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snowie0_0's review
Thought I could do the gore but didn't even make it through the first chapter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
nerdisauruswrex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
gr4cie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is such an intriguing and new way to capture a zombie book. By having it as a documentary style, and gaining multiple peoples perspectives you get a full captured view of how this world works and how it was shaped. Absolutely draws you in and you won’t want to put it down. Keeps your attention at every turn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
illustriousfilm's review against another edition
I'm not really a fan of the interview-style storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
mashtonok's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abandonment, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
amorphousbl0b's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Reading World War Z in 2024 is strange and beautiful because, on a much less catastrophic scale, we're now in a similar position to its narrators.
We have emerged on the other end of a devastating pandemic. It's not over, not really, the proverbial zombies do still bite people all the time, but that's just part of our way of life now. We all remember watching it grow in other countries and then reach our own shores, our calls to the government to take some action growing in intensity while they simply ignored the issue because doing nothing and assuring us things were going to be fine was easier to do in an election year. We all remember the sudden onset of panic when lockdown was declared, we remember the political pissing matches over whether these measures were necessary, and we remember the callousness of many who simply refused to take on their new civic responsibilities.
We were trapped inside for six months, a year, for some of us longer. We fell out of contact with friends, family, and the outside world at large. Sometimes we didn't leave our houses for weeks or months at a time. People began dying regardless. We all caught it, or at least know many, many people who caught it. Many of us know someone who died.
And then, suddenly, it was declared over. The vaccine worked! The zombies are gone! You can go back to work now! But people still die. The shape of our infrastructure is forever changed by the measures taken -- ordering groceries to be delivered is a great convenience born from necessity and no small amount of blood. We all lost a year of our lives. And we just live on regardless, because what are we gonna do? Just stop the economy from turning?
When the book was written, back in 2007, World War Z was painfully familiar with the fact that our lives in the West were somewhat insulated from the things that happen on the news. We rarely dealt with disease, with war, with governmental instability, with shortage. It meditates on 9/11 and the AIDS epidemic, moments when the American public was confronted with the fragility of its own security. And it meditates on our reactions before -- ignore, deny, shift the blame -- and after -- go on the attack, then go back to normal. Anything but substantive change.
Ain't that the truth.
I tried to read WWZ several years ago and bounced off. It was a little too dry for my teenage attention span. I think, in hindsight, that was a good thing. I'd never have appreciated then it as much as I can now.
We have emerged on the other end of a devastating pandemic. It's not over, not really, the proverbial zombies do still bite people all the time, but that's just part of our way of life now. We all remember watching it grow in other countries and then reach our own shores, our calls to the government to take some action growing in intensity while they simply ignored the issue because doing nothing and assuring us things were going to be fine was easier to do in an election year. We all remember the sudden onset of panic when lockdown was declared, we remember the political pissing matches over whether these measures were necessary, and we remember the callousness of many who simply refused to take on their new civic responsibilities.
We were trapped inside for six months, a year, for some of us longer. We fell out of contact with friends, family, and the outside world at large. Sometimes we didn't leave our houses for weeks or months at a time. People began dying regardless. We all caught it, or at least know many, many people who caught it. Many of us know someone who died.
And then, suddenly, it was declared over. The vaccine worked! The zombies are gone! You can go back to work now! But people still die. The shape of our infrastructure is forever changed by the measures taken -- ordering groceries to be delivered is a great convenience born from necessity and no small amount of blood. We all lost a year of our lives. And we just live on regardless, because what are we gonna do? Just stop the economy from turning?
When the book was written, back in 2007, World War Z was painfully familiar with the fact that our lives in the West were somewhat insulated from the things that happen on the news. We rarely dealt with disease, with war, with governmental instability, with shortage. It meditates on 9/11 and the AIDS epidemic, moments when the American public was confronted with the fragility of its own security. And it meditates on our reactions before -- ignore, deny, shift the blame -- and after -- go on the attack, then go back to normal. Anything but substantive change.
Ain't that the truth.
I tried to read WWZ several years ago and bounced off. It was a little too dry for my teenage attention span. I think, in hindsight, that was a good thing. I'd never have appreciated then it as much as I can now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Self harm, Xenophobia, and Cannibalism
holistichistorian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
World War Z is unlike any book I’ve ever read. As a work of historical fiction, I find it extremely interesting. I thoroughly enjoy its interview style, it kept me turning pages and made for an interesting and surprisingly fast read. I found the excerpts from other countries (such as in the Around the World, and Above chapter) much more interesting than the many from America, the interview of Mister Khan from Rajasthan in particular. I felt that the ‘show, don’t tell’ aspect of this novel worked quite well in parts, eluding to certain world events and leaders as if the reader were a part of that universe and was already familiar with them. The emotional beats were well placed and fitting, I never felt overwhelmed but the grief and despair of the characters were warranted and written well. As a fan of horror, gore and all that comes with it, I am satisfied. There were plenty of gruesome depictions of zombies and battles, I found the retelling of combat just as gripping and tense as if I were watching it in real-time.
As for my gripes, there are only a few. I found some of the characters, especially from the military, to be slightly too similar in their personality which, at points, made it difficult to differentiate accounts. Furthermore, as previously stated, I found that there was too much focus on America, both in its status during the war and in the amount of Americans interviewed. However, I do understand this novel’s fixation since the author is himself American. I’m sure a British author would have written too much about Britain. As for the depictions of other countries and cultures, I felt like this was absolutely necessary for a novel about a world war. I am interested to hear how other people feel about the accuracy of this representation.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I wish there was more on Scotland but I found some form of comfort or relatability in most of the characters in any case. I feel like it’s a must-read for any zombie nut and, possibly, for any aspiring historian as a fun bit of fiction. I recommend this to anyone who likes their action adventure on the dark side - it has depressingly realistic moments. Proceed with caution if you find mental health difficult to read about. I hope many more find World War Z as exhilarating a read as I have!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug use, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Torture, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
danielrenediaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Gun violence
mauvenotebook's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Great book. Some of the characters were a little weak, and you can definitely tell it was written in 2006, but it still holds up really well. The choice of format was very original, and I liked how he included characters from all over the world instead of focusing on the US and Western Europe like most zombie novels.
My favorite stories were the one about the Russian priest, the one about the downed pilot, the entire Todd Waino arc, and the one about Arthur Sinclair.
My favorite stories were the one about the Russian priest, the one about the downed pilot, the entire Todd Waino arc, and the one about Arthur Sinclair.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Suicide, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
nyxonyxdust's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War