Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.  Good, good stuff. How can a steampunk, alternate history novel that takes place in the late 19th century and features airships and zombies fail?

jotterbook:

(via mikeandryan)

Zombie lolz FTW.

What is it?
World War Z, by author Max Brooks, is a novel that is broken down as a documentary of the world pre-, during, and post-zombie outbreak, covering over ten years and spanning the globe.

What did I think?
World War Z’s detached, documentary style works greatly to the novel’s benefit. The subject matter here is treated seriously, as if a history book, and works just as dramatically in contrast to the serious nature (and thus comedic effect) of Brooks’ previous work, The Zombie Survival Guide. Part of what makes World War Z work so well is that it is very believable; the events that take place, the complacency of America and the government crackdown of China with regards to the zombie outbreak is frighteningly close to real life. The scope of the novel, detailing from start to post-war cleanup, is unlike most other zombie tales. Usually, as in the movies or few novels on the subject, the world is left broken and the survivors barely squeaking by; in World War Z, we finally see someone tackle what taking back the world would entail. The documentary is filled with individuals’ plight and how they survived the outbreak. Some innovative stories are told here, such as the blind Japanese man who held off the dead for a couple of years alone, the crew of the space station surviving and helping the survivor’s cause, and a Chinese submarine crew that went AWOL. Also, if you pay attention, because of how the stories are ordered, you can catch threads connecting through just about all of them.

If I were to knock anything about the book, it is that one or two stories kind of drag in the middle, but nothing major. Most of World War Z is riveting if you’re a fan of the Survival Horror genre (which is pretty much the only kind of horror I would entertain these days).

What’s the final word?
World War Z is an entertaining read that brings a lot of new things to the zombie genre. The detached documentary style removes any sensationalizing in the storytelling, which makes it all the more gripping. If you loved The Zombie Survival Guide, you’ll simply devour this.

Rating: A