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==Plot summary==
==Plot summary==
[[File:World War Z contest winner.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Zombies approach a barricade manned by soldiers defending Yonkers, while news helicopters hover over the scene|left| Battle of Yonkers art that won an official ''World War Z'' contest, printed in the paperback edition]]
[[File:World War Z contest winner.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Zombies approach a barricade manned by soldiers defending Yonkers, while news helicopters hover over the scene|left| Battle of Yonkers art that won an official ''World War Z'' contest, printed in the paperback edition]]
From Patient Zero to mass panic, and then to the eventual armed struggle to reclaim the planet. Rather than a grand overview or a single perspective, World War Z is instead a patchwork of individual accounts, each revealing an aspect of the larger plot and simultaneously presenting a very personal tale. These different accounts take the form of interviews. The book draws from Post-apocalyptic and zombie literature. "The Great Panic" chapter describes the rout of civilization in a similar manner to H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Through individual accounts, the book is able to offer a personal (often horrifying) narrative with roots in many different genres of fiction, such as submariner warfare, trench combat, survival horror, and political speculative fiction. World War Z is also a global tale; while many interview subjects are American, American testimonies are still in the minority.
Through a series of oral interviews, Brooks, as an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, describes the history of 'World War Z'<!--name of war, not title of book-->. Although the origin of the [[Zombie apocalypse|zombie pandemic]] is unknown, the story begins in [[China]] after a zombie bites a young boy. The Chinese government attempts to contain the infection and concocts a crisis involving [[Taiwan]] to mask their activities. The infection is spread to other countries by the black market [[organ trade]] and by refugees; an outbreak in [[South Africa]] finally brings the plague to public attention.


Brooks addresses current issues such as Environmentalism, the War on Terror and international health care. He also offers an interesting juxtaposition between the modern world and that of postwar Earth. For example, Cuba becomes the world's leading economy, and Tibet becomes the most populous country. This vision of a postwar Earth is startling in its contrast to that of today.
As the infection spreads, only [[Israel]] initiates a nationwide [[quarantine]] and closes its borders. [[Pakistan]] and [[Iran]] destroy each other in a [[nuclear war]] after Iran attempts to stem the flow of refugees from Pakistan. The [[United States of America]] does little to prepare; although special forces teams are used to contain initial outbreaks, a widespread effort never starts as the nation is sapped of political will by several "[[brushfire war]]s", and an ineffective and fraudulently marketed vaccine has created a false sense of security. When the world recognizes the true scope of the problem, a period known as the "Great Panic" begins. The [[United States Army]] sends a task force to [[Yonkers, New York]], in a high-profile military campaign intended to restore American morale. However, the military relies upon Cold War tactics, weapons intended to disable vehicles, and the wounding or demoralization of human opponents: these have no effect on a force that uses [[human wave attacks|wave attacks]], has to be shot in the head to be stopped, and has no fear of death. As a result the soldiers are [[rout]]ed on live television. Other countries suffer similarly disastrous defeats, and human civilization teeters on the brink of collapse.

In South Africa, the government adopts a plan drafted by ex-[[apartheid]] government official Paul Redeker, which calls for the establishment of small "safe zones", areas surrounded by natural boundaries and cleared of zombies. Large groups of refugees are to be kept alive outside the safe zones to distract the hordes of undead, allowing those within the safe zones time to regroup. Various governments worldwide adopt their own versions of the "Redeker Plan" or evacuate to safer foreign territory. Since zombies are known to freeze solid in the cold, many civilians in North America flee to the wilds of northern [[Canada]]; approximately 11 million people die, many from starvation and [[hypothermia|exposure]].

During a conference near [[Honolulu]] aboard {{USS|Saratoga|CV-60|6}}, most of the world's leaders indicate they want to wait out the zombie plague, but the US President successfully argues that the only way to survive physically and psychologically is to go on the offensive. Determined to lead by example, the United States military reinvents itself to meet the specific challenges involved in fighting the living dead: automatic weapons and [[Maneuver warfare|mobility]] are replaced by semi-automatic rifles and formation firing, troops are retrained to focus on head shots and slow, steady rates of fire, and a multipurpose hand tool, the Lobotomizer or "Lobo", is designed to destroy zombie heads close up. In two north–south lines stretching across North America, the U.S. military leaves its safe zone west of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and crosses the continent, systematically destroying the zombies and reclaiming outposts of survivors (whether they want to be reclaimed or not).

Ten years after the "official" end of the zombie war, millions of zombies are still active and the geopolitical landscape of the Earth has been transformed. A democratic [[Cuba]] has become the world's most thriving economy and international banking capital. China has become a democracy—after a civil war was ended by a Chinese nuclear submarine launching [[intercontinental ballistic missiles]] at the [[Communist Party of China|Communist leadership]]—but has been vastly depopulated, while [[Tibet]], freed from Chinese rule, hosts the world's [[Lhasa|most populated city]]. Following a religious revolution, [[Russia]] is now an expansionist [[theocracy]]. [[North Korea]] is completely empty, with the entire population having disappeared underground; it is unknown if they survived or have become zombies. [[Iceland]] has been completely depopulated, and is the world's most heavily infested country. The United Nations fields a large military force to eliminate the remaining zombies from overrun areas, defeat hordes surfacing from the ocean floor, and kill frozen zombies before they thaw. Major effects of the war are a drastic reduction in the human population, which is alluded to have been brought to the brink of extinction, and the devastation of many environments and species, as much by desperate humans as by marauding zombies.


==Themes==
==Themes==

Revision as of 10:12, 13 September 2011

This article is about the novel. For the movie, see World War Z (film).
World War Z
The cover of World War Z
The cover of World War Z
AuthorMax Brooks
LanguageEnglish
GenreHorror, post-apocalyptic fiction
PublisherCrown
Publication date
September 12, 2006 (2006-09-12)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages352 pp
ISBN0307346609
OCLC65340967
813/.6 22
LC ClassPS3602.R6445 W67 2006
Preceded byThe Zombie Survival Guide 

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. It is a follow-up to his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. Rather than a grand overview or narrative, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdote. Brooks plays the role of an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission who published the report a decade after the Zombie War. The United Nations left out much of his work from the official report, choosing to focus on facts and figures from the war rather than the individual stories that form the bulk of Brooks' novel. The interviews chart a decade-long war against zombies from the view point of many different people of various nationalities. The personal accounts also describe the changing religious, geo-political, and environmental aftermath of the Zombie War.

World War Z was inspired by The Good War, an oral history of World War II by Studs Terkel; and by the zombie films of director George A. Romero. Brooks used World War Z to comment on social issues like government ineptitude and American isolationism, while also examining themes of survivalism and uncertainty. Critics have praised the novel for reinventing the zombie genre; the audiobook version, performed by a full cast including Alan Alda, Mark Hamill and John Turturro, won an Audie Award in 2007. A film based upon the book is in production, and is set for a December 2012 release.

Development

Brooks designed World War Z to follow the "laws" set up in The Zombie Survival Guide, and explained that the guide may exist in the world of the novel as a precursor to the Zombie War.[1] The zombies of The Zombie Survival Guide are undead humans reanimated by an incurable virus, Solanum. They are devoid of intelligence and are motivated only by the desire to consume living flesh. The only way to destroy them is to destroy the brain, by any means. Although zombies are as strong as the humans they infected, and do not tire, they are slow moving and incapable of planning or cooperation in their attacks. Zombies usually reveal their presence by moaning.[2]

Brooks did a large amount of research while writing World War Z to make the novel as realistic as possible: "Everything in World War Z (as in The Zombie Survival Guide) is based in reality... well, except the zombies. But seriously, everything else in the book is either taken from reality or 100% real. The technology, politics, economics, culture, military tactics... it was a LOT of homework."[3] Brooks used a variety of reference books and consulted with friends who were experts in several fields when writing the novel.[3] He also cites the U.S. Army as a reference[4] on firearm statistics, though he does not state how those statistics were obtained.

Plot summary

Zombies approach a barricade manned by soldiers defending Yonkers, while news helicopters hover over the scene
Battle of Yonkers art that won an official World War Z contest, printed in the paperback edition

From Patient Zero to mass panic, and then to the eventual armed struggle to reclaim the planet. Rather than a grand overview or a single perspective, World War Z is instead a patchwork of individual accounts, each revealing an aspect of the larger plot and simultaneously presenting a very personal tale. These different accounts take the form of interviews. The book draws from Post-apocalyptic and zombie literature. "The Great Panic" chapter describes the rout of civilization in a similar manner to H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Through individual accounts, the book is able to offer a personal (often horrifying) narrative with roots in many different genres of fiction, such as submariner warfare, trench combat, survival horror, and political speculative fiction. World War Z is also a global tale; while many interview subjects are American, American testimonies are still in the minority.

Brooks addresses current issues such as Environmentalism, the War on Terror and international health care. He also offers an interesting juxtaposition between the modern world and that of postwar Earth. For example, Cuba becomes the world's leading economy, and Tibet becomes the most populous country. This vision of a postwar Earth is startling in its contrast to that of today.

Themes

Social commentary

Reviewers have noted that Brooks uses World War Z as a platform to criticize government ineptitude, corporate corruption and human short-sightedness.[5][6] At one point in the book, a Palestinian youth living in Kuwait refuses to believe that the dead are rising, fearing it is a trick by Israel. Many American characters blame the United States' inability to counter the zombie threat on low confidence in the government due to conflicts in the Middle East.[7] Brooks also shows his particular dislike of government bureaucracy. One character in the novel tries to justify lying about the zombie outbreak to avoid widespread panic, while at the same time failing to develop a solution for fear of arousing public ire.[8][9] Alden Utter, a reviewer for The Eagle, notes similarities between the government's response in the novel and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: "Early warnings are missed, crucial reports go unheeded, profiteers make millions selling placebos, the army equips itself with tools perfect for the last war they fought and populations ignore the extent of threat until it is staring them in the face — this is, surprisingly, a post-Katrina zombie tale."[10]

Brooks has also criticized American isolationism:

I love my country enough to admit that one of our national flaws is isolationism. I wanted to combat that in World War Z and maybe give my fellow Americans a window into the political and cultural workings of other nations. Yes, in World War Z some nations come out as winners and some as losers, but isn't that the case in real life as well? I wanted to base my stories on the historical actions of the countries in question, and if it offends some individuals, then maybe they should reexamine their own nation's history.[1]

Survivalism

Survivalism and disaster preparedness are other prevalent themes in the novel. Several interviews, especially those from the United States, focus on policy changes designed to train the surviving Americans to fight the zombies and rebuild the country.[7] For example, when cities were made to be as efficient as possible in order to fight the zombies, the plumber could be a higher status than the former CEO. Throughout the novel, characters demonstrate the physical and mental requirements needed to survive a disaster.[9] In a 2008 interview, Brooks described the large amount of research needed to find optimal methods for fighting a worldwide zombie outbreak. He also pointed out that Americans like the zombie genre because they are a nation of individualists who believe that they can survive anything with the right tools and talent.[3]

Fear and uncertainty

Brooks considers the theme of uncertainty central to the zombie genre. He believes that zombies allow people to deal with their own anxiety about the end of the world.[11] Brooks has expressed a deep fear of zombies:

They scare me more than any other fictional creature out there because they break all the rules. Werewolves and vampires and giant sharks, you have to go look for them. My attitude is if you go looking for them, no sympathy. But zombies come to you. Zombies don't act like a predator; they act like a virus, and that is the core of my terror. A predator is intelligent by nature, and knows not to overhunt its feeding ground. A virus will just continue to spread, infect and consume, no matter what happens. It's the mindlessness behind it.[12]

This mindlessness is connected to the context in which Brooks was writing. In a July 2006 interview, he declared: "at this point we're pretty much living in an irrational time", full of human suffering and lacking reason or logic.[13] When asked in a subsequent interview about how he would compare terrorists with zombies, Brooks said:

The lack of rational thought has always scared me when it came to zombies, the idea that there is no middle ground, no room for negotiation. That has always terrified me. Of course that applies to terrorists, but it can also apply to a hurricane, or flu pandemic, or the potential earthquake that I grew up with living in L.A. Any kind of mindless extremism scares me, and we're living in some pretty extreme times.[3]

Literary significance and reception

Reviews for the novel have been generally positive. Steven H. Silver identified Brooks' international focus as the novel's greatest strength. He also commented favorably on Brooks' ability to create an appreciation for the work needed to combat a global zombie outbreak. Silver's only complaint was with "Good-Byes" – the final chapter of the book – in which characters get a chance to give a final closing statement. Silver felt that it was not always apparent who the sundry, undifferentiated characters were.[14]

Gilbert Cruz of Entertainment Weekly gave the novel an "A" rating, commenting that the novel shared with great zombie stories the use of a central metaphor, describing it as "an addictively readable oral history."[9] The Eagle described the book as being "unlike any other zombie tale" and "sufficiently terrifying for most readers, and not always in a blood-and-guts way, either."[10] Keith Phipps of The Onion's The A.V. Club stated that the format of the novel makes it difficult for it to develop momentum, but found the novel's individual episodes gripping.[5] In his review for Time Out Chicago, Pete Coco declared that "[b]ending horror to the form of alternative history would have been novel in and of itself. Doing so in the mode of Studs Terkel might constitute brilliance."[15]

Ron Currie Jr. named World War Z one of his favorite apocalyptic novels and praised Brooks for illustrating "the tacit agreement between writer and reader that is essential to the success of stories about the end of the world ... [both] agree to pretend that this is not fiction, that in fact the horrific tales of a war between humans and zombies are based in reality".[6] Patrick Daily of the Chicago Reader said the novel transcends the "silliness" of The Zombie Survival Guide by "touching on deeper, more somber aspects of the human condition".[16] Drew Taylor of the Fairfield County Weekly credits World War Z with making zombies more popular in mainstream society.[17]

A reviewer on RPGnet gave the novel 5 out of 5 critical hits,[18] while About.com gave the novel 4.5 out of 5 stars.[19] The hardcover version of World War Z spent four weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, peaking at number nine.[20][21] According to Publishers Weekly, World War Z has sold 600,000 copies in all formats.[22]

References to other works

Brooks (right) and George Romero

In an October 2006 interview with Eatmybrains.com, Brooks discussed the cultural influences on the novel. He claimed inspiration from The Good War by Studs Terkel. Brooks stated: "[Terkel's book is] an oral history of World War II. I read when I was a teenager and it's sat with me ever since. When I sat down to write World War Z, I wanted it to be in the vein of an oral history."[1]

Brooks also cited renowned zombie film director George A. Romero as an influence, and criticized The Return of the Living Dead films: "They cheapen zombies, make them silly and campy. They've done for the living dead what the old Batman TV show did for the Dark Knight."[1] Brooks acknowledged making several references to popular culture in the novel, including one to alien robot franchise Transformers, but declined to identify the others so that readers could discover them independently.[1]

Audiobook

An abridged audiobook was published in 2007 by Random House, directed by John McElroy, produced by Dan Zitt, with sound editing by Charles De Montebello. The book is read by author Max Brooks, but includes many other actors taking on the roles of the many individual characters who are interviewed in the novel. Brooks, thanks to his first career doing voice-over work and cartoons, was able to recommend a large number of the cast members.[12]

Cast

Critical reception and recognition

In her review of the audiobook for Strange Horizons, Siobhan Carroll called the story "gripping" and found the listening experience evocative of Orson Welles's famous narration of The War of the Worlds. Carroll had mixed opinions on the voice acting, commending it as "solid and understated, mercifully free of "special effects" and "scenery chewing" overall, but lamenting what she perceived as undue cheeriness on the part of Max Brooks and inauthenticity in the Chinese accent of Steve Park.[7] Publishers Weekly also criticized Brook's narration, but found that the rest of the "all-star cast; deliver their parts with such fervor and intensity that listeners cannot help but empathize with these characters".[24] In an article in Slate concerning the mistakes producers make on publishing audiobooks, Nate DiMeo used World War Z as an example of dramatizations whose full casts contributed to making them "great listens", and described the book as a "smarter-than-it-has-any-right-to-be zombie novel."[25] The World War Z audiobook won the 2007 Audie Award for Multi-Voiced Performance and was nominated for Audiobook of the Year.[26][27]

Film adaptation

Main article: World War Z (film)

In 2007, the movie rights for World War Z were secured by Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment.[28] The screenplay was written by J. Michael Straczynski, with Marc Forster directing, and Pitt starring as the main character, United Nations employee Gerry Lane.[29][30] Production was to begin at the start of 2009, but by mid-year, the script was still under development and being re-written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, and filming did not commence until mid-2011.[29][31] Initial filming ocurred in Malta before moving on to Glasgow, (which was used to represent Philadelphia as uncertainty over tax credits for filmmakers caused the production team to avoid the American city).[32][33][34] World War Z is to be released by Paramount Pictures on December 21, 2012.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Exclusive Interview: Max Brooks on World War Z". Eat My Brains!. October 20, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  2. ^ "'The Zombie Survival Guide' With Max Brooks". Interview. Washington Post. October 30, 2003. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  3. ^ a b c d Brooks, Max (October 6, 2006). "Zombie Wars". Washington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  4. ^ "Max Brooks Talks pt. 1, Comic-Con 2008".
  5. ^ a b Phipps, Keith (October 25, 2006). "World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved September 19, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Currie, Ron (September 5, 2008). "The End of the World as We Know it". Untitled Books. Retrieved September 21, 2008. [dead link]
  7. ^ a b c Carroll, Siobhan (October 31, 2006). "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks". Strange Horizons. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  8. ^ Chappell, Les (February 4, 2007). "Brooks redefines the zombie genre in WWZ". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Cruz, Gilber (September 15, 2006). "Book Review World War Z". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  10. ^ a b Utter, Alden (October 2, 2006). "Brooks puts brains in print for zombie fanatics". The Eagle. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  11. ^ Cripps, Charlotte (November 1, 2006). "Preview: Max Brooks' Festival Of The (Living) Dead! Barbican, London". The Independent. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  12. ^ a b Lance Eaton (October 2, 2006). "Zombies Spreading like a Virus: PW Talks with Max Brooks". Interview. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2009-01-15. [dead link]
  13. ^ Donahue, Dick (August 7, 2006). "Three Answers: Max Brooks". Interview. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2009-01-15. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) [dead link]
  14. ^ Silver, Steven H. (2006). "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Review". SF Site. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  15. ^ Coco, Pete (October 11, 2008). "Review: World War Z". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  16. ^ Daily, Patrick. "Max Brooks". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  17. ^ Taylor, Drew (October 28, 2008). "The Hunt for Real October". Fairfield Count Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2008. [dead link]
  18. ^ "Review of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War". RGPnet. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  19. ^ Houle, Brian. "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks". About.com. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  20. ^ "Best Sellers: October 15, 2006". The New York Times. October 15, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  21. ^ "Title Profile: World War Z". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2009. [dead link]
  22. ^ "People: 7/20/2009". Publishers Weekly. July 20, 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009. [dead link]
  23. ^ front cover of five-disk CD packaging, ISBN 978-0-7393-6640-0
  24. ^ "Audio Reviews: Week of 10/2/2006". Book review. Publishers Weekly. October 2, 2006. Retrieved 2009-01-15. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) [dead link]
  25. ^ DiMeo, Nate (September 18, 2008). "Read Me a Story, Brad Pitt". Slate. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  26. ^ "Audie Award press release" (PDF). Audio Publishers Association. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  27. ^ "Audies Gala 2007 Winners and nominees". Audio Publishers Association. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  28. ^ LaPorte, Nicole (June 14, 2006). "Par, Plan B raise 'Zombie'". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ a b Marshall, Rick (December 3, 2008). "J. Michael Straczynski On 'World War Z': 'The Scale Of What We're Doing Here Is Phenomenal'". MTV Movie Blog. Retrieved December 3, 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ Marshall, Rick (July 22, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Brad Pitt To Star In 'World War Z,' Paramount Options 'Zombie Survival Guide' And 'Recorded Attacks'". MTV. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  31. ^ Michael Gingold (July 16, 2009). "New Screenwriter Takes On WORLD WAR Z". Fangoria. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  32. ^ Little Horn, Georgina (2011-07-05). "It's too loud, Daddy! Brad Pitt's boys cover their ears during explosive visit to set of his new film World War Z". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  33. ^ "Open casting for Brad Pitt zombie movie in Glasgow". BBC News. July 8, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  34. ^ Mucha, Peter (June 15, 2011). "We've lost a Pitt zombie flick". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  35. ^ Kit, Borys (2011-08-09). "Box Office Smackdown: Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' to Open Against Johnny Depp's 'Lone Ranger'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-08-09.

External links

Zombies
In media

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