was saying I didn't want to because I found zombies over-done and boring and I really am not usually into waste-land books. He was arguing I was wrong in my preconceptions and despite the over-whelming obvious theme, the theme was about society's survival. I accept that yes, there is an element of "look at how these people survived", but there's an over-whelming element of zombies. Which unless it's computer games, I find just boring.

Anyway, as I said, it depends if you like zombies.

 

[8bitlove2a03]

Go for the ZSG first, simply because it was intended for a pre-zombie apocalypse audience, whereas WWZ is post-apocalypse. Keep it in chronological order.

Also, shameless self promotion is shameless.

 

[Yokai]

They're not exactly a series. The one can is a companion to the other; you can read them in any order. And I will say that the ZSG is awesome, and World War Z is absolutely brilliant. It's rather darkly satirical, full of interesting stories, and overall just feels like a very realistic interpretation of what would happen in a zombie apocalypse. It's one of my favorite books. Read it, for sure.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

Anyway, as I said, it depends if you like zombies.

I like zombies and zombie themes, I like Romero's take on zombies as a human plague and 28 Days Later's biological weapon approach. I don't care for the Resident Evil movies' endless swarm of evil punching bags approach. I'd like to know if the book is at all concerned with the classic "what mistakes mankind made to bring this doom upon themselves" questions, Romero style, or if it's just a point-blank "we were here and then there were zombies and then we ran" survival procedural.

I can see what you mean about them being way too played-out. Something like "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" really has me wondering if there was any attempt at contributing some kind of idea or if it's just a rehash money-grab.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

It's rather darkly satirical, full of interesting stories, and overall just feels like a very realistic interpretation of what would happen in a zombie apocalypse. It's one of my favorite books. Read it, for sure.

Sounds good.

Also, shameless self promotion is shameless.

Yer damn right it's shameless! Every body needs to get to the top of this page and listen to my kick-ass band! Even if we are drunk as hell and singing out of tune, we rock and roll!

 

[bigolbear]

I'd go for both, though WWZ is by far the most satisfying read. Max Brooks takes a straight-laced look at the idea of a zombie outbreak that makes all offerings that come before look childish and tired. Well researched, well written and imaginative modern classic.

 

[b34r]

World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide are both excellent.
I voted for the Guide because, let's face it, the rise of the undead is inevitable, and it never hurts to have a good field manual under your belt.

Honestly, don't pick between them. They're both too good to pass up.

 

[Riobux]

Anyway, as I said, it depends if you like zombies.

I like zombies and zombie themes,

Well, there you go. Go buy it then. You'll likely enjoy it. From what I heard Max Brooks is a very good writer when it comes to zombie related stuff. However, you may want to get the Zombie Survival Guide first. World War Z is meant to be a sequel to that I think.

 

[bojac6]

It is a really good read and a lot of fun. The audiobook is also fantastic, with a great cast. Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, I think maybe Stephen Fry (don't remember).
Also it takes like 3 hours to read. Is spending 3 hours reading a book really so much of a commitment that you need to conduct an online poll over whether to do it?

 

[HerrBobo]

WWZ is great! The thing you should know about it though is it is not a novel, per se. It is more like a collection of (very) short stories about peoples experiences of the Zombie War. Nor is it particularly bloody. If you looking for a gore-fest, look else where.

What it is, is a very cleverly written book. It is written very realistically and you could belive that an outbreak could happen just by reading it. In fact, several times I was like "Did this actually happen and no one ever told me about it?!"

 

[VGCATZ]

The book is great. WWZ uses an interesting narrative structure and a mix of storylines to keep you interested. I'd go for it

 

[Sam G]

Hey, that was a good song! Your band's not bad at all!

OT: I actually came to this thread asking the same question you did, for the sole reason that that's the only book in the history of publication featuring a Monk's Spade...

 

[Flight]

I'd say to get both of those books. I thought World War Z was really good and better than the Zombie Survival Guide, though.