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This is the Way the World Ends: An Oral History of the Zombie War
This is an alternate cover edition for B074JXHFYK
February, 2031: The global population now stands at an estimated 400 million. Every surviving human has been touched in some way by death. Some nations have emerged stronger than ever. Some struggle to survive. Some no longer exist at all.
In the aftermath of the global zombie pandemic Keith Taylor, the noted pre-war author of post apocalyptic fiction, traveled the world to gather first hand accounts of survivors from every walk of life, culture and level of society, ranging from US political and military leaders to British journalists to members of India's homeless underclass. These accounts take the reader through the initial emergence of the virus in Siberia, through the infamous Shibuya footage and the political crisis of the President's impeachment hearings, and end with the eventual military campaigns on the US mainland and beyond.
From these candid interviews emerges an image of the world as it was, flawed and imperfect, and the most illuminating and complete commentary to date as to how the nations of the world responded to the greatest threat humanity has yet faced.
This is the Way the World Ends takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the civilization we had and lost; a look at how humanity went to extraordinary lengths to deny the evidence, and how we suffered due to our inability to accept a single, simple truth:
Zombies are real.
Note: Readers who lived through the pandemic may find the interviews contained within this collection distressing. Discretion is advised.
February, 2031: The global population now stands at an estimated 400 million. Every surviving human has been touched in some way by death. Some nations have emerged stronger than ever. Some struggle to survive. Some no longer exist at all.
In the aftermath of the global zombie pandemic Keith Taylor, the noted pre-war author of post apocalyptic fiction, traveled the world to gather first hand accounts of survivors from every walk of life, culture and level of society, ranging from US political and military leaders to British journalists to members of India's homeless underclass. These accounts take the reader through the initial emergence of the virus in Siberia, through the infamous Shibuya footage and the political crisis of the President's impeachment hearings, and end with the eventual military campaigns on the US mainland and beyond.
From these candid interviews emerges an image of the world as it was, flawed and imperfect, and the most illuminating and complete commentary to date as to how the nations of the world responded to the greatest threat humanity has yet faced.
This is the Way the World Ends takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the civilization we had and lost; a look at how humanity went to extraordinary lengths to deny the evidence, and how we suffered due to our inability to accept a single, simple truth:
Zombies are real.
Note: Readers who lived through the pandemic may find the interviews contained within this collection distressing. Discretion is advised.
532 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2017
1413 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Keith Taylor
111 books65 followersKeith Taylor is the true identity of the million plus selling author behind the pen names Aya Fukunishi and K A Taylor, who toiled for years writing bizarrely popular romance novels while he secretly longed to return to his true calling: explosively awesome post-apocalyptic fiction.
Keith hails from the rainy suburbs of Manchester in the north of England. He lives with his wife, Otgontsetseg, and splits his time between Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Bangkok, Thailand. He survives on a diet of meat, cheese, beer and cigarettes, and he probably shouldn't still be alive.
For news about upcoming releases, sales and various other nonsense you can follow Keith on Facebook or subscribe to his mailing list.
Keith hails from the rainy suburbs of Manchester in the north of England. He lives with his wife, Otgontsetseg, and splits his time between Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Bangkok, Thailand. He survives on a diet of meat, cheese, beer and cigarettes, and he probably shouldn't still be alive.
For news about upcoming releases, sales and various other nonsense you can follow Keith on Facebook or subscribe to his mailing list.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
May 5, 2025
This book has been compared to World War Z, the comparison isn't entirely unfair but I don't think that aside from being a zombie story told interviews with people from various places in the world it's not that similar.
There were a few stories that were pretty forgettable but there were also a few that I would have been down to read a whole book about especially the one that dealt a little more with societal changes that happened along with the zombie apocalypse, the one about the Mongolian worker in Russia per example.
Taylor went for a "we assume the best of political figures" style which was coherent with the privileged interviewer he created to serve as narrator for the book for better or worse. I did find that the characters all sounded very much alike which was kind of unfortunate.
There were a few stories that were pretty forgettable but there were also a few that I would have been down to read a whole book about especially the one that dealt a little more with societal changes that happened along with the zombie apocalypse, the one about the Mongolian worker in Russia per example.
Taylor went for a "we assume the best of political figures" style which was coherent with the privileged interviewer he created to serve as narrator for the book for better or worse. I did find that the characters all sounded very much alike which was kind of unfortunate.
January 10, 2018
Update after reading World War Z:
After being told by Keith Taylor himself that I should read WWZ I did, and have decided that Taylor's is better.
Original review:
Keith Taylor begins the story by telling us he wrote it because he loved World War Z and had been waiting for a decade for someone to step in and continue the story. When no one did, he started writing. For all the popular zombie books I've read, I hadn't tried WWZ because sadly I saw the movie first (c'mon people, I had to - Brad Pitt was in it) and it just felt like a generic zombie movie. I know movies aren't as good as the books and sometimes they aren't even like the book itself but it turned me off. If Brooks' story is as good as Taylor's, then I've made a big mistake.
Having a story written as interviews with people around the world and their experiences during the zombie war is really a great concept. You get to experience everything - how it began, how it ended, discoveries that were made, how humanity endured. I couldn't put it down and finished in a day.
I cannot emphasize enough to the people who've never read a zombie story but have watched a zombie movie. They are nothing alike. Movies are all about the running, the gore, the panic and whatever else a studio can throw in to scare you. The books have an actual story. Most have their own concept of how zombies came to be. They frequently focus on humanity's desire to live and sometimes the breakdown of what it means to be human. They are usually more meaningful, hopeful and certainly more enjoyable than the movies.
If you haven't read one before, this is a good book to start with. If you've read one and didn't like it, maybe try this one and see if it changes your mind. If you like zombie books, then add this to your list. It's really good!
After being told by Keith Taylor himself that I should read WWZ I did, and have decided that Taylor's is better.
Original review:
Keith Taylor begins the story by telling us he wrote it because he loved World War Z and had been waiting for a decade for someone to step in and continue the story. When no one did, he started writing. For all the popular zombie books I've read, I hadn't tried WWZ because sadly I saw the movie first (c'mon people, I had to - Brad Pitt was in it) and it just felt like a generic zombie movie. I know movies aren't as good as the books and sometimes they aren't even like the book itself but it turned me off. If Brooks' story is as good as Taylor's, then I've made a big mistake.
Having a story written as interviews with people around the world and their experiences during the zombie war is really a great concept. You get to experience everything - how it began, how it ended, discoveries that were made, how humanity endured. I couldn't put it down and finished in a day.
I cannot emphasize enough to the people who've never read a zombie story but have watched a zombie movie. They are nothing alike. Movies are all about the running, the gore, the panic and whatever else a studio can throw in to scare you. The books have an actual story. Most have their own concept of how zombies came to be. They frequently focus on humanity's desire to live and sometimes the breakdown of what it means to be human. They are usually more meaningful, hopeful and certainly more enjoyable than the movies.
If you haven't read one before, this is a good book to start with. If you've read one and didn't like it, maybe try this one and see if it changes your mind. If you like zombie books, then add this to your list. It's really good!
April 19, 2021
I loved WWZ and am easy to please so I did enjoy this book. I don't care that the characters within the story may have been promoting different political beliefs from myself. However, the chapter stating the Trump was really trying to do the best thing for the country and wasn't just worried about his properties and personal safety was so absurd it took me out of the story. It was still bothering me after I finished so I had to come on here and deduct some stars. Forget zombies, Trump acting in a selfless manner was too much of a suspension of disbelief.
August 22, 2017
Terrific read. Keith Taylor expands on Max's Brooks's genre classic, World War Z, by adding new first-person accounts of a global zombie pandemic. Although Taylor's universe differs significantly from Brooks's, he evokes the same you-are-there feeling of listening to a survivor's story, a Studs Terkel of zombie fiction. A solid addition to the genre.
September 3, 2017
Loved it
I like the true story interview style, and I like how the origin and cure of the zombie plague is slowly revealed. It's a well written interesting book and I'd love more. It's funny because I bought this book entirely by accident and was planning on returning it, but I thought I'd give it a peek first..then I was hooked.
I like the true story interview style, and I like how the origin and cure of the zombie plague is slowly revealed. It's a well written interesting book and I'd love more. It's funny because I bought this book entirely by accident and was planning on returning it, but I thought I'd give it a peek first..then I was hooked.
August 20, 2017
Intense, intelligent and emotional -- zombies are peripheral.
I bought this book based on its premise. I like zombies in a movie but wouldn't have selected a "zombie" book to read. But this book isn't about zombies ; it's about the people whose lives were ripped into pieces by the zombie apocalypse. Set up as a series of interviews with survivors, each portraiture vignette offers a different and visceral picture of each individual's experience. We meet people from all over the world, from all backgrounds -- military, Joe schmoe, Jane schmoe, a census taker, a homeless man in India, the president of the new US, indigenous islanders. Each story will hit you in the gut. I cried, I actually gagged, I swore, I hurt, I cheered. This book crosses all genres and is captivating, soul touching, and frightening more for what it shows us about ourselves as universally human, than for any specific apocalypse cause. I would highly recommend this to anyone with a brain and a heart. It's that good.
I bought this book based on its premise. I like zombies in a movie but wouldn't have selected a "zombie" book to read. But this book isn't about zombies ; it's about the people whose lives were ripped into pieces by the zombie apocalypse. Set up as a series of interviews with survivors, each portraiture vignette offers a different and visceral picture of each individual's experience. We meet people from all over the world, from all backgrounds -- military, Joe schmoe, Jane schmoe, a census taker, a homeless man in India, the president of the new US, indigenous islanders. Each story will hit you in the gut. I cried, I actually gagged, I swore, I hurt, I cheered. This book crosses all genres and is captivating, soul touching, and frightening more for what it shows us about ourselves as universally human, than for any specific apocalypse cause. I would highly recommend this to anyone with a brain and a heart. It's that good.
October 1, 2022
Many of the reviews compare this to World War Z, but I haven't read that and can't speak to comparisons. This is basically a book of short stories, each one featuring a different part of the world and how they dealt with the zombie outbreak.
The stories feel low-stakes, each narrator describing the events after the fact so there's no urgent "will they survive" parts that make me want to read faster.
Some of the chapters were very good, a few were too long and quite tedious. For the people grumbling about the politics, I'm not sure how you could write this book and not bring politics into it.
The stories feel low-stakes, each narrator describing the events after the fact so there's no urgent "will they survive" parts that make me want to read faster.
Some of the chapters were very good, a few were too long and quite tedious. For the people grumbling about the politics, I'm not sure how you could write this book and not bring politics into it.
March 6, 2020
Different spin on zombie apocalypse
The book reminded me of world War z the book, not the movie, the premise of it anyway. Sometimes after the zombie have been cleared from most parts of the world the author interviews survivors. Some regular folk some post zombie celebrities. I think it was a new way to tell an zombie apocalypse survival story.
The book reminded me of world War z the book, not the movie, the premise of it anyway. Sometimes after the zombie have been cleared from most parts of the world the author interviews survivors. Some regular folk some post zombie celebrities. I think it was a new way to tell an zombie apocalypse survival story.
September 2, 2017
Good read!
I wanted reading this take on the zombie apocalypse from multiple perspectives. Yes, there are a bit of politics, and yes, the novel is set up like WWZ. Still, this stands up well in its own right.
Interesting - and more deeply psychologically insightful than most zombie novels.
I wanted reading this take on the zombie apocalypse from multiple perspectives. Yes, there are a bit of politics, and yes, the novel is set up like WWZ. Still, this stands up well in its own right.
Interesting - and more deeply psychologically insightful than most zombie novels.
September 2, 2017
Max Brooks would be proud!
The author set out to write a book similar to World War Z in its narrative style and tone, and did just that! A great read. Highly recommended for those who like zombie fiction!
The author set out to write a book similar to World War Z in its narrative style and tone, and did just that! A great read. Highly recommended for those who like zombie fiction!
March 4, 2021
DNF @ 41%
This is like a bad World War Z; and that book was only decent, not great. All of the voices sound the same, there's no differentiation in narrative style across culture, age, or sex. There's also very little to do with zombies and carnage and more subtle politicking and social commentary. There are also details that make no sense, like a governor of a secessionist state using a glock 43 (subcompact 9mm with a 6 round magazine) after all the years to carry out triple digit death penalty executions.
This is like a bad World War Z; and that book was only decent, not great. All of the voices sound the same, there's no differentiation in narrative style across culture, age, or sex. There's also very little to do with zombies and carnage and more subtle politicking and social commentary. There are also details that make no sense, like a governor of a secessionist state using a glock 43 (subcompact 9mm with a 6 round magazine) after all the years to carry out triple digit death penalty executions.
March 18, 2021
This book was excellent! 4.5 stars rounded up. The vignettes ran the entire emotional spectrum, and the vast majority were great (especially the one in India featuring Langur monkeys!). My one gripe was that it felt like it ended abruptly. I turned to the next page after the ending, expecting more, and it was just...done.
Still, the book was extremely enjoyable, quite the page-turner, and I'm definitely interested in reading more of Keith Taylor's work.
Still, the book was extremely enjoyable, quite the page-turner, and I'm definitely interested in reading more of Keith Taylor's work.
August 14, 2017
A very enjoyable book about a zombie apocalypse and how the world dealt with it, from start to finish.
May 4, 2020
4 stars. Very similar to the classic World War Z, though there was a slightly different focus. Still, it's enjoyable and the chapters are broken up for a quick read. If you enjoyed World War Z, you'll enjoy this too.
September 19, 2017
I liked that the author told the story of the Zombie Apocalypse through interviews with survivors.The witty inclusion in the book of Keith Taylor's authorship of a zombie trilogy was amusing.If you liked Max Brooks World War Z then you will definitely enjoy this book.
February 16, 2022
I loved Max Brook’s “World War Z” and here Keith Taylor is doing a spiritual homage (the book is dedicated to Brooks). I found this to be far more frightening and plausible than World War Z. Not the zombies, but how the world would react and how it would impact international relations and what difficult decisions would need to be in the face of impending disaster. Really good.
October 1, 2017
I enjoyed the book and its pacing and was glad to find 'another' WWZ book. The same format as the original it does jump around a lot.
September 23, 2017
Totally Enjoyed the book
This was the first book I read from Keith Taylor but it won't be my last. I am looking forward to reading more of his books.
I loved his different take of a zombie book. I have read plenty of action filled, gory books. This book explained the reasoning behind the apocalypse and how it spread. So many books out there lack in this area. I found it interesting and fulfilling. I enjoyed his writing style. I recommend this books to all the zombie lovers out there.
This was the first book I read from Keith Taylor but it won't be my last. I am looking forward to reading more of his books.
I loved his different take of a zombie book. I have read plenty of action filled, gory books. This book explained the reasoning behind the apocalypse and how it spread. So many books out there lack in this area. I found it interesting and fulfilling. I enjoyed his writing style. I recommend this books to all the zombie lovers out there.
September 24, 2017
A World War Z Love Letter
As the author states, this book is an homage to World War Z. I found it to have a bit less action, but a whole lot of soul and wisdom. Some of the endings to the chapters really struck me.
As the author states, this book is an homage to World War Z. I found it to have a bit less action, but a whole lot of soul and wisdom. Some of the endings to the chapters really struck me.
September 23, 2017
AN INTERESTING AFTER ACTION REPORT ON THE ZULU ALPHA IT IS....
Hello, this is a very good and entertaining reporting of the ZULU ALPHA. Several years after it began and the world started to rebuild. Good stuff. Thanks.
Hello, this is a very good and entertaining reporting of the ZULU ALPHA. Several years after it began and the world started to rebuild. Good stuff. Thanks.
September 23, 2017
Decent Read.
A nice homage to WWZ despite its owns faults, but a her engaging read nonetheless. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did
A nice homage to WWZ despite its owns faults, but a her engaging read nonetheless. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did
September 13, 2017
A good book about the zombie invasion taken from oral accounts from different people in different places. It is intelligently written and never dull. If you like this kind of book, I recommend it. This is a good writer with no filler pages, no ridiculous or unbelievable events, and it made me just want to keep reading. I am going to look at his other work now because I really enjoyed this one. Try it if you like this type of book.
February 9, 2021
It's hard not to compare this book to its predecessor, World War Z, particularly when the author explicitly categorizes it as an homage to Max Brooks' breakout novel. They both have a similar structure--a collection of short stories and vignettes, billed as oral history from the aftermath of a global zombie apocalypse. However, Taylor's tribute does manage to distinguish itself from WWZ, in ways both good and bad.
The Good: In some respects, the stories Taylor features possess more emotional intimacy than Brooks', and sometimes more punch. The description of an offshore drilling rig crew that turned cannibal after being cut off from the mainland is one of the most masterfully disturbing things I've read in a while.
Also, Taylor's conceptualization of the zombie virus is, in my opinion, a bit more clever--ostensibly an ancient relative of the rabies virus, it thaws out of the Siberian permafrost and infects some hapless miner or driller. It has a long incubation period (unlike Brooks' solanum virus, which kills its host usually within 48 hours of infection) during which it can be spread by bodily fluids and causes the host's rational decision-making and judgment to slowly deteriorate, helping explain why it's able to spread so far (particularly when biting, by itself, is an extremely inefficient method of transmission).
The Bad: Taylor's take on the global zombie war has been called more cynical than Brooks', and it's hard to disagree with that--the tone is far darker, and full of needless sacrifices and poor decisions on part of people and governments. I would argue that the book actually suffers a little for this--not because it necessarily needs a lighter tone, but because was one of the strengths of WWZ was it felt like an actual *war*, with communities and nations eventually strategically coordinating with each other to take on the zombie menace, and reclaim the planet. Taylor has no such coming-together--it's everyone for themselves, and even major breakthroughs (such as the discovery that the zombie's disease-ravaged neurology makes them extremely vulnerable to the real-life phenomenon of flicker vertigo) don't seem to make a difference on the global scale, only locally. Nations are reclaimed, but only through brute-force, human wave tactics. As a result, Taylor's zombie war doesn't really come across as a war to be won, but a natural disaster to be survived. Ultimately, this contributes to the book's biggest weakness--the lack of a definable story arc that binds the stories together the way Brooks did in WWZ.
Lastly, in the era of COVID, some of the book has aged particularly poorly. One stand-out moment was when the president at the start of the zombie pandemic (heavily implied to be Trump) is forced out of office due to his refusal to retreat from the cities and leave their populations at the non-mercy of the zombie hordes. Sadly, we now know that Trump's actual response to a major disease outbreak is much less inspiring, to say the least.
Overall, this isn't a bad read for fans of WWZ, and even manages to improve on Brooks' concept in some places. However, like many tributes, it still falls short of the original.
The Good: In some respects, the stories Taylor features possess more emotional intimacy than Brooks', and sometimes more punch. The description of an offshore drilling rig crew that turned cannibal after being cut off from the mainland is one of the most masterfully disturbing things I've read in a while.
Also, Taylor's conceptualization of the zombie virus is, in my opinion, a bit more clever--ostensibly an ancient relative of the rabies virus, it thaws out of the Siberian permafrost and infects some hapless miner or driller. It has a long incubation period (unlike Brooks' solanum virus, which kills its host usually within 48 hours of infection) during which it can be spread by bodily fluids and causes the host's rational decision-making and judgment to slowly deteriorate, helping explain why it's able to spread so far (particularly when biting, by itself, is an extremely inefficient method of transmission).
The Bad: Taylor's take on the global zombie war has been called more cynical than Brooks', and it's hard to disagree with that--the tone is far darker, and full of needless sacrifices and poor decisions on part of people and governments. I would argue that the book actually suffers a little for this--not because it necessarily needs a lighter tone, but because was one of the strengths of WWZ was it felt like an actual *war*, with communities and nations eventually strategically coordinating with each other to take on the zombie menace, and reclaim the planet. Taylor has no such coming-together--it's everyone for themselves, and even major breakthroughs (such as the discovery that the zombie's disease-ravaged neurology makes them extremely vulnerable to the real-life phenomenon of flicker vertigo) don't seem to make a difference on the global scale, only locally. Nations are reclaimed, but only through brute-force, human wave tactics. As a result, Taylor's zombie war doesn't really come across as a war to be won, but a natural disaster to be survived. Ultimately, this contributes to the book's biggest weakness--the lack of a definable story arc that binds the stories together the way Brooks did in WWZ.
Lastly, in the era of COVID, some of the book has aged particularly poorly. One stand-out moment was when the president at the start of the zombie pandemic (heavily implied to be Trump) is forced out of office due to his refusal to retreat from the cities and leave their populations at the non-mercy of the zombie hordes. Sadly, we now know that Trump's actual response to a major disease outbreak is much less inspiring, to say the least.
Overall, this isn't a bad read for fans of WWZ, and even manages to improve on Brooks' concept in some places. However, like many tributes, it still falls short of the original.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2017
A entertaining afternoon read, but
I have to check and see when it was written. If it was before the book, World War Z, then okay. If it was written AFTER WWZ, it is sort of a rip-off of it. Thus the 3 Star rating for unoriginal premise.
Still, a good way to pass a few hours. And unlike the movie, WWZ.........there is no Brad Pitt, thank God
I have to check and see when it was written. If it was before the book, World War Z, then okay. If it was written AFTER WWZ, it is sort of a rip-off of it. Thus the 3 Star rating for unoriginal premise.
Still, a good way to pass a few hours. And unlike the movie, WWZ.........there is no Brad Pitt, thank God
September 10, 2017
Loved it!
Excellence book. Similar to the author I am a huge fan of World War Z by Max Brooks. I've been waiting for a follow up since I first read WWZ. After years of nothing coming close, Keith Taylor YOU NAILED it! Great job. I'll reread without a doubt!
Excellence book. Similar to the author I am a huge fan of World War Z by Max Brooks. I've been waiting for a follow up since I first read WWZ. After years of nothing coming close, Keith Taylor YOU NAILED it! Great job. I'll reread without a doubt!
August 29, 2017
Very good, very much like world War z
I feel like certain parts of the book could have been slipped into the stories of world War z without a blink. I really did enjoy it in the same way that I enjoyed brooks's fresh and interesting way to tackle a overplayed trope. The timeline having been updated to the very near fit ire definitely added another level of creepy surrealism for me.
That said, I do think that some parts definitely did have that cheap copycat feel. While I enjoyed it, there was nothing really there that stuck with me like several of the shorts in World War Z. A lot of it felt a little stale, like the author was trying a little too hard to mimic the inspiration. Most notable of them, the trillionair profiteer selling hyped up and morally ambiguous placebos and hiding out in very expensive remote locals. But certain other parts were fresh in ways that weren't explored by Wwz so that was interesting too.
********
Tldr: Good book, good author. I do recommend but don't look for anything thrilling or new if you already read World War Z.
I feel like certain parts of the book could have been slipped into the stories of world War z without a blink. I really did enjoy it in the same way that I enjoyed brooks's fresh and interesting way to tackle a overplayed trope. The timeline having been updated to the very near fit ire definitely added another level of creepy surrealism for me.
That said, I do think that some parts definitely did have that cheap copycat feel. While I enjoyed it, there was nothing really there that stuck with me like several of the shorts in World War Z. A lot of it felt a little stale, like the author was trying a little too hard to mimic the inspiration. Most notable of them, the trillionair profiteer selling hyped up and morally ambiguous placebos and hiding out in very expensive remote locals. But certain other parts were fresh in ways that weren't explored by Wwz so that was interesting too.
********
Tldr: Good book, good author. I do recommend but don't look for anything thrilling or new if you already read World War Z.
December 9, 2020
It's by no means a bad book. It's well written, a lot of interesting ideas are included and explored well, it reads very believably (if you overlook the whole 'zombie apocalypse' thing), and shows a very realistic portrayal of our modern wold in the worst possible situation. It's just...
You know when Hollywood insists on remaking a classic film and giving it a 'modern twist'? They did it with Robocop, Total Recall, many others. This book is like that for World War Z. The beloved older book's shadow looms large over every aspect of this one, and it really doesn't help at all. Taylor never tries to deny this, he's very up front and open about it to his great credit. There's also nothing inherently wrong with remaking an older entertainment, be it film, TV show, music, or book, and updating it for a more modern audience. It worked great for Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire slayer etc.
It becomes a problem, though, like with the aforementioned Robocop and Total Recall, when the original is *still* widely enjoyed and appreciated today. Even if the newer version is objectively better and slicker, it doesn't matter. It'll differ from, and therefore be inferior too, the thing that inspired it.
This book is basically the literary equivalent of listening to a good tribute band. They may be great musicians and excellent performers, but you're only engaging with them because of how much you enjoy someone else's accomplishments. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's always better to have the real thing.
You know when Hollywood insists on remaking a classic film and giving it a 'modern twist'? They did it with Robocop, Total Recall, many others. This book is like that for World War Z. The beloved older book's shadow looms large over every aspect of this one, and it really doesn't help at all. Taylor never tries to deny this, he's very up front and open about it to his great credit. There's also nothing inherently wrong with remaking an older entertainment, be it film, TV show, music, or book, and updating it for a more modern audience. It worked great for Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire slayer etc.
It becomes a problem, though, like with the aforementioned Robocop and Total Recall, when the original is *still* widely enjoyed and appreciated today. Even if the newer version is objectively better and slicker, it doesn't matter. It'll differ from, and therefore be inferior too, the thing that inspired it.
This book is basically the literary equivalent of listening to a good tribute band. They may be great musicians and excellent performers, but you're only engaging with them because of how much you enjoy someone else's accomplishments. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's always better to have the real thing.
August 23, 2017
International zombie story.
Very good and different way to tell a zombie story. Works in very recent actual events.
World wide zombie assault. Enjoyed style and content.
Very good and different way to tell a zombie story. Works in very recent actual events.
World wide zombie assault. Enjoyed style and content.
August 21, 2017
Max Brooks would be proud.
An excellent follow-up to Max Brooks what was Z, I think he would be proud. Anyone read where was he will enjoy this book. I suggest you pick it up and read it as well as spread the word. I found it very enjoyable read it all in one sitting.
An excellent follow-up to Max Brooks what was Z, I think he would be proud. Anyone read where was he will enjoy this book. I suggest you pick it up and read it as well as spread the word. I found it very enjoyable read it all in one sitting.
October 3, 2017
Mr, Taylor starts our by saying how impressed he was with World War Z - a book that is near and dear to my heart - as a "Not Zombie, zombie book" - and wondering why people did not write in that style and how he waited all these years to be the author that does follow up.
The wait was worth it.
Fans of the blood and gore zombie books may find this book too slow, I however find it fascinating to see what people do, did not do, regret, and its almost like reading someones diary.
Not for everyone, but a great read.
The wait was worth it.
Fans of the blood and gore zombie books may find this book too slow, I however find it fascinating to see what people do, did not do, regret, and its almost like reading someones diary.
Not for everyone, but a great read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews