World War Z by Max Brooks

Spent the weekend in Osoyoos and most of the days we were there it was cloudy, which is rare in that city. Oh well I finished WWZ today while tanning on my trampoline, enjoying the cold water from the sprinkler placed underneath. The reading contest going on at my local library is treating me well, I got a coupon for a free pizza which I ordered today. I’m just relaxed!

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.

I didn’t have high expectations for this novel before I cracked the first page. There were many different things being said about World War Z and from what I could tell it was either a hit or miss with the readers. After finishing I could tell why, the novel is full of interviews from survivors of the war which is a unique way to write the entire book.

Because of this way of writing, WWZ might throw quite a few people off. There is no following a character through a secured plot while reading this book. I remember complaining about Soulless by Christopher Golden, which also was about zombies and had different viewpoints. I was surprised that by the time I reached the ending of this one I appreciated the overview effect given from the random perspectives.

Another thing about the writing that bothered me at the beginning was all of the technical terms that had to do with the military, including things like weapons, aircraft, vehicles etc. I got so lost in the intricate terms that it pulled me away from the story sometimes. After finishing the last page though I felt that brought more to the story than it did take away. I was won over in the end especially with the realism despite it being fiction. Brooks took many things into account like the different countries’ cultures, political leadership, and past wars. This book is very complex, I can admire that.

Check out Max Brook’s website http://maxbrooks.com/ he is a bit obsessed with zombies apparently. I’m going to give this one a 4 OUT OF 5. Thanks for another good read Alannis! I heard the movie sucks though.

Chow,

-MRR

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

My goal this summer is to complete a first draft of a book. I think if I’m going to seriously pursue being a writer in life I need to start now, get in the habit of MAKING time for that.  My friend Gabi said to me today that she heard people get less busy when they go to college. WE’LL SEE BOUT THAT. I hope she’s right heehee.

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

What makes Warm Bodies so loveable, is the idea of being in the zombie’s mind instead of on the outside and R – oh boy does he have a heart. The writing in this book uses lots of cacophony at the beginning, but as the protagonist develops and slowly falls in love, the lyrical paragraphs turn from gruesome to appallingly romantic.

There are several underlying themes that I think make the book, for example the focus on  hope. There are two characters that strongly contrast their views on the current zombie apocalypse, one bitter about the world, one who is a beacon of hope to everybody – especially a certain zombie boy.

Even though R can’t express himself much to other characters in the book, his mind is as colourful as Julie’s heart and reading his thoughts are what make this novel so pleasurable. You’ll never care this much for a zombie ever again!

Loved it :) As well as the last half of the movie I saw. I recommend this book, a 5 OUT OF 5.  Took me a couple days to finish because I was glued to the pages. http://www.isaacmarion.com/ There is a link to Marion’s website.

-MRR

out.