World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks
Imagine a world overrun by Zombies. Beginning with "patient zero" all the way through to the final clean-up operations, Brooks describes the Zombie War - also known as "World War Z," "Z War One," and "The Walking Plague" - through the use of first-person accounts. At first, this method seems disjointed, but as the book progresses, the narratives come together to form a cohesive whole. The initial stirrings of the zombie problem escalate into "The Great Panic." As the problem increases, survivors collect in fortified areas. Eventually, world leaders decide to launch a controversially all-out attack against the zombies. The war efforts are unique, since zombies do not need to be bred, fed, or led. The zombies have no loyalty or fear. They all fight for themselves, and thus the fight continues until every last one is dead. Every time a zombie bites a human (or animal) another zombie is created, and thus their forces increase exponentially. Modern war technology is of little help, since the only thing that will kill a zombie is the destruction of their brain. Brooks has created a fantastic, nuanced, and realistic account of what a world full of zombies would be like, and how difficult it would be to counter such an enemy. Perhaps there are metaphorical overtones of fighting terrorist strategies. But overall, this is simply a unique book that creatively reinvents the zombie genre.