Reviews

The format and ideas are superb. It is missing something for me, but the investigative journalism style and the globetrotting and lore reveals a little like environmental storytelling can in videogames.

lethaldose's review against another edition

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4.0

This is very much a different kind of book. I was reminded of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States while I was reading it. I guess because it told the story of the zombie war from the points of view of the people in the action and not from a (fake)historical point of view or from the view of the people that made the decisions that changed the world. The stories of the war are told from the people that was there. The book feels real in a way that few books do and that is where the actual terror of the book comes from because it seems so believable at times. It is an awesome books and I would highly recommend it to any zombie fan, any horror fan, or anyone looking for an unconvential story.

garciaj42's review against another edition

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3.0

I could tell the book was great and redefined the zombie genre but man, it got slow. After playing Nazi Zombies maybe I just come to expect fast zombies. Similar to Training Day, i'm sure that people didn't know police are corrupt in 2001 but watching in 2022 it feels obvious and lacks impact.

alexisvontrappe's review against another edition

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5.0

I love this book! I love the old radio-style interview story format (think This American Life from NPR). This interview style allowed for a lot of broad perspectives and provides you with an easy way to immerse yourself in the world. Additionally, this news-like format made the whole virus outbreak more believable. Brooks' knowledge of real-world geopolitics heightens the plausibility of the virus and storyline. Re-reding this after the Covid-19 Pandemic is somewhat errie as some of the nations responses in this book were echoed or so similar to real world reactions of nations during the year of 2020. adds both spooky and somber elemements. Some of the characters I loved more than others, and Brooks had some interest in social critiques layered in with the different types of characters. With out spoiling too much I found the reality show moment interesting social commentary.
I know this is a book review but, many people come to this book due to the film and its sad because the film is nothing like this book. It basically stole the title and I really wish people would give this book a chance even if you didn't like the film.
Overall, this book is probably in my top five books I highly recommend it if you love zombies and radio shows like This American Life or other similar podcasts.

lexkazokas's review

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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