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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this.
I think I wanted this book to be more humorous. Instead I felt like I was back in university reading a textbook. I have to give it to the author, this book was written to sound very professional and thorough about a non-existing subject but it's just not what I wanted.
I couldn't get into it. I didn't feel like reading knowing that this was the book I had in my bag. That's never a good sign.
Maybe I'll give it another try at a later time, since now I know what to expect.
I think I wanted this book to be more humorous. Instead I felt like I was back in university reading a textbook. I have to give it to the author, this book was written to sound very professional and thorough about a non-existing subject but it's just not what I wanted.
I couldn't get into it. I didn't feel like reading knowing that this was the book I had in my bag. That's never a good sign.
Maybe I'll give it another try at a later time, since now I know what to expect.
I read this book expecting something delightfully geeky. It's true that I'm not that obsessed about zombie, but as a child, I have experienced a prolonged obsession of making my house Velociraptor-proof (blame Jurassic Park for that) so I'm no stranger to this kind of paranoia.
What's so funny about this book is -ironically- the lack of humor. The zombie apocalypse is treated very, very seriously. Seems that Max Brooks did really, really extensive research before writing it. Funny that I learn more about gun specification from this book than any books about war that I have read. I also like that it didn't dwell too long on the 'misled information from Hollywood movies about the living dead'. The book just dismissed that as 'fiction' and focused on the more important and 'real' problem we're facing : the ever-present threat of actual zombie attack.
Halfway reading, it become more repetitive and exhaustive. Aside from occasional snarky statement and scarily comprehensive made-up historical account, I just skipped a lot .
However I think it's a good book for any zombie-apocalypse-paranoid. I also hope those genre-blind characters from zombie movie read this book, so we can be spared from some gruesome deaths footage. Thank you.
What's so funny about this book is -ironically- the lack of humor. The zombie apocalypse is treated very, very seriously. Seems that Max Brooks did really, really extensive research before writing it. Funny that I learn more about gun specification from this book than any books about war that I have read. I also like that it didn't dwell too long on the 'misled information from Hollywood movies about the living dead'. The book just dismissed that as 'fiction' and focused on the more important and 'real' problem we're facing : the ever-present threat of actual zombie attack.
Halfway reading, it become more repetitive and exhaustive. Aside from occasional snarky statement and scarily comprehensive made-up historical account, I just skipped a lot .
However I think it's a good book for any zombie-apocalypse-paranoid. I also hope those genre-blind characters from zombie movie read this book, so we can be spared from some gruesome deaths footage. Thank you.
funny
slow-paced
I had heard good things, but thought this book was highly overrated. Though I am a fan of the zombie genre, I found the book OK at best. I just could not get into a fictional survival guide.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Hard to imagine anyone really reading this imminently skimmable extended joke. Brooks plays this so straight it's almost unnerving. Yes, zombies are real; yes, his experience as a researcher and in the field makes him just the man to warn you. That's his premise, and he never blinks. It's a bit over-played with the humor buried a little too deeply. That said, the incident reports at the end do give some suggestion of the structure of World War Z, which is pretty amazing.
One of those books I could not finish. Was hoping to
find some survival skills ideas, but found more fiction instead.
find some survival skills ideas, but found more fiction instead.
Critical reading for survival of any kind, but especially zombies. With a nice helping of actual life advice. "Be prepared." "Gather good people you can count on." "Always post a watch." "Never take off your shoes unless you're absolutely certain you're safe." "If it sounds like zombies and looks like zombies and smells like zombies, it's freaking zombies!"
If you're someone who likes dry, black humor, then this book might be for you. But when I say dry, I'm talking moon dust dry. Brooks plays Captain Obvious throughout a large portion of the guide part of this book, and it took me a very long time to slog through.
The last 1/3 of the book is kinda fun, though. Brooks recounts historical zombie incidents down through the ages, and he must have had a blast doing so. The Portuguese merchantman Marialva is particularly chilling.
The last 1/3 of the book is kinda fun, though. Brooks recounts historical zombie incidents down through the ages, and he must have had a blast doing so. The Portuguese merchantman Marialva is particularly chilling.
Da leggere solo se siete fan accaniti
Questo libro si presenta come una guida umoristica circa una eventuale apocalisse zombie, o anche più semplicemente un attacco isolato di questi morti viventi. Nonostante la premessa, la coscienza che non va presa troppo sul serio ed il carattere "fantasy" della stessa... beh, è impossibile. L'autore prende fin troppo sul serio l'argomento (ed è proprio questo l'elemento umoristico!), descrive nei più piccoli dettagli (tralasciando la parte scientifica) la sostanza che dà origine alla mutazione, le fasi; come mettere in sicurezza la casa, le armi e l'equipaggiamento di cui bisognerebbe munirsi e perchè; i mezzi di trasporto che sarebbe meglio adottare... arriverete veramente a credere che uno scenario post apocalittico sia possibile. Sul serio. Dimenticherete che è un'opera di fantasia.
Purtroppo, però, pensata per un pubblico prevalentemente americano. L'esclusione di un tipo di arma piuttosto che un'altra, o anche di un territorio, è basata sulla cultura e sull'urbanizzazione in cui lo scrittore è immerso fin da piccolo... quindi si può parlare di "scelta giustificata" (anche se non condivisa): i consigli pratici riguardano una realtà da lui conosciuta, quotidiana.
Inoltre l'impostazione da manuale ne rende a tratti difficile la lettura, nonostante l'ultima parte riguardi i casi "documentati" di attacchi zombie; questo limita ulteriormente il pubblico a cui l'opera è rivolta.
Questo libro si presenta come una guida umoristica circa una eventuale apocalisse zombie, o anche più semplicemente un attacco isolato di questi morti viventi. Nonostante la premessa, la coscienza che non va presa troppo sul serio ed il carattere "fantasy" della stessa... beh, è impossibile. L'autore prende fin troppo sul serio l'argomento (ed è proprio questo l'elemento umoristico!), descrive nei più piccoli dettagli (tralasciando la parte scientifica) la sostanza che dà origine alla mutazione, le fasi; come mettere in sicurezza la casa, le armi e l'equipaggiamento di cui bisognerebbe munirsi e perchè; i mezzi di trasporto che sarebbe meglio adottare... arriverete veramente a credere che uno scenario post apocalittico sia possibile. Sul serio. Dimenticherete che è un'opera di fantasia.
Purtroppo, però, pensata per un pubblico prevalentemente americano. L'esclusione di un tipo di arma piuttosto che un'altra, o anche di un territorio, è basata sulla cultura e sull'urbanizzazione in cui lo scrittore è immerso fin da piccolo... quindi si può parlare di "scelta giustificata" (anche se non condivisa): i consigli pratici riguardano una realtà da lui conosciuta, quotidiana.
Inoltre l'impostazione da manuale ne rende a tratti difficile la lettura, nonostante l'ultima parte riguardi i casi "documentati" di attacchi zombie; questo limita ulteriormente il pubblico a cui l'opera è rivolta.