World War Z - An Oral History of the Zombie War
First edition, 2006
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (2006) is a post-apocalyptic novel by Max Brooks structured as a series of survivor testimonies gathered by a UN investigator in the aftermath of a global zombie outbreak that came close to ending human civilization. The format mimics documentary nonfiction, with interviewees drawn from across the world: soldiers, politicians, refugees, submarine crews, astronauts stranded on the International Space Station. Each account adds a piece to the larger picture of how the outbreak began, how governments failed to respond, how societies collapsed, and how humanity eventually fought back.
Brooks is less interested in the zombies themselves than in how people and governments respond to the crisis. Early warnings are ignored or suppressed, misinformation spreads, and governments repeatedly fail to understand what they are facing before eventually adapting. The oral-history structure gives the novel an unusually broad view of social collapse and recovery, combining zombie horror with political and social satire. It was adapted as a 2013 film starring Brad Pitt, though the film largely abandoned the novel's structure and satirical dimension. Brooks is the son of filmmaker Mel Brooks.
Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. New York: Crown, 2006. ISBN: 0307346609. #11481.
Near fine in near fine dust jacket.
Brooks is less interested in the zombies themselves than in how people and governments respond to the crisis. Early warnings are ignored or suppressed, misinformation spreads, and governments repeatedly fail to understand what they are facing before eventually adapting. The oral-history structure gives the novel an unusually broad view of social collapse and recovery, combining zombie horror with political and social satire. It was adapted as a 2013 film starring Brad Pitt, though the film largely abandoned the novel's structure and satirical dimension. Brooks is the son of filmmaker Mel Brooks.
Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. New York: Crown, 2006. ISBN: 0307346609. #11481.
Near fine in near fine dust jacket.