World War Z
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 First edition cover | |
| Author | Max Brooks |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror, Satirical novel |
| Publisher | Crown |
Publication date | September 12, 2006 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback/Paperback) |
| Pages | 352 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0307346609 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
World War Z (abbreviated WWZ) is a novel by Max Brooks which chronicles the fictional titular "Zombie World War". It is a follow-up to his previous book, The Zombie Survival Guide. The book was released on September 12, 2006, and it has a movie based on it in the pre-production stage.
Plot summary
The book charts a war against the undead from global pandemic to mass panic, and then to the eventual armed struggle to reclaim the planet. Rather than a grand overview or a single perspective, World War Z is instead a collection of individual accounts, each revealing an aspect of the larger plot and simultaneously presenting a very personal tale. These different accounts take the form of interviews. The book draws from post-apocalyptic and zombie literature. "The Great Panic" chapter describes the rout of civilization in a similar manner to H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. The tales cover many genres -- the story of a Chinese admiral who spent the war on a submarine would fit easily among techno-thrillers. The viewpoint is not exclusively American, but focuses on the global nature of the struggle. This use of small personal tales creates a patchwork tapestry of the larger events unfolding in the book. Brooks addresses current issues such as environmentalism, the War on Terrorism and international health care. He also offers an interesting juxtaposition between the modern world and that of postwar Earth. For example, Cuba becomes the world's leading economy, Great Britain becomes a major producer of oil, and Tibet becomes the most populous country. This vision of a postwar Earth is startling in its contrast to that of today. It is implied that tribal groups such as South American Indians, Zulu of Southern Africa and Māori of New Zealand fared surprisingly well. One character relates an anecdote about how 500 Māori took on half of the Auckland horde, using traditional tribal weapons, and did much better than the world's various military forces or Western civilians.
Characters
The book consists of a series of more than forty personal accounts from war survivors.
Major epochs of World War Z
Brooks breaks down the zombie war into a series of distinct chronological periods according to the changing state of events and attitudes towards the situation:
Pre-War
Brooks uses the term "pre-war" to refer to the time before the first infection of the Class Four outbreak (see Zombie Survival Guide), which is the main focus of the novel. The pre-war world largely reflects the modern real world. Some events that Brooks refers to in the pre-war take place in the near future.
The Beginning
China witnesses the first reported outbreaks: refugees carry the virus to other nations. It is theorized in the book that the outbreak was the result of germ warfare research by the Chinese government that went out of control. China fears that other countries might see the zombie outbreak as a sign of weakness, so China fakes a military buildup to invade Taiwan. As the plague spreads through Africa, it is first referred to as "African Rabies" or "Jungle Rabies."
Some military and intelligence organizations begin to identify the threat, but most world leaders dismiss the possibility of a large scale outbreak or the presence of a virus that would reanimate the dead. A corrupt pharmaceutical developer sells a vaccine ("Phalanx") for the zombie virus, earning a fortune. However, Phalanx is only a vaccine against real rabies, not the zombie virus. "Alpha Teams" are deployed by the US government to combat isolated infestations. The combined effects of the cold weather and Alpha Teams reduce the number of zombie outbreaks, and with Phalanx perceived as an effective vaccine, the populace is lulled into a false sense of security. However, by spring the zombies become more active with warmer weather, and soon begin to overwhelm government response. A female journalist breaks the news that Phalanx is useless against the virus. This alerts the public, but also leads to mass hysteria.
The only nation during this period to take effective measures against the spread of the virus is Israel, which enacts a voluntary quarantine, and builds a massive perimeter wall around the entire country.
The Great Panic
The Great Panic is the name given by Brooks to the time of mass hysteria surrounding humanity's realization of the reality facing them. The Panic begins when the infection starts to overrun countries in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Refugees escaping from blighted areas help to speed up the rate of infection in other nations. At the same time, the undead begin to outnumber the living in Africa and India. The first that many typical middle-class suburban Americans know of the undead threat is when zombies come crashing through their living room windows.
Many in North America attempt to migrate to northern Canada, but many of the people who reach northern Canada are unprepared to camp there, and supplies eventually run low. Cannibalism occurs in several areas and an estimated 11 million people freeze to death that first winter in North America alone.
The peak of the Great Panic is the Battle Of Yonkers, where the U.S. military suffers a tremendous defeat in a highly televised battle against millions of zombies in Yonkers, New York, mainly due to poor military planning. The catastrophe has devastating consequences for the morale of the public and marks the end of a coherent American response for some time. Less than two weeks after Yonkers, the eastern United States is abandoned in a massive retreat by the military to establish a new defensive line at the Rocky Mountains.
Turning the Tide
The Redeker Plan is developed by an ex-Apartheid government official, Paul Redeker, and copied by other nations (with varying names and details). Due to danger of infection and low resources, it is determined that not everyone can be saved. Redeker explains that the plan originated as a response to the worst-case scenario for the Apartheid government, full-scale rebellion by the native African majority. "Safe zones" are to be established for some civilians and cleared of all zombies by military personnel. However, some percentage of the population are simply to be used, essentially, as live zombie bait. They are to be set up and supplied in other sanctuaries, to draw zombies away from the safe zones and allow the people there time to regroup and reorient.
During this time immediately following the Great Panic, the United States restructures its government, military, and civilian population. Many of the changing tactics of the military and new tools of war and industry are discovered and implemented. The seat of the government is moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, and the majority of surviving Americans are encamped west of the Rockies. Old U.S military battle tactics are resurrected such as firing lines and hand-held weapons. Armor supports are restricted only for use against rebels, and the Airforce's only operations are resupply missions.
Post-War
During this period, all major cities are retaken. The majority of temperate and tropical areas are cleared. Many zombies remain in cold areas (such as Finland, Iceland, and Siberia), where the undead are frozen solid over much of the year; cleanup must be done during the brief summer thaw. These heavily infested areas are known as "White Zones". Bodies of water are also dangerous -- there are millions of undead under water which occasionally make it to land. The most heavily infected area other than the ocean floor is Iceland, due to a pre-war lack of military resources and an abundance of infected refugees; many species of whales become extinct due to their harvest to support the massive floating groups of people, almost entirely with the difference of whales in the North Pole area.
World War Z significantly alters the geopolitical and economic landscape. In particular, many governments collapse, and the political ties between certain nations grow stronger. One result of the war is a final peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Another is the emergence of Cuba as the leading nation in terms of economy, becoming the "Capitalist pigs" they had once hated. The environmental effects of the war also hold great portent for the countries emerging from the depths of the war.
Audio book
The abridged audio book is read by author Max Brooks and a full cast, including Mark Hamill, Alan Alda, Henry Rollins, Rob Reiner, and Carl Reiner. The audio book was published by Random House Audio, directed by John McElroy, produced by Dan Zitt, with sound editing by Charles De Montebello. The audio book was awarded with the 2007 Audie Award for best Multi-Voiced Performance.[1] Around half of the material in the book was omitted, mostly because of time constraints.[citation needed]
Film adaptation
A film adaptation is due for release in 2008 after the rights were obtained by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, with the screenplay being written by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski.[2]
References
- ^ Audio Publishers Association (2007). "Audie Award press release" (.pdf). Audio Publishers Association.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Nicole LaPorte, Michael Fleming (2006). "Par, Plan B raise 'Zombie'". Variety.
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